Analyzing the Pros and Cons of Cloud Storage

There’s no denying that cloud storage is convenient. The challenge is figuring out if cloud storage will provide the performance and security your business needs. Another consideration is whether your company will move 100% to the cloud or use a hybrid setup. Let’s consider a few pros and cons to help you decide which storage solution will satisfy your team’s requirements.

The Pros of Cloud Storage

• With physical infrastructure, you have to invest in hardware when you need to scale. These purchases can be costly, and they take time. Cloud storage allows you to scale up and down on-demand to keep your capacity aligned with your current business needs.
• Updated technology. It’s unlikely that your company updates its IT infrastructure very often. The competitive nature of cloud storage solutions forces providers to keep up with modern technology, giving you access to updated hardware without the costs.
• Storing your files in the cloud ensures that your people have access to important data wherever they have an internet connection. Accessibility is vital for teams with remote workforces and traveling sales people.
• Disaster recovery. Every business should have a plan for recovering its data when disaster strikes. A crucial part of these plans is an offsite location for storing data. Cloud storage is ideal for the job as it is often located in a completely separate region and providers have their own redundancies in place.

The Cons of Cloud Storage

• Security and privacy. Unless you host a private cloud, a third party will store your data. Their security policies and infrastructure will directly affect your complicity with regulatory and industry requirements. Additionally, some industries have more stringent rules for how you can store your data, like healthcare.
• Long-term costs. Depending on your storage needs, on-premise solutions can be cheaper in the long run. To understand the big picture, your procurement team needs to factor in hardware costs and upgrade frequency, bandwidth costs, and performance and accessibility requirements.
• Integration. Your systems may differ quite a bit from the data structure of some cloud providers, making integration difficult. You must make sure you have alignment beforehand to ensure a smooth transition.

Even though there are downsides to cloud storage, many solutions can be adapted to your needs — eliminating or mitigating these cons. For example, organizations that handle sensitive data can apply a hybrid approach to cloud storage. In this scenario, they may have a private storage infrastructure for data that isn’t uploaded to the cloud and use a cloud provider for other data needs. Additionally, many top-tier providers offer solutions that are compliant with strict industry regulations. How can you choose a storage solution for your company?

Tailor Data Storage to Your Needs

There is no one-size-fits-all solution for data storage. Some companies need ultra-low latency, others need scalability and accessibility, and yet others are just looking for a simple solution that can be implemented immediately. At OneNeck, we help our clients implement cloud solutions that range from a fully private cloud to a fully public cloud, and hybrid options in between.

Security and accessibility are crucial to getting the most out of your data. Our team can help you create a roadmap that prioritizes these qualities in your data storage solution. We’ll also analyze your business and technical requirements to ensure you have a final product tailored to your needs. Contact us to learn more.