Let’s face it: we’re all swimming in data. Whether it’s generated by businesses or individuals, the amount of data generated worldwide today exceeds 2.5 quintillion bytes of data every single day. A quintillion, by the way, has 18 zeroes! By 2020, it’s expected that more than 1.7 MB of data will be created every second for every single human on earth.
Business data is a big part of that. If your business is already struggling to manage the data it generates today, imagine the world of the future where each employee is generating more than a megabyte of data every second. Where will you store it all?
The answer, if you’re like many businesses, is likely to be the cloud. But how do you select the right cloud storage for your business?
The High Cost of Free Cloud Storage for your Business
The market is inundated with free cloud storage options, but not all of them make business sense. Free cloud storage might work for your personal needs, as long as you’re not storing any sensitive or personally identifying information. But for your business, free cloud storage has some serious disadvantages.
Disadvantage 1: Storage Limits
One of the biggest of those drawbacks is that most free cloud storage is fairly limited in terms of how much storage you get. If you exceed those limitations, you’ll typically have to pay. The amount you’ll pay increases along with the amount of data you store. And since businesses often need to store a lot of data, the cost of that free software ends up being comparable to paid cloud storage options designed for business use.
Disadvantage 2: Poor Versioning
Another challenge with free cloud storage is versioning. Free cloud storage typically doesn’t support document versioning, so if you’re planning on making changes to documents stored within the system, you’ll soon find it difficult to keep track of which document version you’re supposed to use.
Other Free Cloud Storage Drawbacks
There are other challenges with free cloud storage as well. One of the biggest challenges with free cloud storage software is that the functionality of the tools is limited as compared with paid versions, especially when it comes to mobile apps. For instance, while a paid app may allow you to download an entire folder to or from the cloud, the free mobile app will require you to access your files one at a time.
For these reasons and more, it makes more sense for most businesses to use cloud storage that’s purpose-built for business. This means that most likely, you’ll be looking at one of the big three: Microsoft OneDrive and/or Sharepoint, Google Drive / G Suite and Dropbox for Business.
In next week’s post, we’ll compare these options, the “big three” of cloud storage for your business.
Cloud Storage for your Business: We’re Here to Help
There’s a lot to consider when it comes to selecting a cloud storage platform for your business. As Microsoft Silver partners for Small and Medium Businesses, we’re experts in helping companies like yours make the most of cloud storage options for your business. For questions or assistance with your decision, contact Tolar Systems today!
