Why Small Businesses Should Migrate On-Premise Storage to a Private Cloud Solution
Managing a small business in today’s ever-changing environment is challenging and fraught with risk from economic, legal, and regulatory aspects. Being able to make changes requires an agile information technology infrastructure. Moving your on-premise infrastructure to the public cloud seems to make sense from both an economic and security outlook for many businesses. Cloud storage usage continues to grow at a rate of 20% per year. While solutions from Amazon, Google and Microsoft all seem straightforward, perhaps these public, shared solutions are not right for every business. This article explores the benefits of moving on-premise storage needs to a private cloud solution.
Advantages of Cloud Storage
On-premise storage solutions are the mainstay of IT networks for many small-to-large companies. These large attached storage systems allow businesses to store terabytes of data in secure, clean computing environments. When most computer applications processed data in a single business location, on-premise storage made a lot of sense. The hardware had to be secured by an onsite IT group who maintained the systems, applied upgrades, and handled user support issues. But once software applications moved to the cloud, corporate firewalls and other security protocols prevented efficient data storage.
The same companies that provided cloud housing for applications also store data for application users. These cloud solutions offered several advantages over on-premise storage.
Scalability
Since the cloud-storage providers purchase and maintain the storage hardware, they provide their services on a rental or subscription basis to end-users. Public cloud providers co-locate many clients on a single drive. When a customer needs more storage, they upgrade their subscription, and the provider allocates more storage to them. Cloud storage allows providers to scale their usage without purchasing or upgrading hardware.
Accessibility
Cloud storage is flexible and accessible to users in any location. Users can collaborate using cloud-based applications and share and analyze data from multiple sources. This type of accessibility is vital for companies utilizing work-at-home employees and remote teams.
Lower Maintenance and Management Costs
Cloud-based storage is a subscription or pay-as-you-use solution. It’s no longer necessary to purchase hardware and pay for installation, upgrades or maintenance. The cloud provider also services and maintains cloud storage equipment. Your IT team is free to focus on security, regulatory compliance and other pressing concerns.
Improved Business Continuity and Data Backup
Cybersecurity attacks are a top concern for all small business owners and their IT teams. Phishing emails, BEC, and ransomware demands threaten to interrupt business operations by accessing and breaching sensitive operational and customer data. On-premise systems appear to be more secure, but in practice, many businesses cannot afford to pay for the technology and expertise to stay up with evolving cyber threats. Having a robust data recovery and back-up process alleviates a lot of the potential damage of data attacks. Cloud-based storage systems can be secured by software and endpoint protection systems ensuring data is safe and backed up.
Benefits of Using a Private Cloud Storage Solution
The Mathe IT Fortress cloud services solution looks at your entire IT infrastructure and combines different backup and security solutions into one cohesive cloud solution. A customized, private cloud solution is uniquely designed for your business. Cloud-storage experts work with you to meet your specific needs. You will not pay for services you don’t need, and you can depend on a support team to monitor your cloud solution for cybersecurity and other risks.
Our services include security and monitoring services to meet regulatory compliance needs. The Mathe operations team makes sure your data is available anywhere in the world at any time.
Not sure whether to use a public, private or hybrid cloud solution? The Mathe IT Fortress team will conduct a complete assessment and help you make the most cost-effective decision for your cloud services needs. Call Mathe at 973-334-1700 or contact us via our website.
With over 35 years in the business of supporting and implementing technology for the SME market, and 6 years previously in Corporate IT and Voice. I have seen a great deal of change. The only common thread is I have always focused on the Business Wise application of Technology. We always try to look 5 years ahead of the current technology to make sure our clients are on the right track to meet current and future needs.
