As businesses seek more secure locations to house their data, especially in the wake of the record-breaking year of cyberattacks in 2021, organizations are turning to cloud servers. As a scalable, secure, and easily-accessible online data stored facility, cloud storage is fast becoming one of the most necessary tools in business.
Yet, with using a cloud storage solution also comes cloud migration, with this process being slightly tricky for businesses that aren’t used to transferring their data. However, due to almost every business around the world having experienced some form of remote work (many continuing with this working structure going forward), it is now necessary to have online storage.
If your team is remote and can’t access the data that they need to do their jobs, then there is a huge barrier preventing your departments from reaching their goals and effectively working throughout the day. If you’re ready to move to a more accessible form of file storage, then you’ll have to undergo cloud migration.
In this article, we’ll be explaining what cloud migration is and detailing the top benefits of cloud storage for your business. Let’s get right into it.
What is Cloud Migration?
When constructing a more digitally-friendly working space, a company needs to transfer all of its data from physical store sites to the cloud. The cloud is an online platform that’s made up of computers around the globe, offering potentially unlimited storage for businesses. Cloud migration is the act of moving all the data that’s stored in physical locations that are connected to your business directly to the cloud.
This process normally takes a great deal of preparation, but is more than worth it in the long run, as cloud storage is an incredibly useful format to have your data contained in.
Are There Any Challenges to Cloud Migration?
Typically, during the migration process, there are three main issues that your business could run into. While these won’t impact every single business, some are much more likely to occur depending on the size, industry, and scope of your organization.
Problems you might face are:
- Uptime Shortage – When transferring all of your data from legacy systems to the cloud, there is often going to be a period of downtime as files are moved. While this is okay for the majority of businesses, if your company needs 24/7 access to software, platforms, or applications, then this will pose a big issue. One way of overcoming this is to copy all of your data, duplicate it on your local storage, then upload either the original files while the copy allows your team to continue as normal.
- Data Corruption – The integrity of your data is a common problem that’s faced by companies when they are transferring their data. Be sure to have backups, so you can replace any files that are lost in the movement. Once uploaded to the cloud platform, you should make sure that all your files are accessible and intact. If anything is corrupted, be sure to restore it from the original backup.
- Size of the Move – The more files and information that you have to migrate, the longer it will take, and the more resources will be needed. Be sure to plan ahead and change your approach depending on what sort of migration you’re going to have to undertake.
Although these problems can surface under any migration plan, if you take the time to prepare adequately beforehand, your business should be completely fine during the transfer process. Preparation is key!
What Are the Benefits of Cloud Storage for My Business
Considering that even back in 2017, over half of all businesses in the United States had made the switch to a cloud storage approach, it’s no surprise that this storage system comes with a huge range of benefits.
When moving to the cloud, you can expect the following benefits:
- Cost Saving – Without having to pay for upkeep staff of local storage, you’re able to get high-quality data storage. What’s more, cloud services are famously affordable, with monthly subscription plans allowing you to choose exactly how much you want to pay each month.
- Scalability – One of the central problems with local storage is the fact that if you need to expand the amount of data that your business holds, there is a costly process that involves actually buying more storage units. However, with cloud storage, all you need to do is select a larger storage option, with the platform automatically updating to hold more of your data for you. With this, you can scale your business as quickly as you would like, ensuring that you never run into storage issues.
- Increased Security – The sole purpose of cloud data storage businesses is to ensure that the data they host is as accessible and secure as possible. Due to this, these companies have engineers that are working around the clock on developing additional layers of security for your business. While your local team may be able to create some data defenses, these fall short in comparison to the extent of security that effective data storage solutions can provide. Whether it be suspicious traffic accessing your data from an unknown location or the need for data encryption on your most confidential files, these platforms will respond quickly with the best advice to help your business flourish.
Final Thoughts
Although some business owners worry about making the switch to cloud storage, it is one of the most effective changes that you can make to your business. Not only does this allow you to scale your organization at whatever speed you would like, but you’ll also have access to the best security systems around, keeping your data safe.
After you go through the process of cloud migration and all your data is safely on the cloud, you’re then able to easily manage your data. This one-time process will liberate your business from cumbersome local storage, helping you flourish in this digital age.
