The quantum of information that is stored on the web is widely huge. This digital data is staggering, and thus storing data on physical drives can be extremely expensive. Cloud storage comes at a fraction of the cost, and thus storing data online has become very popular. Before storing data on the cloud, it is important to identify your personal and professional requirements.
The requirements can be classified as high-performance or data storage. It is important for users to identify the right technology and service provider as well, as not all service providers provide the same Service Level Agreement (SLA). Thus, there are some pointers that need to be considered before you opt for Cloud Storage Provider
1.Pick a person who can understand your business
Sometimes it’s important to consider a service provider that understands your business. Reputation of a cloud service provider is important, but an individual or a firm who can get a grip on your business is quite important. As data storage needs are different, there are cloud storage providers who do specialize or have knowledge of certain industries like automotive, healthcare, hospitality, media, finance, etc. Each industry would have its own data stack, applications, etc. Such kind of expertise can make a huge difference for your cloud storage strategy.
2. Understand and learn your bandwidth
If your strategy works around data backup, then it is important to understand bandwidth numbers in terms of backup and retrieval or restore. If it’s huge amounts of data, then we need to know if the providers do offer high transfer or bulk transfer capabilities and the limitations of the cloud providers locations. Cloud storage also requires data being moved out of the organization into a wide area network, that results in a higher cost of bandwidth.
3. Make sure your data is secure
Users need to protect their sensitive data from hacks and data theft. Storage providers do provide server-side encryption, but users need to encrypt data from their side as well. You need to make sure your data is secure before it is transferred to the cloud or any off-site storage.
4. Read the SLA before signing up
Storage providers do offer choices for on-demand scalability to keep applications online. They need to be kept available with off-site backup or any other disaster recovery systems during data disruption caused due to maintenance issues. Thus, it is best advised to read the SLA or Service Level Agreement before signing up for any online cloud storage provider.
5. How much will the cloud cost you?
When considering cloud services, it is important to consider the plans and monthly services of cloud storage solutions. Often there are additional charges that go along with boosting the specified limit. It is good to do some model costing comparing your existing solution with the cloud before moving into the cloud pool with all the data that you have.
6. Need to think about overbuying storage space
It is important to calculate the amount of storage space for your organizational needs. Thus, you can buy more space based on your consumption and be more predictable. Furthermore, you need to know how many users you have, and thus the amount of storage that is required.
7. Look at data restoration algorithms
Data restoration is one of the most important aspects of cloud storage wherein data can be backed up and restored efficiently and quickly.
Questions to ask your cloud provider before getting on-board.
- How long has the company been in operation?
- What is the location of the servers?
- What are the security features like?
- What is the SLA?
- Have they undergone a security audit?
Words of Wisdom
The cloud has its own merits when it comes to data storage capabilities. If you are concerned about the security and privacy of data on a traditional setup, then you need to move to the cloud. Cloud Storage offers more agility, efficiency, productivity, and lower operating costs. But, when the time comes to shift from traditional processes to the cloud, you need to take a call on who would be handling your online cloud storage requirements.
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