Archiving data has always been one of the many essential components of running a successful business. Whether it’s for compliance reasons or freeing up storage space, archiving corporate and other types of data has many potential uses and benefits. Most importantly, a secure data archive is the ultimate step toward preventing data loss.
Right now, 60% of all corporate data is stored in the cloud. A lot of companies are turning to cloud archiving in their attempts to prevent unwanted data loss. Archiving your data in the cloud may prove to be more cost-effective than on-premise archiving, especially if you don’t have the necessary IT infrastructure in place.
What Is a Cloud Archive?
A cloud archive is a service that companies use for long-term information storage of their non-primary data. Most cloud-archiving solutions offer the optimization of security and compliance in accordance with strict data-regulation laws. Compared to its physical counterpart, a cloud archive doesn’t require the installation of any on-premise hardware systems.
Uses
Cloud archiving has many potential uses for small and large businesses alike. One of the most obvious use cases is securing data you may need in the future. The archived information may include anything from employee data, client orders, various types of old sales data, or financial data you may need for regulatory purposes.
Cloud Archiving Benefits
Archiving your nonprimary data in the cloud comes with numerous benefits. You won’t have as many initial costs as with on-premise solutions. It’s also more flexible in capacity and provides straightforward access to information. Cloud solutions for archiving purposes offer increased cybersecurity as well.
Cost Efficiency
If you want to archive corporate data on the premises of your organization, you will need to invest in robust IT infrastructure. Your data center will also need a lot of storage capacity and high-quality data organization and retrieval software. For a small business, the initial cost of setting up an in-house data center can become too high.
On-premise data archiving solutions are sold “per capacity,” as opposed to cloud archiving services which are charged “per mailbox.” That’s why the initial costs of a cloud archive and cloud migration services are much lower than setting up a data center. It’s important to note that costs may accumulate based on your requirements, which is not the case with an on-premise solution.
Scalability and Flexibility
Growing a business comes with a lot of unpredictability. You need to be able to accommodate an influx of clients, the accumulation of new business data, etc. A data center, or an on-premise information archiving solution, comes with fixed storage. This means you will need to think about expanding it when the time comes.
With a cloud archive, you won’t ever have to worry about reaching capacity. This flexibility allows businesses to increase or decrease storage capacity based on the changing needs of their company. This kind of agility is unmatched by on-premise solutions, which is why many businesses opt for archiving data in the cloud.
Easy Access to Data
The way most businesses operate today requires a lot of agility when it comes to data access. With an on-premise data center, stored information is not readily available to everyone that may need to retrieve and analyze it. That’s why modern businesses, especially in the field of IT, are fully embracing the cloud.
Telecommuting and mobility are very prominent, which is why an increasing number of businesses are turning to cloud archiving. Compliance officers, legal counselors, end users, or employees can access important cloud data from virtually anywhere. This kind of freedom increases the speed and efficiency of executing various business tasks.
Enhanced Security
An archiving solution must provide the maximum level of security possible, as it often holds sensitive corporate data easily exploitable by cybercriminals. Cloud storage has to be secured and optimized for holding data in compliance with various laws and regulations. It has to be protected from overwriting and readily available to compliance professionals.
Any information being transported via the cloud is protected with secure HTTPS protocols. The majority of cloud archiving solutions also come with data encryption. You can also encrypt data before uploading it to the cloud or add an encryption key for maximum security. Having a secure cloud archive ensures your data is safe, and it prevents any financial loss coming from exploits.
Conclusion
Cloud archiving comes with many potential uses and benefits for modern organizations. Companies that need to be agile at all times can greatly benefit from investing in a cloud archiving service. A cloud archive can be accessed from anywhere, saving resources and money in the process.
Small businesses may benefit from using a cloud archive as the initial cost of setting everything up is much smaller compared to on-premise solutions. A cloud archive also allows for flexibility and scalability, as you can change its capacity according to your business needs. A quality cloud archiving solution comes with increased security.
