There are over six million independently owned businesses in the UK and the number increases daily. Most new businesses are small startups that have a small budget. Hence, they need to reduce overhead expenses if they are to stay alive without affecting daily operations or revenues. To accomplish this goal, it is important for new businesses to partner with renowned companies that specialise in delivering large spaces for data storage.

Storing and managing information is essential to your business success. Thankfully, there are many options to choose from. How do you make the right choice that fits your data needs both in terms of physical location and capacity?

How do I choose a cost-effective storage option?

Access you present and future data storage needs

What is the storage requirement of your drivers and applications? Will the left-over storage be enough for the next five years? As your business grows, so will your storage needs. Application updates, storing data of prospective clients and new customers and adding the latest apps increases storage needs. These are things that need significant storage space.

Consider storage functionality

After accessing data storage needs, consider functionality. Although it is sometimes overlooked, data storage functionality is an important step if your goal is to improve productivity, lower overhead costs and expand your business. Michelle Piatto, marketing manager at iomart cloud hosting suggests that it’s easier and cost-effective to centralise data storage in the cloud rather than buying and maintaining physical hard drives and servers.

How much are you willing to spend?

After accessing your storage needs and functionality, you should have an idea of what it will cost. List your requirements, look for providers that meet those requirements and compare prices. Some providers offer monthly and annual costs, depending on what you can afford and your storage needs.

Establish and enforce data storage locations and habits

Whatever storage you’re adding to your network, it should be easily accessible among staff or some users in your network. This means that files should be readily accessible and backed up regularly. Cloud storage is the best solution for this. Employees can share and work on files across devices at the same time, providing a more secure and flexible way to work and increase productivity.

Look for a provider that can impact and grow with your business

Look for a cloud storage provider that is leading the industry in terms of customer satisfaction and innovation. They should be able to talk about virtual reality, cloud-based artificial intelligence and answer any questions you have. The service provider should know what your data needs are today and be ready to work with you as your storage needs grow.

Automatic syncing

If your business is cloud-based or you’re planning to move, auto syncing is critical for your businesses because it updates your files to reflect real-time changes across devices of all current users. Some services do not automatically provide this feature so you’ll have to ask. Automatic syncing eases your mind, knowing that your data are always updated. They should also provide a schedule for permanent backups to an external device at timed intervals.

Conclusion

Cloud storage is the best solution for any business experiencing inadequate data storage facilities. Your business needs data to survive and onsite backup and physical devices are easily compromised. Cloud storage eliminates the risk of losing data, saves money for small businesses and provides an unlimited data storage, enough to cater to your growing business needs.