Top companies are now changing the way they do business by maximizing online storage. Gone are the days of the ubiquitous bond paper properly typed on, marked, attached to brown folders, and kept away in heavy steel file cabinets. Back in the day, the big word in offices is the term, ‘label’. Everything had to be labelled and neatly catalogued for future use. Like the gloomy, table-lined halls of university libraries, offices of a by-gone era had rows upon rows of bins, book-ends, and boxes for keeping volumes of paper. Today, in the year 2020, finding a file takes only a tap on a keyboard or a few presses on a smartphone.
If you enjoyed a weekend of Netflix binging without a video lag or unnecessary buffering, the credit should go to cloud storage technology. The video streaming company has experienced rapid business growth, in no small measure, due to its ability to store and distribute movies, documentaries, animation, and other videos to an online library. Catering to perhaps millions of subscribers worldwide, the company has made a revolutionary move in business by leveraging cloud technology that resulted in record-breaking revenues.
Xerox, a company best known for leading in the photocopier industry has enable people to copy documents that can be stored as office backup files, dry and ready for retrieval. Today, the company has also expanded to include a department dedicated to the online storage business.
Best Buy, the chain of stores best known for home and office supplies, electronics, and appliances had also made the big move to cloud storage. Using the technology, the company increased its online presence and enabled their customers to shop with greater ease and speed.
Since its inception in the ’60s based on J.C.R. Licklider‘s concept of interconnected computers, cloud computing and storage technology has really gone a long way. Today, this special innovation is changing how businesses work and how people interact and handle information. In the ‘cloud’ billions of data can be kept, readily accessed by authorized users and, in the process, hasten the appreciation of information, decision-making, sharing of data, and overall operations of companies and institutions of every size from various industries.
Greater Employee Access, Higher Productivity
The cloud revolution has made employees feel a greater sense of empowerment and responsibility. Their greater access to data and information has made them active participants in the handling and usage of such vital resources to their company. As a result, with information and data at their fingertips, they are able to analyze, make decisions, and take action in a more efficient, effective manner.
In the old days, companies and other organizations practiced the linear or top-down approach to management. That method also applied to information and data dissemination. That situation led to backlogs and confusion since the right information would often reach the right people after precious time had already been lost. Worse, the information never reaches the people who need them most for doing their job. These days, with information stored on the cloud and proper authorizations given, anybody in the organization can retrieve data and information in a timely way.
Cost-effectiveness of Cloud Storage as Paid Service
At present, cloud storage as a paid service is well-received and patronized by companies the world over. In terms of cost-efficiency, the service saves these firms a significant amount of financial resources due to reduced expenses for maintaining on-site traditional (or paper) and computer filing systems. It is common for these firms to have to pay only for the time and space used in the cloud storage, offering them the flexibility of budget allocation for this said purpose.
More Robust Information and Data Security
Perhaps one of the strongest rationale for using cloud-based systems is the level of information and data security it provides. A cyber threat to a computer file system or network is a very serious concern among companies that rely on the integrity of their files. Based on current estimates, a single data breach will cost a company an average of $3.9 Million in losses. In the health care industry, as an example, losses due to hacking reached an astounding $25 Billion in 2019. Studies also showed that 43 percent of victims of breaches and other cyber attacks are those from small to medium-sized enterprises.
By applying the concept called ‘cyber hygiene’, these vulnerable firms can beef up their security. By availing of services offered by cloud storage firms that have cutting edge information security systems, these companies need not worry about data theft and other malevolent acts on cyberspace.
In 2020 and beyond, more and more firms are expected to realign resources to ensure their access cloud storage and computing services. By doing so, they improve their business competitiveness and affirm that for their company, success can go sky high and above the clouds.