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As your business grows, your storage needs are inevitably going to increase. Companies are built not only on their staff and the tangible materials and equipment they produce and utilise, but also on the information they hold, from documents, to emails, to spreadsheets. This data is the lifeblood of a business, and it requires a great deal of disk space.
Fortunately, there are many data storage solutions open to companies in need of them (examples of such solutions can be seen on pinnacledata.co.uk). Deciding which of these solutions is best for your business, however, can prove to be a minefield. There are so many different choices available to you that the inexperienced buyer can be left feeling out of their depth. If that’s the case, then here’s some information to help you out.
Identifying Your Storage Needs
The first thing to do if you’re considering investing in a data storage solution is to assess the needs of your business. The best way to evaluate this is to ask yourself the following questions:
- Which workplace applications generate the largest quantity of data?
- Which applications run on which servers?
- How old is your data?
- How much of the information you hold is duplicated or outdated?
- How much of it actually relates to your business?
- How fast do you need to be able to access your information?
- What locations will you need to access it from?
Choosing Your Storage System
There are four main types of data storage system: flash memory thumb drives, external hard drives, online storage, and network attached storage.
Flash Memory Thumb Drives
Flash memory thumb drives are an ideal choice for companies that conduct their business on the move, as they require only a minimal amount of power and are small enough to be portable. You can even use them to perform backup on the go by simply connecting them to your laptop’s USB port. Flash memory thumb drives can be used to store everything from Outlook data to internet bookmarks, files, and even desktop applications.
External Hard Drives
Their simplicity and minimal price tag make external hard drives popular, but there are several disadvantages to using them for data storage. Firstly, files should never be saved to a drive alone; instead, they need backing up somewhere else, creating a need for multiple data storage solutions. Secondly, they’re not portable, so if you need to access information on the go you have to copy the relevant files to a second storage medium, such as a USB thumb drive or CD, or else carry the external drive with you. Lastly, saving information in this way lacks any real security; in the event that the drive is damaged, you could lose your information entirely.
Online Storage
Online storage is becoming increasingly popular amongst businesses, and its many benefits make its appeal easy to comprehend. The beauty of this method of storage is that it makes data very simple to share, whether you need to send a copy over to clients, business partners or employees. It is also easy to access anywhere, irrespective of whether you need to view it at work, at home, or even abroad. The one downside, however, is that it is only as good as your internet connection, which can make data slow, or even impossible, to access in certain locations, particularly where larger files are concerned.
Network-attached Storage
Network-attached storage, also known as NAS, is a fast, simple, and reliable way to store and share information in an IP networking environment, which can make it really useful for SMEs. It offers economical storage that can be accessed by multiple network users, allowing information to be centrally managed and consolidated. Although this type of storage is not the cheapest option, it can work very well in a professional environment, and offers the security of a secondary drive if the first is damaged or becomes broken.
Which option would work best for your business?
