Storing data digitally is becoming more important for businesses, especially small to medium sized ones. Relying on in-house servers and people to manage those servers has become somewhat archaic in the digital era. This is why more and more small businesses are realizing the critical nature for digital data storage and the technology benefits of today.
Using cloud services is certainly at the top of the list, but there is a lot more that goes into digital data storage. For example, who is going to take all the existing hard copies of reports, client contracts, vendor agreements, payroll, accounting sheets, invoices, and more, and upload them digitally? This can be very time consuming, costly, and potentially disastrous if not done right.
Then there is the issue of how much digital storage you actually need, both now and while scaling your small business into a company. This is optimal for your small business. The following six ways digital data storage is critical is why. Let’s dive in!
1. Say Goodbye to Servers
Maintaining servers in-house is definitely not fun. You need to maintain servers, keep updated on security protocols, and hire IT professionals or consultants to manage said servers. This can be annoying and costly for small business owners, making digital data storage a must.
For instance, instead of worrying about your own servers, you can let someone worry about them for you at a fraction of the cost.
“Disruptive technologies like network-based applications, the Internet of Things and Big Data are driving considerable change into established IT infrastructure models,” says Flexential, a provider of colocation services in data storage management with several Flexential locations. “To capture the benefits of these emerging technologies and move massive amounts of data between applications and users, IT infrastructure needs a new level of flexibility.”
Going digital with your data can actually save you up to $10,000 a year, depending on your needs and the growth of your small business. Not bad at all.
2. Never Worry About Losing Data Again
Losing data can be a huge issue for any business, but even more so for a small business that relies heavily on the data they gather. Digital data storage can mitigate, and in some cases, completely eliminate data loss. Data backups are automatic and done without incident by the data storage provider you choose. These backups are also done every month normally, making data loss issues almost non-existent. This is critical in the digital age full of cybersecurity threats.
3. Make Data Security a Top Priority Without Needing To
When you have physical servers, the risk for cyber attacks, hacking, and other issues increase greatly. When you have digital data storage in place, you can simply make security a priority without lifting a finger. That’s because data storage providers do everything for you. Having security protocols in place is important because 43 percent of cyber attacks actually target small businesses specifically.
4. Digital Data is Easy to Move
Does packing up boxes of documents sound like something you would be interested when moving your HQ due to growth? Probably not. And most small businesses will grow and need to upgrade office space a few times. Having your data stored digitally can make that process much easier. Even if moving is not in the cards for your business, you can save quite a bit of space if those boxes or internal servers weren’t in the office.
5. Your Team can Access Data from Anywhere
Having a virtual office is now possible in some ways when you have digital data storage in place for your small business. When data is available online, your team can log in and access it from anywhere in the world securely. This is a big benefit these days since the world of business is global and most employees are on the go constantly. It allows you to offer a remote work incentive as well.
6. Leverage Remote Working Opportunities to Net Top Talent
Is your local job candidate pool working out for your small business? Maybe it’s time to leverage remote work opportunities in order to hire top talent. Top talent can help you grow your small business into a successful company much faster. Having digital data storage lets you do this perfectly. Not only your new hires will benefit from remote work options. You can boost retention rates for your business with more remote work too.
In Conclusion
The above six ways digital data storage is critical for small businesses are just the tip of the iceberg. Having data stored digitally has a lot more benefits, but these six are among the most enticing for small business owners. If you think you can have an advantage in any way from only a few, storing data out of house could be a solid strategic plan for your business.
Last Updated on February 3, 2021.
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