Storage is undoubtedly one of the biggest investments which any company can make. Without proper storage, data can get misplaced and data storage devices can get damaged when disasters strike. So, business cloud storage turns out to the best possible tool to share important documents and files; particularly those which are very large to be sent through emails.

How is business cloud storage different from personal cloud storage?

Business cloud storage, as the very name suggests, has been designed for businesses in order to streamline their operations and allow them to run smoothly. The difference between this type of storage and personal storage is mainly in the numbers of users who will have access to this account. When you have personal plans, the user or the owner of the account will have access to his documents and files. He may share these documents with others but ideally no one can store new files in his account. In business cloud storage, on the other hand, there will be many users with access to the account.

There will therefore be multiple log-in credentials and the administrator must set limitations for employees who can access and save data. So, it is the central administrator who has complete power to decide which user can do what in that account. Moreover business storage will have many features which are lacking in personal storage; like the power to set user permissions and limitations.

What are the main benefits of business cloud storage?

• To begin with, when you have business cloud storage, the company not only gets a location to store its data, it gets a secure location where its files will be protected from hackers and viruses.
• With business cloud storage, employees get to share their tasks, calendars, files etc in a way that was never possible earlier. So, all workers working on the same project no longer have to be chained to their desks in the same room to get work done. They can be spread all across the globe because they can now access data from anywhere at any time. For this, they only require an Internet connection. Employees can work on projects in real time without having to send emails with attachments all the time.
• With business cloud storage, not only can workers work from any location, they can even enjoy desktop synchronization. So, any change made will be reflected across all devices that employees are using. Even if they are not in the office, they can access the changes. All files can get updated immediately without having to send emails to all employees.
• Finally, businesses can enjoy cost-savings with business cloud storage solutions. You may have to pay a nominal monthly or annual fee for this facility. But, you do not have to buy any equipment or software. Your internal IT staff is spared of the hassles of managing storage and they can focus more on projects which will ensure further business growth.

Besides these key benefits of cloud storage for businesses, they can share data with clients outside the company. They can even set expiration dates for their shared items and restrict the access of certain files to specific users. Businesses can save on technology costs every year as employees no longer have to update themselves with constantly-emerging technologies to get their tasks accomplished.

To choose providers for business cloud storage, you must therefore find out what features the vendor offers before you sign up. Small businesses and medium sized businesses will find business cloud storage solutions most useful. They do not have funds to afford storage hardware and maintain staff to monitor these. Moreover, they would also have to invest in backups and disaster recovery systems for data protection and retrieval. These are costly propositions and outsourcing them to business cloud storage providers makes sense.