Small businesses around the world now have easy and ubiquitous access to high-speed internet. These are the only prerequisites of cloud computing.
It is, therefore, very viable for businesses to use cloud computing to run their everyday lives especially as document control systems for small businesses. Cloud computing is a modern solution to businesses’ long-running needs. You can use cloud computing to store and backup company data, you can use it to run software applications, and it helps streamline how all information is shared. Here is how to use cloud storage for business.
Collaboration over the cloud
Despite all global efforts to contain it, COVID-19 still looms over our heads, and working from home no longer carries the stigma of time wastage it used to, which is why more and more businesses are spending 5+ days per week at the office in the US alone. These factors put immediate importance on there being a streamlined storage operation where one does not have to worry about file management and access.
A cloud storage solution ensures that all users have access to the latest information, if a user or group of users are working simultaneously on a single file, for instance, on a Microsoft Word document using a Microsoft Office 365 Subscription (which will require a separate subscription), then you can configure your cloud storage such that no other user can interact with that file in the meantime, or you can set it up such that other users can get a preview of the file only. You can also configure file versions that will keep copies of older drafts as you modify files while retaining any metadata or even custom metadata as the file evolves throughout your records.
If you are anywhere in the world with a working internet connection and a web-enabled device, you will be just as connected as you would have been sitting in front of an office computer at work. That level of ubiquitous access is granted through cloud storage.
Approvals are a Cinch
As a company grows larger, the harder it becomes to get approval from a person of authority on official documents. While small startups can have employees just look up and ask the CEO directly, organizations with a little age on them will have more human resources and this won’t be possible. If you are on the cloud, this will be an even greater challenge.
Suppose you have a document that needs to be approved by the CEO, CFO, and CTO. The traditional way to do that is to email them each document, then integrate each individual’s feedback one after the other, and then get it approved all over again. To avoid this, you could either get it approved one by one each after the other, or you could just your cloud storage’s approval system that will let you get approvals either in serial (one by one) or in parallel (all simultaneously), and all stakeholders can leave their input on the document and it won’t create a confusing cluster of files to deal with, just a tidy approved document at the end.
Data Security
A very valid concern is about data security. If you are trusting your data with the web, then you might have a few questions, which could be:
- How is your data protected?
- Who else can see my information?
- What happens if I lose my data?
The answers are simple:
1. Your data is protected using SSL and 256-bit bank-level encryption, which makes it impregnable to any cyber threat.
2. You can decide which users or user groups have access to your data. If there are users whom you don’t want to access certain information, you can configure the storage such that they won’t even know it was there at all.
3. Your data is backed up in triplicate in three varied clusters across the data center, not counting any physical copies you’ve kept. In case of a problem, you will be able to restore your data completely.
Conclusion
All of this is possible with Folderit, a cloud storage solution designed to support small and medium businesses with their various operations, empowering remote work, Folderit is the perfect solution for all your official data storage and office productivity needs.
