| Date Published | February 28, 2017 |
| Company | Hurricane Computer Solutions Inc. |
| Article Author | James Caldwell |
| Article Type | February 2017 Issue |
| Category | Articles, Business |
| Tags | Cloud Service, E&P, Hurricane Computer Solutions, IT Consulting, IT Infrastructures, IT Solutions, S&S |
| HUB SEARCH | HurricaneCS |
Over the past few years the popularity of cloud based data storage continues to garner acceptance with mobile device users and businesses alike. Online data storage was originally conceived in the cloud mainly as an offsite backup mechanism for data files which were being stored on mobile devices and local file servers humming away on physical hardware in back offices and server rooms. What company hasn’t suffered some form of data loss due to a stolen laptop or a corrupt hard drive that bit the dust. Neither are catastrophic events until you learn that in either case the data wasn’t properly backed up on a regular basis, or worse yet, it wasn’t backed up at all!
Cloud, or more simply put, online file storage, has morphed out of costly backup obscurity and is now the latest, and perhaps, the biggest growing trend in how companies are managing their valuable data resources. Many different companies have entered this space with their own services and are now offering enhanced feature sets with newly found flexibility, vastly increasing the popularity of online file storage. It doesn’t hurt either that many of these solutions are now considered to be a cost effective and secure replacement to that aging file server sitting in your back room.
With dwindling IT resources in the oil and gas sector, and an ever evolving mobile workforce, the finite life span of legacy file servers is on the horizon, particularly when companies are budgeting to replace and support them over the next three to five years. Secure online file storage is rapidly becoming the new norm! It immediately eliminates the need to outlay precious capital for a depreciating asset and opens up a whole new vista of opportunities surrounding file sharing and collaboration across your business.
Online file storage is now a powerful tool that provides users of all levels within your company with a number of immediate productivity benefits and also opens the door to realizing cost efficiencies in the way you are managing your data resources. With online file storage, you now can:
● Access every file from any computer, so long as you have an internet connection.
● Easily enable and disable offline access to file folders at any time.
● Share documents, spreadsheets and other files with clients, guests and team members.
● Choose to allow read-only access, or grant specific read/write permissions to specific individuals.
● Enable multiple people to collaborate and edit documents simultaneously.
24/7 ACCESS TO YOUR FILES
Seeing as your files are no longer stored on a local PC, versus being saved online, users are able to access their files from anywhere, so long as they have an internet connection. In situations where internet connectivity is an issue, offline access is easily accommodated and any changes to files are kept in sync the next time the PC has online access. This makes it easy for staff working from home or for those traveling on business to have instant access to all of their files and team folders. Since you can have multiple people working with the same files, it also helps to make collaboration far simpler.
MOBILE ACCESS TO YOUR FILES
There are so many different pieces of smartphone and tablet technology out in the marketplace today. Pick an online file storage solution that works with a wide variety of products and platforms like Android, Apple, and Windows phones and tablets. Sometimes, we’re just not near our PCs or MACs to use and retrieve important data on a timely basis. This no longer needs to be an impediment to doing business when you can just whip out your mobile device and access your files immediately via your secure file sharing application.
NEVER LOSE A DOCUMENT AGAIN
Peace of mind is certainly one of the top benefits of using online file storage. You will never have to worry about losing your documents in the event of an unforeseen issue with your computer. Everyone who has worked on PCs for any length of time knows that nearly anything can and will go wrong, and having storage that automatically saves and backs up your files is a business imperative. Your data legacy is both secure and assured!
INTEGRATION WITH YOUR COMPUTER APPLICATIONS
One of the nifty benefits of online file storage is that users are now able to integrate it with applications like Office or Office 365. When you enable these features, users are able to access their data files through File Explorer, Favorites and Quick Access options no differently than if they are stored on their actual local hard drive. As you are working on these files on your local computer, when updates are saved, those changes will be saved to that file across the board for all of your devices, not just on your computer. You never have to worry about forgetting to update a file to the latest version. Everything is done for you automatically.
So if your file server is on it’s last legs, or even if it isn’t, check out a reliable cloud storage option to help make many aspects of your business easier. And don’t let size scare you off! Online data storage services are now available for companies of every size. There is a solution out there for you and your company!
James Caldwell
President
HURRICANE COMPUTER SOLUTIONS INC.
Originally published in the