One of the most important decisions in selecting an enterprise cloud storage provider is figuring out how much capacity you really need.
Do you store one file or ten thousand?
Do you back up your data daily, weekly, or monthly?
The importance of planning ahead for capacity needs cannot be overstated with any type of company.
Therefore, this article will help mega businesses to pick enterprise cloud storage providers that are suitable for their corporate needs.
Enterprise cloud storage is a service that offers an easy way to back up, access, and share files from anywhere in the world within your corporation.
Requirements for corporations or enterprises might be very different from personal use or even cloud storage for small business usage.
That’s why here we will discuss the right choices for businesses of mid to large sizes.
If you are looking for a small business cloud storage solution, you might want to head to our other sections here.
A Quick Guide from GCS
While this guide acts as guidance or recommendation, GoodCloudStorage had poured a lot of effort into researching and understanding the needs of all types of companies.
First-time users will get a clear idea of what type of setup they need for their business to function smoothly.
Data may also be stored in multiple locations at different times, and the use of multiple cloud storage providers may be needed for this purpose.
In addition, businesses may have concerns about security and privacy, while at the same time wanting to store their data inexpensively.
What Make The Best Cloud Storage for Enterprises & Corporations
Planning ahead for future growth is always an important task when it comes to storage.
So what you need to do is, well, just put yourself in the shoes of your business manager who has to answer the question of how much cloud storage capacity is needed.
Based on the amount of information you store, together with the frequency of data changes, or the number of users accessing it.
For a multi-national company, you might have thousands of employees across different regions.
You can determine how much your business will need in the future and how much data it will be able to generate in a year.
A good way to estimate your company’s future data consumption is to look at the rate of data consumption in the past.
There are many types of business data, so the consumption ratios vary.
For example, some business data is more important than others with higher costs.
The costs are related to things like the type of information and how your company utilizes them.
Some businesses have particular content that they need to keep for a long time, while others don’t have any special requirements for data retention.
An estimate for the amount of storage space you will need should include space for daily backups and other types of information that may be needed in the future.
The basic enterprise storage cloud solutions support the following features:
We had analyzed all the different types of business data, both in terms of importance and frequency, so you’ll have an idea about whether your business will need large amounts of storage capacity for particular types of information or not.
For example, approximately 30% by frequency are the files that are used frequently by your employees but are not important for your business.
And another 5% are important documents that need to be stored for at least 10 years.
You can do the same assessment for yourself, but make sure to include other data types you are storing in your business.
Yes, you can have cloud storage that supports only photos or video files, while the other files are not available to it.
Do not forget that file collaboration is much more important than your documents and file storage, so you should definitely include these in your calculations.
Sharing is an important component of any business, especially for more sophisticated types of business activity.
The more employees are the better.
Moreover, more users are equal to higher storage space requirements.
Yet another factor is the time required for users to access the information, which may vary from person to person.
Choosing an Enterprise Cloud Storage Provider
It is important that you have a single cloud storage provider for all your data.
That is why it is a good idea to opt for a cloud storage system that has a lot of users and can be accessed from different locations.
Below are some of the recommended providers that support enterprise cloud storage for all types of businesses.
1. AWS Cloud Storage
AWS Cloud Storage is the leader of the market with an excellent global network of locations.
If you are looking for a flexible cloud storage solution, AWS Cloud Storage is your choice.
It has a variety of storage types that also have the ability to be accessed from different locations at any time.
AWS storage can be categorized as object storage, file storage, and block storage.
One of the best things about this cloud storage is it has a global network of locations.
The cost for AWS cloud storage is based on tier.
Depending on the tier you select for your AWS storage, you can have different billing.
For example, the Amazon S3 allows you to retrieve files for free up to 20,000 times before you are actually charged.
Learn more about their free tier and limits here.
2. Google Cloud Platform
Google Cloud Platform is an excellent choice for storing your data.
Google has expanded its global network of locations to keep up with customer demand.
If you are looking for a storage solution that can be accessed from anywhere in the world, Google Cloud Platform is the right choice.
Google Cloud Storage supports cross-platform integration with existing storage systems and applications, including third-party offerings that use FUSE or NFS protocols.
The service also provides developers with the opportunity to offer multi-language storage integration using RESTful APIs and SDKs.
There are four types of Google Cloud Storage: Standard, Nearline, Coldline, and Archive.
It might be overwhelming for average users to understand all of them, and that is why Google is offering $300 free credits for you to test run, deploy, and utilize their platform to see for yourself.
Google Cloud is way bigger than its cloud storage service alone.
Check out our review of Google One here.
3. IBM Cloud Storage
IBM Cloud Storage was designed to store data in the cloud, support optimized cloud data center operations, and enable rapid hybrid cloud deployments.
This service focuses on how to offer customers the most efficient, safe, and cost-effective storage over the long term.
The IBM Cloud Storage helps you keep your business safe with improved disaster recovery services.
IBM Cloud Storage offers 99% guaranteed availability of objects or files, load balancing capabilities controlled via the browser, plus an additional location for disaster recovery.
You can set encryption policies and restricted access for privacy making them your private cloud storage, plus move your data to the cloud of choice.
4. Microsoft Azure Storage
Microsoft Azure Storage helps you store more information in less time while reducing IT costs.
This cloud storage solution is built using the same security protocols that have been used by enterprise applications for decades.
Your data is protected through industry-standard security measures.
It is ideal for anyone who needs security, redundancy, and compliance.
There are two types of storage plans for this solution: Standard, and Premium.
Each plan provides different amounts of storage space, but the pricing is the same.
Pricing is based on two things: total storage used per month and the access tier you will need.
The access tier defines what kind of network connectivity you will need to use your storage space.
Azure Storage supports several data types, including data disks, queues, tables, blobs, and files.
5. Alibaba Cloud Storage
Alibaba Cloud Storage is a flexible cloud storage service that ensures your data is protected at all times.
This solution allows you to store more information in less time, reduce IT costs and comply with industry regulations.
Alibaba Cloud Storage supports three types of storage plans: Object, File, and Block.
Pricing is based on two things: total storage used per month and the access tier you will need.
Check out the pricing in detail here.
As this technology grows, so does the number of cloud storage providers available.
Even though these are the leaders in their field today, new providers are emerging every day.
The more provider you have the better choice you have for your cloud storage needs.
6. Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Storage
Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Storage is platform-as-a-service, so you can store data without worrying about setting up hardware or managing the infrastructure.
This cloud storage solution allows you to build solutions on top of your storage, including NoSQL databases, virtual machines, object stores, and more.
Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Storage is different from most providers because it allows you to start with a small cluster that scales with your demands. It also uses redundancy for easy recovery in case of failure or disaster.
The OCI block storage service is a scalable system with high-performing storage for applications and data.
This cloud storage solution offers data centers in the United States, Europe, and the Asia Pacific, as well as public cloud services.
7. Dropbox Business
Dropbox Enterprise is an official Dropbox product meant for medium to large-sized businesses.
It has strong security, online collaboration tools, and fully customizable administrative controls.
It also incorporates unlimited file-sharing capabilities, 99.99% guaranteed uptime, built-in IT management consoles, and more.
With this cloud storage solution, you can collaborate with your team to manage your organization’s documents.
However, more and more users are seeking Dropbox alternatives as they are questioning if is Dropbox secure.
You can also use the admin console to control access to public links and view activity reports for all of your employees.
Dropbox Business is divided into 2, single-user plans and team plans.
You can check out the pricing, features, and other info about Dropbox Business or check out their individual solution here from our Dropbox review.
How Safe is Enterprise Cloud Storage?
Cloud storage is more of a convenient solution than an expensive one.
Security, however, is a top concern for most businesses.
After all, it’s all about the data and how you manage it.
This technology has been around for a while now, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any security threats that you need to consider.
And any of these 5 secure cloud storage can easily takes on today’s security challenges.
The threat posed by hack attacks is real in the present time, so many businesses are turning to the cloud in order to ensure their digital assets are protected.
Traditional or Enterprise Cloud Storage vs. Public Cloud Storage
Cloud storage has grown to become the ideal way for companies to reduce costs.
This technology can help you decrease IT expenses, lower overhead costs, and even reduce power consumption at the same time.
Plus, it offers a multitude of features to help you manage your information in real-time.
One of the top concerns, however, is that this technology is still new.
While cloud storage is the standard for many companies today, it may not be an option for all organizations.
There are two main types of cloud storage: Traditional Cloud Storage and Public Cloud Storage.
Traditional Cloud Storage is designed for businesses that require strong data security protocols, guaranteed compliance with industry regulations, and high availability.
It includes services like Oracle Storage Cloud Service, EMC Atmos, IBM Storwize V7000 Disk Storage Systems, and Dell EqualLogic PS6210XV.
Public Cloud Storage is different because it is meant for businesses that are not subject to specific industry regulations.
This includes organizations that are not bound by HIPAA, PCI DSS, or any other compliance requirements. Find out some of these cloud storage that is HIPAA compliant.
The main difference between the two types of cloud storage is that traditional cloud storage has higher security features, many more options, and also supports enterprise-level features.
On the other hand, public cloud storage has fewer security features, and fewer options, and does not support enterprise applications.
What are the Advantages of Enterprise Cloud Storage Service?
In many ways, cloud storage is the ideal solution for businesses.
In addition to cutting costs by removing the need for a dedicated computer, it can reduce operating expenses as well as energy consumption as this hardware are not within your organization.
Plus, it eliminates data loss and accidental data corruption because there is always a backup of your files on a remote server.
We have an in-depth discussion on the topic of cloud disaster recovery here.
All of these benefits make this type of cloud storage a sound investment for businesses that need a reliable solution in the face of ever-changing technology trends.
The best part is that cloud storage can help not just big corporations but also small businesses move to the next level by leveraging powerful features like document collaboration, analytics, and online productivity.
Conclusion
In a nutshell, the cloud is the best solution for business and we can foresee it is the future of a secure cloud.
You cannot run a multi-million or billion company without a proper secure network infrastructure.
Today, more and more companies are turning to this technology because it gives them a lot of flexibility and freedom over their digital assets.
With the right provider, you can ensure the security and confidentiality of your data and applications.
If you’re considering cloud storage for your business, take your time and choose a provider that offers enterprise-class features.
You can always start small and expand as you grow later on.