Important Online File Storage Features for Businesses
When it comes to online file storage, there are a lot of options. Every major tech company has their own storage offering, as well as the companies that are built around online storage: Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, Amazon Drive, Datto Drive, Box, and Dropbox for Business to name a few.
These offerings have a lot of storage for a pretty low price, it’s how they compete for your business. But, as a business you need to pay attention to the features offered by these services more so than the average consumer. Some main features to be aware of are security, redundancy (backups), and compliance (HIPAA/PCI compliance).
Security
Online storage security comes down to how safe your files are in the cloud. This includes things like encryption, mobile security, two-factor authentication, and transport encryption (whether files are encrypted before going to the cloud, and/or during the trip to the cloud, and/or after arriving in the cloud). How secure does your business need its online storage to be? Are you going to be storing confidential business information? Personal information like names and addresses? Encryption is important to protect your data in the cloud, so that even if the storage provider is hacked, your data remains unreadable to criminals.
Redundancy
Is your data going to be backed up? Online storage is great but if it’s happening in real time or with nightly backups, there’s a chance that an important file could be overwritten. If the storage provider does backups or file-versioning, this risk is avoidable. If you are storing important files that get updated often, there’s a chance a mistake could be made, and having the previously stored version available to go back to can be a lifesaver. Another backup item to look at is if you have to initiate the backup or if it happens periodically. The less input required to protect your data, the better.
Compliance
Does your business have to be HIPAA or PCI compliant? If so, you need to make sure your online storage provider is compliant before utilizing their service for online storage. Compliancy is a hard approval requirement for any online storage your business may decide on, and often it ties into both security and redundancy of data. Compliance can be expensive to offer and some cloud storage providers may not offer it in order to keep their prices competitive. If they do not list compliance prominently on their feature list, you should make sure to check with a representative from the company before purchasing online storage you may not even be able to use!
Contact us if you have questions or need assistance finding an online file storage solution to fit the needs of your business.
