Data Storage: The Expansion

Data Storage: The Expansion

Small businesses need storage space for countless things such as emails and records, customer data, employee data, employee training information and programs, databases, documents and presentations, graphics and audio files, spreadsheets. . . The list just keeps going. What’s more, all of this data that you need to be stored needs to be protected by a strong anti-virus and anti-spyware which requires even more data space. Think of it as a vault in a bank, and then decide how large that vault needs to be for your small business to run efficiently.

Things you can ask yourself when it comes to storage:

  • How much data am I looking to store?
  • How quickly do you need to be able to access it?
  • How long do I want to store the data for?
  • What is my budget?
  • What am I storing? How much of it is a duplicate or stale and can be thrown out?
  • If my software comes out with a new version or update, do I have the capacity to upgrade?

Why do we need to store so much?

Well, for one, small businesses are now choosing to save emails up to ten years old for legal reasons. By archiving this information not only are they protecting themselves, but also keeping important files on hand about past and present clients, interactions had with them, and possible new leads through old relations.

There is also a demand for video and other large media files to be accessible to customers via a network that’s easily understandable which requires storage space one may of have overlooked previously. But as time and technology changes, so does demand, and the need to satisfy current customers while enticing and pulling in new ones has grown tough on old technology and old storage strategies. Expanding limits on the IT of a small business increases the competitiveness of your small business.

The good news:

The cost of storage per gigabyte on a hard drive is relatively low as storage vendors like the cloud offer more space and greater opportunity, so when that database or other software comes out with a new version, be sure you have the storage space that allows for any updates.

So now you have all this saved data, but what do you do with it?

You have it for when you need it, but having it isn’t always helpful when the data isn’t relevant. This requires cleaning it out from time to time, dredging out old data that is no longer needed to create free space for incoming data.

A few ways to store your data:

  • One of the most common forms of data storage is Direct attached storage, or DAS. This comes in the form of a USB 2.0 or 3.0 peripheral port and often may contain out-of-date data.
  • Disaster protected storage is a physical form or storage similar to a USB that can contain large amounts of data. It gets its name from the fact that it often can withstand fire for up to thirty minutes and be submerged in water for days before destruction.
  • The most common way that most people can think of when it comes to storage is online storage within in the deep web via the cloud. The issue with this is there are nefarious hackers looking to pry into accounts and small businesses to reach clients and flood them with spam and viruses.

The need for data storage space is just as expanding as the space itself these days in growing technology. Send us a message or give us a call if you have any questions about data storage, data security, or IT options for your small business.