Like big businesses, small businesses have varied requirements from infrastructure, IT deployment, daily operation, and manpower to data management. However unlike big businesses, small businesses have budget constraints that often limit their scope of expansion and expenditures in the needful projects. Despite the limitations it doesn't mean that small businesses do not have options. In fact there is a plethora of options available for small businesses to fulfill their wide-ranging business requirements.

One of such options is cloud storage, also called as online storage, for data management, which is the biggest need of small businesses. Cloud storage is an answer to all the prayers related to data backup and restore of small businesses which are more prone to data loss/damage as compared to large businesses. According to a survey, 70% of the small businesses shut down within one year of their operations after they suffer major data. According to a survey conducted by Sage North America, about 62% small companies do not have a proper disaster recovery plan in place for safety from catastrophic disasters, man-made debacles, accidental deletions, thefts, power outages, hardware failure. In the same survey, it was concluded that around 33% of the businesses do not have data backup and recovery plans in place because there hasn't been observed any catastrophic disasters or emergencies in their areas while around 30% said that "have never thought about it". Around 28% of the participants said that they regularly back up their data because they have major data losses in the past.

This is the poorest scenario for any small business that needs to be able to run properly without facing operational hitches which may occur and recue in the absence of a proper data backup and recovery plan. If you run a small business from your home or office, you can understand how vital it is to keep your data organized and safe to be able to meet the tailor-made demands to your clients, protect your business ideas and information from competitors, and from employees who might take advantage of your personal or professional information for monetary purposes among other things.

The question that arises here is 'why small businesses do not pay attention to data backup and recovery plans when they cannot prevent a tornado or other such catastrophic disasters, accidental deletions, thefts, power outages, or hardware failure for that matter from occurring'? Small businesses may be taking this risk because data management is not affordable for them. Besides, regular data backups and recoveries on several devices involve lots of hassles that put them off from maintaining proper data management plans. However with the onset of cloud storage, it has become extremely convenient and affordable for small businesses to maintain data. Businesses can back up their data as many times as they want and access it anytime, anywhere from their computers, Smartphones, tablets, servers, and networks etc. connected to the Internet.

Since your data is stored in a cloud server, which is the only place for all your digital possessions viz. emails, contacts, documents, images, family videos, music numbers, social network updates, and bank details etc., the cost of regularly data backups and recoveries drastically come down. It's is because you don't have to use multiple hard disks and/or USB devices to store your data. In the cloud server, your data is stored once and forever. You can access, add, delete, edit, re-edit, backup and restore your business data as many times as you want without going through the lengthy and cumbersome procedure.

In fact the data stored in a cloud server remains protected and safe from the tactics of hackers. Besides, cloud storage services are scalable as you can store higher volumes of data according to your needs. With cloud storage, it only takes a computer, server or mobile device with an active Internet connection or Wi-Fi to be able to manage the data. Such a flexibility and convenience is absent from the external storage media on which the cost of backing up and recovering data is also very high, in fact the highest.

Considering that cloud storage is the only contemporary, affordable, and viable solution for small businesses and users, several major tech giants including Microsoft, Amazon, Google, Netgear, and McAfee among others have come up with integrated cloud storage. Cloud storage is around 1,000 times more affordable than the external backup media whose reliability and safety are always at risk due to environment, physical conditions, catastrophic emergencies, accidental deletions, thefts, and other contingencies. Thus, if you own a small business, make sure that you cloud-power your data. It's your choice to keep spending big money on the external storage media or spend only once and forever with a cloud storage services. It's your choice if you want peace of mind or want to constantly run around losing business, clients, and money.

Cloud storage has been in use for some period of time and this has been very true due to the rising popularity of the service. The variety of reasons that provide basis for the use of the cloud services are as different as the various different businesses and people searching for the services. The biggest reason behind looking for the cloud storage services is finding backups to the information and all other material that they may have and want to avoid the situation and disaster which would happen. The cloud storage has changed how people carry, transfer an
d store data in the present age when people have very large data like the photos and music. Thus cloud storage is all about having backed up data in remote servers and it offers big flexibility in terms of backups and recovery.

Companies as well as individuals are purchasing the cloud computing services in order to boost business and cut down on the risks involved in handling data and especially client and customer data and the confidential data belonging to the company. The advantages associated with the cloud storage services have been responsible for the popularity and the big acceptance rate with these services. Service quality is one big feature which contributes heavily to the success of the cloud storage service and it arises from the business model and the competition in the niche. The companies can all guarantee that the up time and the resource will be available at every possible opportunity. The services have been such that it is entrenched in the contract and experts are at hand to handle any of the problems which may arise. The other big advantage is that of scalability and this is a big factor behind companies going for the service. It affords them the chance to play around with the resources at hand by increasing or decreasing their needs.

A look at the other advantages of the cloud storage and services will surely indicate that the accessibility of data from about any point provided there will be a computer and an internet connection. Cloud computing has revolutionalized the accessibility of data and has made sure that data is accessible from about anywhere around the world. This is made possible through the interface created by the cloud service provider which only requires that you enter a password which will be matched to the username provided. Security is yet another very big advantage which is associated with the cloud storage and this has been possible since a network of servers has been put in place to ensure that security is totally guaranteed. Thus hackers are not in a position to go in and find a specific server which will hold the data that you have and specifically hijack the data. The location of your data is at best unknown to hackers and criminals and thus incidences of data theft are not even conceivable. Again other security measures are provided albeit at a cost and which will surely provide additional and guaranteed security of data. The other advantage of the cloud storage is that backup is done automatically new material has been added to the folders in the directory and this can be best said to be real time. It is thus more effective and provides less of a hassle to have all data backed up. The cloud storage is cheaper comparative to buying of storage hardware and hence resources can be directed elsewhere.

The drawbacks of the cloud storage are not many but it is still important that they are mentioned to provide just the most correct information. Individual users and small business are slightly disadvantaged when it comes to costs which are linked to space requirements. Network connection may let down the cloud services especially at the time of need. Even with guaranteed uptime, the risk will always exist and may affect a business with varying severity. Security is the last disadvantage with the cloud services. Even though hackers have no specific data to target, due to the interconnection of the servers, there are concerns that when breached as seen in some recent incidences the damage can be vast due to the connected nature of the servers and systems. Finally, cloud storage offers the best method of backing up data and perhaps the noted disadvantages arise from the fact that the technology is still very new.


A proper solution is to find companies providing excellent Cloud computing  like Shadowrestore, a division of Guardian Network Solutions. Shadowrestore guarantees data integrity.

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More and more major online players have demonstrated how effective cloud storage can be, most notably Google Docs and Amazon S3 services. Since then, cloud storage has gained a lot more attention. What was once just a fad in storage now has become a staple. However, many people and most businesses still have no idea how cloud storage works, let alone whether or not it would be a benefit to utilize. Here is a quick look at what this new type of storage is and how it works.

What is Cloud Storage?

Cloud online storage is actually a small part of a much bigger picture - cloud computing. In general, cloud online storage means that you will be storing your data off site, normally through a 3rd party vendor. By using a remote database and an internet connection, you can access all of your data, without having to worry about your own hard drive space. In general, the concept of virtual storage has several potential benefits. The biggest benefit is that there is no limit to how much data your can store. Additionally, you will never have to spend money on additional hard drives or worry about transporting data from one location to another.

How Cloud Storage Works

There are literally hundreds of different storage set ups. Some have been designed for specific purpose, such as only storing a single type of data, whereas others are much more flexible and can handle all sorts of data. Because of this it can be difficult to nail down exactly how cloud storage works, because it can vary greatly. However, let's take a look at a simple storage system and how it functions. At the most basic level, all you need is a single data server connected to the internet. Then a "client computer" or subscriber, would be able to send/receive copies of files over the internet to/from that data server. In short, anytime you store data with a 3rd party storage service via the internet, you will be using cloud storage.

Whether you are creating a cloud online storage system of your own or looking for a quality 3rd party service there are two main priorities to keep in mind: security and reliability. In terms of security, there are two areas to focus on. The first is hackers. It is impossible to tell how or when a hacker will try and attack your data, so security will always be an issue. You should also pay attention to physical security, so that nothing happens to the physical hard drive either. Reliability is also an issue. Most big companies that offer cloud storage rely on redundancy to ensure that their service will be reliable. Redundancy is when a company stores the exact same information on several machines simultaneously. This ensures that if something happens to one machine, the data can still be accessed from another machine.

In its most basic form, this new storage is simply accessing data stored somewhere outside your main hard drive via the internet. From there a lot of variables can change exactly how cloud virtual storage works. However, regardless of how it works, the two main issues to consider when either using a service or operating a service is reliability and security. As long as proper measures are taken, there should never be any major problems.

The word is out, individuals and businesses are turning to the cloud for data storage. For many, the primary reason is that the cloud is the easiest, surest way to back up photos, e-mails, documents and especially data. Others choose the cloud because of freed up space - the cloud makes a great storage option if the sheer volume of data on your computer depletes storage capacity.

But for many computer users, there is a fear of the unknown: Are my files really safe in the cloud, or do I need to back up the backup? The debate has gotten more intense as cloud data storage has become widespread - despite some recent well publicized failures.

The world's fifth largest PC vendor, Asustek Computer Inc., is looking to expand into the cloud service space in a big way with its unveiling of the ASUS Cloud Platform, an updated rendition of their WebStorage file hosting service.

ASUS announced on May 27th that their rebranded cloud platform will now cost $22.99 US a year for 100 gigabytes of cloud storage. The 70 percent price drop puts them in a prime competitive position with the biggest cloud service providers in the US, which offer the same storage capacity for $99 (DropBox) and $23.88 (Google). They also have a 500 gigabyte option, available for $99.99 a year.

The new Cloud Platform is designed to attract more individual and enterprise users with its simple interface and useful features, and the PC giant expects 50 million users by the end of the year, a rise of over 60% of its current base.

Despite the already large install base, ASUS stated that only about 0.5 - 1% of their users pay subscription fees, as they offer up to 5 gigabytes of storage for free for individual users. The company plans on raising that percentage to over 1% this year, hoping that the improvements in their service and the much smaller entry fee will persuade customers into paying for extra storage.

With the increased reliability on cloud storage to share files across mobile devices, ASUS sees the online data storage industry as an ever-expanding market and an opportunity to branch into the role of a service provider. The hardware giant is looking to follow in the footsteps of companies like Google, Microsoft, and Amazon to provide cloud services to customers at little or no cost, and entice businesses with large storage options at very affordable price points.

In addition to the enterprise and individual customers, ASUS intends to appeal to app developers by offering plenty of useful tools for software coding across different platforms. The tools are meant to "help developers and businesses manage large amounts of data backed by cloud computing technologies" and come included with the service.

ASUS plans to set up a new data center in Taipei to install more servers for its storage platform. The new center is set to open later this year, joining their six current data centers, with three in Taiwan and one in China, the US, and Luxembourg.

Cloud data storage is something that everyone can obtain at a very reasonable price. From those free limited space accounts that work for synchronizing a few folders over several computers to the comprehensive accounts which back up your entire computer hard drive, there is a cloud file storage option to meet all needs. The bottom line is if you want it, you can get it.

The next question is how much should you get? Should you pay for a limited amount of cloud space, such as 250 GB, or should you spring for the unlimited option?

Here are some good reasons to at least consider unlimited cloud data storage.

1. You'll always need more. Remember when the good digital cameras only took 3.5 megapixel pictures and when video resolution was grainy? Now digital cameras typically take 7 or 8 megapixel pictures and video resolution has come a long way as well. However, those better resolution pictures take up more space on your hard drive. Software also seems to take up more memory, and new computers come with hard drives counted in the hundreds of gigabytes when they used to be rendered in megabytes. With this trend towards always needing more computer memory, it really is reasonable to consider that you'll never have quite enough space to meet your needs unless you go with unlimited storage space.

2. The price for an unlimited account is often very similar to limited accounts.

Often the difference is less than a dollar per month to spring for unlimited storage space. That is a very small price to pay for never having to worry about upgrading your account again, never having to worry about whether or not you'll need more space, or limiting what you do with your cloud storage in any way. Whenever you are comparing prices on cloud file storage options, be sure to check out the price tag on unlimited cloud storage. You may be pleasantly surprised. I know of at least one company which offers unlimited cloud storage for close to the same price as its 250 GB option.

3. Sharing is caring.

Cloud data storage has taken the sharing of files, particularly pictures, to a whole new level. Gone are the days where you had to physically mail photo prints in order to share pictures. Emailing pictures to your loved ones is also outdated. Now you just share a folder from your cloud storage and add pictures whenever you want to. Within minutes, seconds even, those pictures will show up on their computers.

But sharing a folder means that it will take up cloud storage space on the accounts of all parties involved. Let's say you have friends wanting to share folders of pictures with you. This will increase your cloud storage needs. Only with unlimited cloud storage will you be able to accept or reject invitations to receive shared folders based on other concerns besides how much space you have.

External drives are the most commonly used traditional backup storage systems which still retain some essential utilitarian functions today. However, with external drives, limitations are numerous which could affect the speed and efficiency in storing significant files and data. The advancement of technology today has given birth to a new and innovative idea of storing files and information. Cloud storage is a form of online backup of storing information on a remote system. This information is uploaded via the internet and is stored in a data centre which makes your data accessible in virtually any part of the world so long as an internet connection is available. PC online storage is significant for people who are working online and need to pass information and data back and forth using the internet. Online backup storage services are provided, among others, by websites using emails where communication data can be stored and passed or received and then stored.

Among the interests in this area is the online storage for music and songs where there is the need to store large amounts of music files. For some enthusiasts, storage and accessibility are important factors to fully enjoy the world of music. One of the most popular and used cloud storage services is MyPC Backup because it enables you to stream directly from your phone the music that you have uploaded and protected on the cloud.

If you are a music aficionado and you need your music files to be accessible anywhere you go, then you should know the benefits of using cloud storage and how the system works. There are free cloud storage services available, but then they have some limitations of their own. The best cloud storage might require some amount for monthly payment; however, these services are the best storage for music and all other data.

Ten Best Cloud Storage Features

As people become more and more aware of the benefits of cloud computing, various cloud storage service providers sprung up boasting quality and features of services. Here are ten best cloud storage features you need to seek out from your service provider:

Storage Space

Cloud storage provides extensive storage space that allows you to store infinite amounts of data which is definitely not possible using hard disks or external drives. You can have unlimited storage space by simply creating an account which only takes a few minutes compared to the time consumed in looking for the best external drives.

Scalability

With cloud service, you can increase or decrease server usage on demand so you won't need to scour the market for additional server to add to your server room.

Maintenance-free

When you store your data in the cloud, it will become the responsibility of the service provider saving you time and effort in the maintenance, less the hassle compared to buying multiple external drives to accommodate all your files.

Cloud Storage Automatic Backup System

Unlike external drives where you need to connect to the computer and take backups at regular intervals, cloud storage lets you do away with that. All you need is an internet connection and to set your preferences as to how many times the service provider should take backups in a day. The best cloud storage service provider has this feature and more.

Restoration of Lost Files

Using external drives makes retrieving and restoring hard drive file from backups cumbersome and tedious. But with online backup, this is made much faster and easier and cloud users are spared from these inconveniences. No doubt, cloud storage is the best online storage for music and songs.

Convenient and Ease of Use

Because time is always of the essence, cloud service providers ensure speed up data management and allow business staff to access the data and work on the file from anywhere in the planet.

Set-up Process

Perhaps one of the best qualities of cloud computing is its easy and quick set-up process that can be done even in the comforts of your home or in the clutter of your office. All you have to do is read the terms and agreement, select a package, fill out the application form, and the service provider will do the rest for you.

Safe Dispersed Servers

Onsite servers always bear the risk of losing your file or data in case of fire or system crash. But cloud storage servers are dispersed so if some servers are damaged, the others can still hold your files safely and securely.

Cost-effective Storage System

With cloud computing, you don't have to purchase new systems or pay for the maintenance of your data. Your service provider will do the job for you.