It’s easy to think of cloud storage and conventional hard drive storage as two separate functions that don’t necessarily rely on each other. Business owners trying to be at the forefront of progress may stick with cloud storage services, while less adventurous ones prefer using a hard drive. However, there’s no reason to think these methods of storage are mutually exclusive.
Cloud storage and hard drive storage methods are meant to complement each other and work in tandem. Using the cloud offers quick, easy access to multiple people as long as they have internet access. Meanwhile, a hard drive gives you an extra layer of security and backup for your information. Neither method is necessarily better–they’re designed to be a pair. Let’s take a closer look at what each of these storage types can do on their own and how they work well together.
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Benefits of Cloud Storage
Cloud storage provides several essential benefits to users. Because information is stored virtually rather than in a physical location, disasters such as a power outage, drive failure, or theft of a computer won’t affect the data. Anyone with an internet connection and the proper credentials can still access the information.
Second, its internet-based nature means that information stored in the cloud is easily shared. Forget about emailing large files to a collaborator. With cloud storage, all you need to do is send permission to access and any necessary credentials to get in. This streamlines projects and makes group work much simpler.
Pro Tip: Businesses that deal with highly confidential information will benefit more from the added security offered by cloud storage.
Benefits of Hard Drive Storage
While hard drive storage may not be as easily shared or protected against external threats, it does have two primary advantages over using the cloud. First, a hard drive doesn’t require an internet connection to use. Users can still access their projects and information as long as their computer still has power, whether the internet is working or not.
Second, hard drives tend to have far more space available than many cloud storage solutions. While cloud backup services offer gigabytes of space to store data, hard drives tend to measure their space in terabytes. Anyone who uses an immense amount of storage space will benefit from using an external hard drive.
How Do They Work Together?
It’s rather short-sighted to assume your business only needs one of these storage types to be successful. Both have their pros and cons applicable to different business needs. The best solution for most businesses is to find a way to marry the two types of storage and find the right balance for your needs. For instance, a business that depends on lots of remote work will likely benefit significantly from the easy access and advanced file recovery available through cloud-based storage. Meanwhile, all the business’s important files and sensitive information can be stored on an external hard drive set to automatically back itself up periodically. In the event that disaster recovery is needed, having two sources will ensure that everyone’s data is successfully recovered.
Finding Your Balance
There isn’t a “correct” balance of cloud storage and hard drive storage. Your usage of both will depend on how much data your business handles, how many people need access to it regularly, and how sensitive it is. Even if you prefer one storage method over the other, give the new one a try. You just might be surprised at the benefits you find!
Connect with us to learn more good backup strategies and the ongoing debate of cloud storage vs. hard drive storage.
