Building a business from the ground up is hard work. Along with staff recruitment, operational issues and service/product improvements, there’s also the budget to consider. Expenses have to be at the minimum. Most startups operate lean the first 2 or 3 years, waiting until the right angel investor comes along. However, before that happy event comes to pass, startups have to find a way to survive.
That’s why cloud solutions are the go-to choice for these companies.
Cloud Solutions Ideal for Startups
Public clouds offer startups plenty of benefits. A major one though is cost. Since services are hosted by service providers over the Internet, startups save a bundle on not having to spend on hardware, upkeep and upgrades. Need to stay connected with your team wherever they are? Check. Looking for assistance in how to reach and manage a remote team several states or continents away? Done. Want to encourage information sharing and collaboration between your onsite and offsite teams? Capishe. Data backup and recovery services also improve collaboration and operational efficiency across the board. Indeed, with cloud computing services, startups have more tools and resources now to help them get ahead and succeed.
Data Backup and Recovery Reminders
One thing that startups should keep in mind, though, that public clouds do come with risks. If you’re thinking using a public cloud, you might want to take these data backup and recovery tips from Data Center Knowledge to heart:
1. Keep Backups. Always. Use a public cloud to store information you don’t need at the moment. However, for sensitive information, one your business can’t live without, keep those on hand. If you must store them in the cloud for convenient access, make sure to keep offline copies. That way, if a glitch happens and the worst happens—your provider shuts down the service—you’ve got all the information that matters right there with you.
2. Prepare for security breaches. When a company’s data in a public cloud is compromised, that security breach affects all the data in that cloud. So if yours are in there as well, you might want to take extra measures to protect your data.
3. Keep offline duplicates. You can’t access your data in the cloud without an internet connection. So for anything important, make sure to keep offline copies on hand.
Lastly, you could always consider going for a private cloud to manage some of your data. Just make sure to carefully vet the service providers. Don’t make the mistake of signing up for the lowest rates advertised. While your startup can certainly put the savings to good use, look at long-term value instead. That’s the kind of vision that will allow your startup to succeed and thrive in the long run.
