Enterprise Collaboration: Do's and Don'ts for Simplified Cloud Storage

In today's data-driven world, is your business prepared for the constantly changing flood of structured and unstructured data?

According to the 2015 Economist Study sponsored by Hitachi Data Systems (HDS), "Preparing for next-generation cloud: Lessons learned and insights shared," 70 percent of participant organizations use private clouds for file storage, archive, big data repository, collaboration and productivity.

While the majority of businesses are using the cloud, security remains a top concern. Sixty-eight percent of surveyed IT organizations are concerned about the security of cloud computing solutions and view security risks as an obstacle in executing cloud adoption plans, according to HDS research by TechValidate. Specifically, business are most concerned with loss of important data, revenue loss, customer privacy breaches and company brand or reputation damage.

As technology evolves, data does, too - it's becoming faster and more intricate. Content varies greatly in form and size, affecting how easy data is to store and search. As data becomes larger and more complex, businesses recognize highly secure, scalable and sustainable cloud storage as a necessary tool in handling Big Data demands in a highly competitive market.

Likewise, in order for a company to run smoothly, there must be effective enterprise collaboration. Enterprise collaboration is a system of communication among employees that uses certain technologies, processes and services to boost teamwork in the workplace. This system is vital to sharing ideas and knowledge, which directly affect business performance and outcomes.

This means that a simplified cloud solution - one that is easy to manage and easy to use - is a crucial component of communication and content sharing between internal co-workers and external stakeholders. This type of solution not only increases employee efficiency, but also offers the highest security, flexibility, business continuity and on-demand access to applications and data.

The business reasons for adopting a private cloud are clear - increased enterprise collaboration and decreased time, resources and, ultimately, money spent. However, the process of building and transforming a data center presents a number of concerns and challenges.

Let's explore the "do's and don'ts" for easy cloud storage that supports enterprise collaboration:

1. DO minimize and simplify infrastructure. Reduce floor space, utility overheads on staff and administrative burden. Less physical space required for storage servers and systems means more cost-and space-effective storage solutions. Making the shift to little or no involvement from IT staff means decreased risk of human error and lower overall resources required.
2. DO consolidate database platforms and file formats. Free up unused resources and virtualize data and applications. Common formats and structures enable better system integration and flexibility in anticipated future systems compatibility.
3. DO prepare to offload and transfer security liabilities. Allowing access only to those actively using and sharing data greatly reduces security threats. Reduce the requirement for in-house security expertise and systems involvement, thereby reducing internal mistakes.
4. BEWARE of connecting to the cloud off-premise. The security benefits of connecting to a private cloud outweigh the cost efficiencies of public clouds. Recovering from a data breach is far more costly than paying for a safer storage solution on-site. By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.
5. DON'T commit your business to further upgrades or applications without investigation of the latest cloud storage solutions. Sometimes change is scary, but in many cases, switching to modern cloud solutions in an effort to improve business collaboration and employee efficiency is the right move. Explore all options and be open to new possibilities.

The constant growth of Big Data has resulted in rapidly changing data storage needs. To prepare for such change, businesses of all types and sizes must invest in "future-proofed" cloud storage that promises to adapt to inevitable fluctuations in data growth and complexity. An organized plan to transition to cloud storage and regain control of data will allow enterprises to take advantage of the numerous benefits that this type of solution has to offer - happy employees, happy customers and money saved.

These guidelines, if followed, can result in a smoother transition to simplified storage, and therefore, better enterprise collaboration, taking your business to the next level.