Cloud storage has become a must-have for businesses of all sizes. Rather than paying for expensive, on-premises servers, companies can access limitless storage capabilities in the cloud – at a fraction of the cost.
Because of the cloud’s flexibility, agility and efficiency, the cloud storage market is booming, and IDC believes the market will rise by 8% in 2022. As demand for cloud services grows, cloud providers are re-investing some of their profits in innovation and development.
The cloud storage market is, after all, very competitive, so cloud providers are doing all they can to stand out from their competitors and offer premium services.
For businesses, this is an exciting prospect. It means that cloud services will continue to get better. Here is what we can expect to see more cloud providers offer this year.
What is cloud storage, and why is it beneficial for SMBs?
Before we explore the trends of 2022, here’s a brief overview of cloud storage for those who aren’t familiar. Essentially, cloud storage is a service delivery model that enables businesses to store their data on off-site remote servers that are reached via the internet. Because the data is stored off-site, companies can eliminate the costs of managing an on-site server.
Moreover, cloud storage is offered as a service, meaning it comes with bells and whistles that make it appealing for SMBs. Most leading cloud providers – such as Amazon and Microsoft – offer flexible payment models and adjustable capacity options so that you can tailor your cloud storage to your exact needs.
As well as this, because cloud storage is hosted on the internet, companies can access their data from anywhere at any time, which is handy in the remote working world.
Next up – here are the cloud storage trends to know about for 2022.
Ransomware scanning capabilities are no longer a “nice to have”
Ransomware is a form of malicious software that works by encrypting your data and files. Until you pay a ransom, you won’t be able to access your data. For businesses, ransomware can be crippling. The cost of paying the ransom can be huge, and if companies choose not to pay, they could lose thousands of dollars in downtime and lost data.
Ransomware has grown in prevalence over the last year; there was a 105% surge in ransomware cyberattacks in 2021. If a ransomware variant were to get into your cloud storage, your business could be paralyzed.
To help defend against this threat, we are seeing more and more cloud providers offer in-built ransomware scanning capabilities, which will quarantine a ransomware file before it encrypts your data. This addition is great news for businesses everywhere.
One thing to note is that you may need to turn on ransomware scanning in your cloud storage instance manually. If you’d like assistance with this, get in touch with us. We can help you improve the security of your cloud services.
Automation helps businesses to keep track of cloud spending
There’s a phrase in the IT industry known as ‘bill shock’. It refers to the occurrence of a business leader or IT manager receiving their cloud bill and being unpleasantly shocked by how expensive it is!
Bill shock is unfortunately common. The cloud’s greatest strength is enemy number one when it comes to finances. By this, we mean that the cloud’s flexibility and agility can easily result in skyrocketing cloud costs that harm the bottom line.
Cloud providers have listened to their customers’ feedback about bill shock – and they’re taking action. Most of the leading cloud providers now offer automated tools that can help businesses keep track of cloud spending. Some cloud providers even offer alarm-based solutions, where you can configure a spending cap. When you near the cap, you’ll get an email alert letting you know so that you can take action proactively.
It’s worth noting that these automated solutions aren’t free, but if bill shock is a common occurrence for you, they could be very worthwhile.
Sustainability is firmly on the agenda
Technology vendors like Amazon and Microsoft are some of the most significant contributors to carbon emissions. Many businesses and individuals may feel concerned about the impact of these services on the environment.
Big tech players are aware of their carbon footprint and are taking action. This year, we’ll see cloud providers make concerted efforts to become carbon neutral. Microsoft, for example, has pledged to be carbon negative in eight years, while Amazon has promised the same for 2040.
While this is quite a while away, it’s encouraging to see cloud storage providers take responsibility for their impact on the planet.
Enhance your operations with cloud storage
Cloud storage can help your business to save costs and improve operations. Carl’s Computer Care can help your Louisiana business with finding the best cloud provider and manage your cloud operations for you.
Contact us today to schedule a consultation! Call 225-315-3498 or reach us online.