How viable is file hosting for data storage?

Category:: Online Storage
Friday, April 13, 2012

Many organizations and their IT decision-makers may now be asking themselves about the viability of utilizing file hosting as an alternative data storage solution. Cloud computing in general has gained much attention and praise during the past several years, causing experts to at least explore its merits.

Retail Week recently addressed this subject with Anthony Lee, a partner within law firm Fladgate's media and technology division. He said that online storage does present many benefits to adopters, but migrating data to the Internet takes a managed approach that can't be taken lightly.

"The use of cloud computing by the business world is accelerating," he told Retail Week. "However, there are some inevitable risks which businesses need to think about."

Fortunately, these challenges can be overcome by working closely with the service provider. The company and its IT department can hash out certain provisions when negotiating a service-level agreement to ensure that all concerns and issues are dealt with proactively.

Once that phase of the process is complete, the organization can begin migrating information to the cloud and start experiencing the many benefits that have helped drive up the technology's popularity.

"So long as the risks can be contained, there is much to be gained from moving to the cloud. As well as the cost savings it can provide increased flexibility," Lee told the news provider.

IDG Enterprise recently surveyed more than 550 IT professionals, which included more than 350 department heads, and concluded that many expect to increase cloud spending both this year and next. Specifically, 71 percent said their companies will allocate more funds to deploy the technology. Eighty-four percent noted that they will focus on business continuity with their cloud spending.