Flexibility and Security Benefits of On-Site Data Storage

Currently public cloud providers include some very famous companies and services, such as Dropbox, Amazon S3, and Microsoft Azure and OneDrive. But for many enterprises, especially SMB organizations, a private cloud created from modern network attached storage (NAS) devices, such as the TeraStation solutions, can be a much more appropriate choice. Some of the major benefits a private cloud can offer to an SMB enterprise include flexibility, security, and cost savings. These benefits are particularly valuable for businesses with small-scale requirements and businesses in regulated industries.

Flexibility to Meet Your Needs

On-site storage boasts minimal latency, performing exceptionally well as it directly connects to your organization's network. When rapid data transfer and access are paramount, an on-site storage solution proves invaluable. Typically, setting up on-site data storage merely demands adequate hard drive space. Luckily, hard drive installation is straightforward and often includes software tailored to your specific needs, ensuring ease of use.

Critical Security for Your Critical Data

For any company, securing highly-sensitive customer data should be their number one priority. Ultimately, security experts agree that controlling your data infrastructure is the best policy. Opting for an on-site storage strategy places the reins of security firmly in your hands. Your data resides exclusively on your premises and network, empowering you to implement and customize security measures as per your requirements.

In fact, the data infrastructure can be designed so that you can keep the server isolated on a network, thereby mitigating the risk of exposing your data. All data is saved and managed on servers to which no other company has access, and you can control who is allowed physical access. For these reasons, storing critical business data on a local private cloud is the most recommended solution.

The other side of the data security coin is compliance. For some enterprises, new regulations have been introduced to integrate with advancing data storage technology to protect private data, such as the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), a set of policies and procedures created in 2004 by credit card companies to ensure the security of transactions using a credit or debit card, or the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which now includes language that mandates security mechanisms designed to protect data privacy and patient confidentiality. The strict industry regulations mean that sometimes, a private cloud is the only real viable data storage solution in order to meet with industry compliance as some public cloud service providers cannot meet the requirements. This is especially crucial for the public sector, as regulations are only getting more strict.

Saving You on Costs Both Visible and Hidden

Despite the rising number of public cloud services and providers available, a cloud platform is not always the most cost-effective solution for data storage.

Enterprises who adopt full-cloud solutions often face the issue where over-relying on public cloud without carefully accounting for easily-forgotten fees will result in an IT budget that could quickly spiral out of control with increased usage and access, negating any benefits or even profits. Public cloud is renowned for the various fees you will have to face, such as cloud egress fees, where you are charged whenenver you move data off the cloud. Cloud fees can quickly add up and decimate your budget before you know it. Centralizing all your data on-site eliminates concerns about payments to third-party storage providers for security services. Instead, making one-time purchases of hard drives and software allows you to manage storage independently, avoiding recurring rental fees.

The last aspect of private cloud savings that most enterprises do not consider is that, with more robust security features, keeping a private cloud for essential business data can actually lower your business continuity and disaster recovery costs. Most TCO calculations don’t factor the profits lost when a business is experiencing downtime due to common maintenance tasks such as scheduled backups. A storage area network with multiple redundant NAS devices enables system maintenance tasks and smooth backup operations without causing any downtime, and data migrations during infrastructure upgrades are both easier and far less disruptive on private cloud, ensuring your business continuity.

The Best Data Solution for You

The key to maintaining your data security, controlling costs, and enjoying the flexibility a private cloud affords is control. By controlling your equipment and your data resources, and maintaining them in a private environment, IT teams can easily manage and deliver resources while mitigating risk and boost security. Especially when compared to a scenario where your enterprise entirely relies upon a public cloud where many factors and conditions are beyond your control, having your private cloud is the best foundation as a data access and storage infrastructure.

Buffalo can help you determine your cloud needs and priorities. Contact us and let us help you evaluate your data service and storage needs, and whether our NAS solutions and their scalability options can solve your business challenges.