Enterprise cloud storage is an ideal solution for businesses looking to resolve issues with their document storage processes.
There are several reasons for this, which we’ll cover in this guide, but one potential stumbling block could be concerns over how to transition seamlessly to your new enterprise data storage solution.
After all, if you’ve always stored your crucial documents physically in either paper form or on internal servers, it can be daunting to contemplate transferring them to the cloud, even if you’re convinced of the benefits.
With spending for enterprise cloud platforms expected to rise by 20% in 2024, not jumping on board risks you being left behind.
But fear not, because we’ll cover some best practice tips for transition to the cloud so that you’ll be ready to reap the benefits of enterprise cloud storage services.
The advantages of moving to enterprise cloud storage
But first, here are some of those benefits to remind you why cloud storage for enterprises is the right option for you:
1. Saving on energy costs
The global cost of living crisis continues to cause issues for businesses and an obvious place to try and find cost savings is cutting down on energy usage. This is one of the main cost benefits of cloud storage.
Internal servers can take up huge amounts of energy, with one report starting that cloud migrations have the potential to reduce energy consumption by 65% and carbon emissions by 84% compared to on-premises IT infrastructure.
With less hardware needed, you can more efficiently use your resources and use less electricity, which is good news for your bank balance and your carbon usage statistics.
2. Improved efficiency
Another of the key benefits of cloud-based storage is the increased efficiency it brings to document archiving. Instead of storing paper files in a spare room or warehouse, your documents are readily accessible to authorized personnel anytime, anywhere via the cloud, solving many paper document storage problems.
Through document digitization, you can archive those that need to be preserved while ensuring they are much easier to access than physical copies.
With tools like Cert-Trace®, accessible from a web browser and integrable with an ERP system for automated operations, managing your documents becomes seamless.
Streamlining operations with cloud storage can significantly reduce errors, improve turnaround times, and enhance customer service. This efficiency translates to considerable time savings, allowing your team to focus on more critical tasks and ultimately saving your business money.
Best practices for moving to cloud storage
Now that we’ve covered some of the main advantages of enterprise cloud storage, here are some ways that you can ensure a seamless transition, starting with how to choose cloud storage providers that won’t let you down.
1. Do your research
We are assuming that you are here because you’re already at this stage of transition to cloud storage for enterprises. And it is a hugely important stage because you can’t hope to make a big leap without knowing exactly what you are switching to and whether your new provider can do what you need.
Each cloud storage platform has unique specifications and limitations. Understanding these, including permitted file formats, restrictions on file and folder names, and maximum file path lengths, is essential. These factors can significantly impact data integrity during the transfer process.
Cert-Trace® has the experience and expertise to work with you to ensure that you know what you will be receiving before you start to make the transition, so there will be no misunderstandings or disappointments.
2. Minimize disruption
A major consideration when making any kind of technical change to your systems and processes is understanding how long the transition will take and what impact it will have on your day-to-day operations while it is taking place.
This is why you need to plan the transition meticulously to avoid downtime or disruptions when switching to the new cloud storage servers. You can ensure high migration fidelity by safeguarding the correct transfer of files, folders, permissions, metadata, and attributes.
3. Have a plan and stick to it
The foundation of successful cloud storage implementation lies in a well-thought-out data migration plan.
This plan should encompass:
- A detailed assessment of the data to be moved.
- Categorizing the data based on its importance to the business.
- Evaluating how frequently the data is accessed.
A key way to minimize disruption during the transition is to prioritize document stores based on their criticality, complexity, and dependencies.
A phased migration, starting with less critical or independent data, is often the most practical approach as it allows you to address any issues on a smaller scale before moving on to more important data sets.
Make sure you keep all relevant parties informed about the migration strategy, sharing timelines and dependencies so stakeholders can prepare for potential downtime or workflow changes.
Clear communication ensures everyone is on the same page and can help mitigate any issues that arise. However, this will go out of the window if your plan changes significantly, so try to stick to the original timelines and strategies to avoid confusion.
4. Review everything when the transition is completed
It might be tempting when the transition has finished to breathe a sigh of relief and move onto the next big project, but you need to still monitor your new set-up and identify any fixes that are needed, especially before switching off any legacy systems.
Involve staff and stakeholders as much as possible as they are the end users of the documents you have archived, so you need them to test that they can still access everything they need.
Record any lessons learned from the transition for the next time you will be tackling a project of this size and complexity. But once you have finished your review and fixed any issues, you will be able to start enjoying the benefits and cost savings of cloud storage for enterprises.
So, as well as seeing that enterprise cloud storage has significant benefits, you’ve also been given a better idea of how to seamlessly move your documents over, so why not get in touch with our Cert-trace® team at info@tracert.digital to find out more?
