In the past, the idea of moving a business typically meant a physical transfer from one location to another. These days, with the availability of online tools and the increase in work-from-home opportunities, businesses interested in moving things around are often talking about transferring data over to the cloud rather than using physical servers for storage. If you’ve reached this point in your business, consider the steps needed to have a successful transfer.
Select the Right App
If you use cloud storage for personal storage purposes on your at-home computer, you might not use different apps. When it comes to a business transfer, you want to make sure you’re using the right app for the needs of the company. Explore apps that allow for the transfer of data to the cloud securely and with a lot of storage. Researching apps that are specific to your business is a smart move, such as if the apps offer extra tools that would be a benefit to your specific business. Further, make sure to read reviews so that you know what other business owners and employees have experienced with the apps you’re considering. Be sure to regularly update the app that you select as well.
Decide What to Transfer
While you’re probably eager to get all of the data moved to the cloud and may not want to add another step into the process, now is a good time to do some cleaning. For example, your business may be storing data from employees or customers who have not been affiliated with the company in decades. You don’t need this information to take up space. Furthermore, think about how much easier day-to-day happenings could be if employees did not need to shuffle through a bunch of useless information.
Prioritize Security
Both the deletion of old data and the movement to the cloud make the security of your data a major priority. When you’re in the researching phase of picking out an app to use, be certain to select a program that has a high level of security features and a good track record of keeping that data secure. The exact level of security needed is going to depend upon the specific business and the type of data that the company houses. Furthermore, when destroying old data, do so in a secure fashion.
Plan the Switch
Before making the change, conduct a cloud readiness assessment to get a broader look at the situation. Then, decide when to make the move. Selecting the busiest time of the year to move all of your company’s data to the cloud might not be the best plan, as it will be harder to get a hold of any of the cloud company’s IT workers for assistance if something should go wrong. While moving to the cloud does not require much manual labor on the part of your staff members, you still want to make sure that time is available if any snafus arise. Additionally, the employees will likely need to get used to the new system, so try to make this change during a slower time of the year.
Once your business’s data is moved to the cloud, you may very well find that transactions are smoother and more efficient. In order to achieve this goal, take your time in the research and implementing phases.