One of the hallmark advantages of a cloud storage IT environment is "scalability" - but what does that term actually mean, and how does it benefit small and medium-sized businesses?
In a cloud storage environment, the storage system can grow almost without limits because adding more storage merely means arranging for a new node to be added onto the cloud environment. Unlike in traditional storage systems, data is not organized into strict blocks, each one of which needs an overall organizational structure to help it relate to the rest of the storage system. Instead, the approach of data ‘slices’ is used. In this approach, the individual slices are loosely federated together, but data elements are more or less able to control their own organization. The entire system does not have to have a consistent organization as is true with traditional storage.
In a scalable system, the storage organization will never run out of space; IT services staff will not have to tell management that new equipment is needed because there are no more network attachments available. Instead, the cloud understands where data is allowed to reside; as long as newly added data adheres to existing policies, the system can grow almost on its own, with intervention provided by managed services staff on an as-needed basis. Scalable data storage is one of the most potent advantages of a cloud computing IT solution for enterprises. If you're looking to leverage cloud solutions for your business, reach out to iCorps for a free consultation.