Cloud storage for enterprise and SMBs

Cloud storage for companies and SMEs has evolved as an indispensable tool, facilitating efficient data management. Today, there are multiple solutions that offer options for backing up information, ensuring data security and facilitating access via the Internet.

According to Mordor Intelligencethe cloud migration market reached a valuation of $232.51 billion in 2024. This figure is expected to multiply to $806.41 billion by 2029, driven by a compound annual growth rate of 28.24% during the period 2024 to 2029.

This article explains what cloud storage is and its various forms. It also discusses the applications of this type of storage, the steps to securely store data, the fundamental aspects of security in this environment and the prospects and trends for the future.

What is cloud storage?

Cloud storage is a system that allows data to be deposited on remote servers, making it easier for users to access their information from any location as long as they have an Internet connection.

This technology reduces costs and improves efficiency. In addition, cloud storage for enterprises and SMBs is distinguished by its adaptability and scalability.

This feature is particularly beneficial for SMEs that aspire to expand without having to face costly infrastructure outlays. In this regard, it is best to turn to a data center solutions data center solutions company solutions company such as SupraBT.

Advantages

Cloud storage for enterprises and SMBs offers multiple benefits, including the following:

Scalability: companies have the ability to adapt their storage space to their changing needs without facing significant outlays.
Accessibility: provides the ability to access data from any location at any time, helping to increase efficiency and productivity.
Reduced costs: avoids investment in hardware and server maintenance, resulting in significant savings.
Enhanced security: Most providers implement sophisticated security measures that ensure a high degree of protection for your data.

These benefits make cloud storage a very attractive option for small and medium-sized businesses that aspire to innovate and optimize their operational efficiency.

Disadvantages

Despite the many benefits it offers, cloud storage also has certain restrictions or disadvantages that companies must carefully evaluate in order to make informed and accurate decisions.

Internet dependency: the need for a stable and reliable connection can become an obstacle, particularly in areas where connectivity is poor or unstable.
Long-term costs: While cloud storage reduces upfront costs, long-term expenses can be significant.
Security risks: despite the high security standards implemented by providers, there is always a risk of data breaches.

It is crucial that companies analyze these factors before implementing cloud solutions, ensuring that they fit their business processes and goals.

Types of cloud storage

Cloud storage is offered in various forms, each designed to meet specific business needs.

Public clouds

These are services provided by external providers. These services use shared infrastructure and are ideal for companies looking for scalable solutions and affordable costs.

Because they are shared, these solutions allow businesses to access resources as needed, without requiring investments in their own infrastructure.

Private clouds

Private clouds are configurations in which a company owns and manages its own infrastructure.

This type of storage provides greater control and security over data, which is crucial for organizations that manage sensitive information. However, the implementation of a private cloud involves higher costs and requires constant maintenance.

Hybrid clouds

They combine elements of both public and private clouds, allowing you to benefit from the best of both options.

This provides flexibility by allowing public clouds to be used for less critical tasks, while reserving the private cloud for more sensitive data.

According to Coremain.com and citing a report by the consulting firm Gartner, in Spain, approximately 45% of companies resort to public cloud solutions. Meanwhile, around 30% of companies opt for the private cloud to handle critical operations. The remaining percentage adopts hybrid models, which seek to balance the benefits of both options while minimizing the associated risks.

To learn more about this topic, you can consult our article on what is a data center.

User-centric digital transformation and the key role of the hybrid cloud

According to this article from International Data Corporation (IDC) the digital evolution of companies must prioritize the user as the core of their growth strategies, using technology as a catalyst to achieve these goals.

In this context, the hybrid cloud emerges as a strategic element by offering operational versatility and facilitating the integration of distributed technological resources.

According to the global study IDC Industry CloudPath (2020)in which more than 2,000 organizations participated, three main accelerators were identified:

Data volume growth: the massive increase in information exceeds the storage and processing capacity of traditional architectures.
IT budget optimization: the need to maximize budget efficiency in technological infrastructure without compromising critical capabilities.
Strategic alignment: the requirement that digital tools directly support corporate objectives to drive innovation.

This approach demonstrates how intelligent adoption of cloud architectures not only solves technical challenges, but enables differentiating business models focused on personalized experiences.

Growth of the public and private cloud in Latin America

According to the IDC Latin America Public and Private Cloud Services Tracker 2021H2, migration to cloud solutions has become a trend that spans companies of all sizes and industries.

By 2025, the compound annual growth rate in the adoption of cloud technologies is projected to reach 31.9% in Latin America, with the public sector and the distribution and services industries leading the way.

Organizations in the region perceive the cloud as an essential ecosystem for ensuring business continuity. Thanks to these technologies, they have been able to optimize costs and streamline and adapt their operations according to specific market demands.

This scenario reflects how the cloud not only transforms operating models, but also acts as a catalyst for technological and competitive development in Latin America.

What is cloud storage for?

As mentioned above, cloud storage is an essential tool for organizations that aspire to optimize their operational processes and significantly improve information management.

This technology allows companies to take advantage of several benefits that impact their performance and competitiveness, such as cost reduction, scalability, increased efficiency and simplified maintenance.

Key applications in the business environment

Cloud storage is not just about storing data, but encompasses a wide range of applications that are critical to the operation of modern businesses. Some of these applications are:

Uploading and accessing enterprise data.
Collaboration and productivity.
Data management and analysis.

How to store information in the cloud?

Storing information in the cloud involves an organized and planned process that ensures security and efficiency in data management.

The steps required to successfully complete this process are as follows:

Selection of the cloud service provider

This is a crucial aspect, so in order to make a well-informed decision, it is necessary to evaluate several key points:

Business needs assessment: Before selecting a vendor, it is critical for companies to assess their specific needs. This may include data volume, access needs and required security features.
Platform comparison: When considering different cloud service providers, it is useful to make a detailed comparison. Each platform offers different features and advantages.
Tools and software for cloud management: once a service provider has been chosen, it is necessary to implement tools and software that facilitate data management in the cloud.

Data transfer and migration process

This is an elementary step that requires careful attention. It involves transferring files and applications from local systems to the selected cloud infrastructure.

This process consists of several fundamental phases:

Assessment: start with a thorough inventory of the data you plan to migrate, highlighting those that are critical and require a specialized approach.
Planning: develop a plan that includes migration stages, estimated times and necessary resources. Consider pilot testing before full migration.
Execution: perform the migration effectively, ensuring data integrity through backups and rigorous validation processes throughout the process.
Monitoring: monitor the system in the cloud after migration to resolve any issues that may arise.

Cloud security: Is it safe to store in the cloud?

Security is an essential element that companies must take into account when implementing this technology, since protecting data and systems is crucial for their integrity and reliability.

According to Salesforce, a significant percentage of companies, specifically 94%, report substantial improvements in online security after migrating their data to cloud-based environments.

Confidence that data will be protected and recoverable in the event of an incident is essential for any organization.

Security measures implemented by suppliers

Providers of these services implement a wide range of advanced security measures including:

Advanced firewalls that prevent unauthorized access.
Intrusion detection systems that continuously monitor network traffic for suspicious or anomalous behavior patterns.
Encryption protocols that guarantee the encryption of information both during its transmission and when it is stored, making it unintelligible to possible attackers.
Multi-factor authentication (MFA) which involves an additional level of verification for account access.

Security protocols for companies

On the other hand, it is crucial that companies implement their own security protocols when working with cloud storage. Measures to consider are:

Data encryption and authentication: Data encryption is a key practice that protects sensitive information. This is vital not only when storing information in the cloud, but also when transferring it.
Backup and recovery: these backups should be regular to ensure that data can be recovered in the event of failures or cyber-attacks.

Future of cloud storage

In the context of a digital environment in continuous transformation, companies are finding in cloud storage a fundamental tool to boost their development and maintain their competitiveness in the market.

Technological innovations are transforming the way organizations integrate and use this technology in their daily processes.

Emerging trends and innovative technologies

Trends in enterprise and SMB cloud storage are expanding rapidly. Organizations are exploring new methodologies and technologies that improve both efficiency and functionality.

Some of the most relevant trends include:

Artificial intelligence-driven storage: Artificial intelligence-driven storage enables process automation and efficient optimization of resource usage.
Edge Computing: The increasing adoption of IoT devices and the need to process data at high speed have driven edge computing. This approach involves storing and processing data in close proximity to its source, which significantly improves response speed and reduces associated costs.
Multi-cloud: the adoption of multi-cloud strategies is on the rise, as more and more companies choose to use multiple cloud service providers to increase resiliency and reduce their dependence on a single platform.

The multi-cloud strategy and the principle of diversification: a renewed vision

The “never put all your eggs in one basket” philosophy is particularly relevant to the adoption of multi-cloud environments. Since no cloud service is infallible, distributing workloads across multiple platforms is a key mechanism for reducing exposure to operational risk.

According to this IDC article, multi-cloud offers strategic benefits such as:

Selection of specialized suppliers by functionality, allowing the selection of optimal solutions for each specific need.
Access to competitive pricing structures among different operators, facilitating budget optimization.
Strengthening security through distributed architectures and greater incident recovery capacity.
Operational adaptability to scale resources according to demand and adjust to technological changes.
Promoting technological innovation by combining advanced tools from different ecosystems.

This approach not only mitigates vulnerabilities, but also boosts efficiency through the synergy of multiple platforms.

Impact of artificial intelligence and machine learning

These two technologies are radically transforming data management in cloud-based environments. Some key aspects are detailed below:

Performance optimization: AI can detect areas where improvements can be made, such as resource allocation or data traffic management.
Predictive maintenance: systems can predict storage failures and perform maintenance proactively, avoiding downtime and data loss.
Improved security: AI algorithms help detect unauthorized access and threats, providing an additional layer of security in cloud storage.

Enterprise storage systems: importance of data and data storage

In the era of hyperdigitization, information flows are generated continuously through electronic banking transactions, e-commerce purchases, information backups, social network interactions and multimedia content consumption.

This proliferation of data of multiple formats and purposes finds its core in enterprise storage systems, where it is retained for further analysis, processing and protection.

Relevance in digital transformation

The adoption of advanced digital models has turned data repositories into operational hubs for organizations and users, linking any commercial or productive activity to information management.

According to IDC, the current global digital footprint exceeds 33 zettabytes (equivalent to 33 billion terabytes), stored in traditional data centers, cloud infrastructures, IoT devices and personal computers.

Estimates point to this figure reaching 175 zettabytes by 2025, driven by the expansion of connected technologies and data-driven business models.

Market evolution and business demand

As can be seen, the cloud storage market is evolving at a rapid pace, and the demand for such solutions will continue to grow in the coming years. As a result, companies are looking for more robust and adaptable solutions.

In summary, the key elements that are driving this evolution include:

Increased digitization: more and more companies are going digital, and cloud storage is becoming a necessary option for managing large volumes of data.
Scalability and adaptability: companies are looking for solutions that allow them to scale quickly based on demand, and cloud storage provides this flexibility.
Affordable costs: with the pay-as-you-go model, organizations can manage their budget more efficiently, which increases the demand for cloud solutions.

Conclusions: Cloud storage for enterprises and SMEs

Cloud storage has radically transformed the management of resources and operations in small and medium-sized enterprises. Its flexibility and accessibility have facilitated the evolution of traditional business models towards more dynamic structures.

In this digital era, having companies dedicated to providing technology solutions that enable the adoption of cloud storage is not just an option, but a strategic imperative for organizations that want to remain competitive and agile in the market.

Therefore, in the field of technological advances, the use of cloud storage by companies and SMEs has become increasingly common.

Do you want to know if your company can benefit from a cloud storage service?

References:

Coremain.com (November 24, 2024). Public and private cloud trends for 2025. Retrieved from: https://www.coremain.com/tendencias-en-la-nube-publica-y-privada-para-2025-2/

International Data Corporation (IDC). (n.d.). Growth of public and private cloud in Latin America. Retrieved from: https://www.idc.com/latam_es/analysts/blog/detail?id=3bc61a9d432062f984b1

International Data Corporation (IDC). (n.d.). The Hybrid Cloud path to business innovation. Retrieved from: https://www.idc.com/latam_es/analysts/blog/detail?id=493989e611be2648ae8a

International Data Corporation (IDC). (n.d.). Enterprise Storage Systems and their situation in Peru and Bolivia. Retrieved from: https://www.idc.com/latam/analysts/blog/detail?id=a29a892503d68f6916a6

International Data Corporation (IDC). (n.d.) Why is multi-cloud a great option for Chilean companies? Retrieved from: https://www.idc.com/latam_pt/analysts/blog/detail?id=693647fce72daa7909bc

Mordor Intelligence (2024). Cloud migration market share and size analysis cloud migration market trends and growth forecasts (2024-2029). Retrieved from: https://www.mordorintelligence.com/es/industry-reports/cloud-migration-services-market

Salesforce.com (n.d.). Top 12 Benefits of Cloud Computing. Retrieved from: https://www.salesforce.com/platform/cloud-computing/benefits/

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