Document Storage & Software

Document Storage

The first thing to look at when you are comparing Document storage is size. You will have some idea of how much space you need based on the size of your storage in your current system. All systems which include document storage have a base level of storage space that come as standard. An administrator can allocate this storage to sites, workspaces and people so you have enough storage space in each area and as with email if you require more space you can purchase it at a per GB per month rate.

One of the main advantages of storing your documents in the cloud is that it allows you to share documents with people meaning that you won’t have to email documents across to people for them to review or amend, you can simply grant them access. You can control who can see which files and what privilages they have over them – meaning they can be for information purposes only or documents that multiple people are working on. You will be able to see previous versions of the document as they are saved as you go so you won’t lose earlier drafts. You can also have private storage areas where you can store your own documents which no one else can see until you grant them permission.

Another massive advantage of cloud storage is availability. If there is extreme weather (such as snow) users can’t get into work then they can still access their documents from home meaning that crucial bit of work can still be done.

Security is also a major feature of cloud document storage as well as the main point of concern for many businesses. All of the paid services are held on secure servers and some of the services encrypt your documents as they travel between your computer and your data center. The majority of security breaches in businesses come from within the company and as your data is held in high security (both physically and technically) data centers, your own employees won’t be able to damage your system or corrupt your data and remember all of your previous versions are saved. The security provided is relied upon by multinational companies and such high level security is now served up as standard for cloud services. Your security will also be continually updated in real time so you will always be using the most up to date security available. An in house system can get infected with viruses and the like but your data center information will be constantly looked after by the best possible people for the job AND always backed up so again you can sleep easily knowing you won’t lose vital work.

Office Apps

At the moment most offices rely on Microsoft Office for their Word processor, spreadsheets and presentation software. It is important to remember that the Office Package also includes Access, Groove, One Note, Outlook and Publisher. The Microsoft offerings use these programmes as their basis for work you store and use on their SharePoint system. Currently, licences are bought separately for the Office packages and if you use them and are comfortable with them they seamlessly integrate with SharePoint Online within Business Online Productivity Suite.

However, other providers provide basic office software as part of their offering. Google and Zoho both include programs for Word Processing, Spreadsheets and Presentations. Whilst their systems allow you to upload documents in Microsoft formats they offer edit controls within their own programs and then allow you to convert back if you wish. The positive in this is that if you decide that these 3 programs are adequate for your company then you will be able to use them for your word processor, spreadsheets and presentations. As with all other cloud systems they will be constantly updated so you will always be working on the latest versions and may never have to buy software again! It is also worth bearing in mind that there are many add on systems that you can have integrate with your systems such as Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Software and at Cloud Hypermarket we can help you with these too.