Old-school, local storage solutions are still familiar and reliable but the reality is that cloud storage is better than local storage in more ways than one. It’s taking over and it’s become easier than ever to implement for businesses of any size. Cloud storage is a safe, secure and cost-effective solution for you to store, access and share data from anywhere and at any time.

For a small business just getting started it can feel overwhelming but the best London IT Support Companies we’ve spoken to have emphasized how implementing cloud storage is now a must for a business of any size.

Today there are many companies and providers of cloud storage with many options to choose from but Microsoft is a trusted and reliable company that has made it especially easy for a small business to get started. 

Here are 3 of Microsoft’s solutions for cloud storage to check out:  

OneDrive for Business

OneDrive for Business is a good place to start, it is an online cloud storage platform for mostly document and file sharing. It acts like a centralized digital filing cabinet so that everyone can access data no matter where they are as long as they have an internet connection.

It offers a starting amount of 1 TB of storage capacity per user and all files can be made private or public. When it comes to security, OneDrive for Business includes data encryption, data loss protection, access security rights and real-time reports.

OneDrive for Business is a really great starting point for basic needs but it does come with some limitations. For starters, it has a limited document size allowance of 100 GB. The platform also has a lack of integrations for third-party apps, unlike the OneDrive for personal use, OneDrive for Business doesn’t allow you to sync apps like message boards and calendars to your business account. 

Lastly, OneDrive for Business is not that great for offline access. If your team needs to do a lot of offline work it might not be the most ideal solution for your needs.

SharePoint Online 

SharePoint does what OneDrive for Business can do but has significantly more features. It is a cloud-based service where users can store and share information similarly to OneDrive but SharePoint is more collaborative and multifunctional by acting like a company network. 

Users can collaborate on documents shared in real time in document libraries. Additionally, users can create calendars, task lists and team sites to make the workspace more efficient and productive. The platform is more integrated with Microsoft’s other products and services like Outlook making it one of the more ideal Office 365 Solutions for cloud storage.

With more features and customisability it makes the service more complicated to use than OneDrive for Business. Because of this, SharePoint can be more difficult to maintain and use for a smaller business just starting out. It wasn’t created to be used as is and requires customisation in order to suit your needs better. Between this and the price of the subscription, it can be expensive.

Microsoft Azure

Microsoft Azure is a popular cloud computing platform that aims to help businesses save money and improve efficiency. A big selling point for Azure is how scalable and flexible it is. The platform reduces the need for expensive software and hardware and can scale up or down as a small business grows and changes.

Azure is by far the most integrated with other Microsoft products and services and includes advanced security features to protect the business from cyber threats. Additionally, with Azure, businesses have access to more support options that include 24/7 technical support and documentation forums.

The platform promises to improve efficiency, reduce costs and better protect valuable data and while it is considered the best option it is realistically not the best fit for smaller businesses. It is significantly more complex to manage and requires a higher degree of technical knowledge. A business can use a trusted IT support like TechQuarters to help them with this but it’s better to find a cloud storage option that suits your needs the best at the time rather than the biggest and best service you can find.