As different devices enter the workplace -- from iPads to iPhones, from those employees own to those issued by the employer -- the challenge of data management becomes greater. With more data than ever before to have to handle, solution providers are faced with helping customers figure out how to store it all. Here, Mark Ross, Dolly Drive's director of client services, offers five ways to deal with the changing environment. (Dolly Drive is an online services provider delivering cloud-based data sharing and storage service for the Mac community.) —Jennifer Bosavage, editor
Our workspaces are rapidly changing the landscape that defines our workday. As technology advances, we sometimes are presented with myriad of options that transcend the environment that we used to experience.
With this paradigm shift comes the changing dynamic of how we store data, how we use that stored data and even more so; how we protect that data.
It is not your father’s data store anymore!
Related: How the iPad Can Grow Your Business
In today’s workplace, we not only send files, we share projects and parts of projects. The need to coordinate has become the focus of many new technology initiatives and in itself, requires a simple and easy to use solution. And with this new freedom, comes the challenge of protecting and securing that data.
Here are five "Must Do’s" when moving toward an effective cloud storage process.
The Solution
#1. Choose a provider that embodies a dynamic and flexible solution to keep up with the changing demands of the virtual workspace.
#2. Don’t crowd desktops with multiple apps or service but rather intelligently provide the best in class solution that solves the problem.
#3. Consider a hybrid-cloud approach that provides a range of services locally for accessibility, security, control and integration; Hybrid-clouds and private clouds help the ultimate security of true offsite replication and storage for the mobile workforce.
#4. The lines have also been blurring between how we work and how we backup. What was once the exclusive domain for backup now becomes active work product. For some, the fact that this is automatically synchronized to another machine provides a degree of comfort. For others, and rightly so, a formal archive of backups is the only real preservation.
#5. Support your support. As in most cases, there is no one-size fits all. The solution set needs to be dynamic, flexible and customizable to support the client workflow. The consulting, engineering and deployment teams are still an integral part of today’s sales cycles despite the ease of downloading an app. Do not overlook the human connection in a technology heavy sector, especially considering time and implementation needs.
At Dolly Drive, to ensure that the Mac user is completely protected we have designed a unified solution that brings all of the various solution elements to bear in an easy to implement, easy to use and simple toolset. We listened to our customers—they told us how they work and what they need—we provided the tools for them to use.
