be a scam or at the very least dangerous. Cloud storage has come a long way to get into the mainstream and now there are so many providers that it is hard to choose one. The best way is to rely on a good mix of reputation, price and value to your business when choosing the best cloud services and provider for you in the Toronto area. To take a quick look at some of those highly sought after cloud services, we compiled the list below that will help to give you some direction and help you get the best cloud service for your money.
Top 5 Most Requested Cloud Services
1. Mobile Access – One key factor you will look for with your cloud services is a provider that can handle the mobile threshold the best. You want to make sure every member of your team can access the cloud for input or retrieval so having apps that are compatible with every operating system is key. It would be a waste of time for your salespeople to have iPhones if you’re uploading data they need with an Android device and your cloud service doesn’t support iOS.
2. View/Edit Capabilities – This service is important because you or your employees may need information from the cloud on the run, possibly during a sales call and your in-house folks may need to upload or alter files for the agents in the field to utilize. They may also be sending information back to you for quotes or customer history, so it is of the utmost importance that all employees can edit or view the data in your cloud. This is one of the best and most valuable cloud services.
3. Photos/Videos/Music – You should be sure to consider adding your camera roll to your cloud service, which is another perk that a lot of providers offer. Many times it can net you upwards of 3GB of extra storage. Some providers also reward you with space for referrals and you can secure up to 50,000 songs with a paid subscription to some providers in the Toronto area. This is an excellent way to share events and updates with your employees when you cannot all make it to the office for a meeting.
4. Automatic Synchronization – Auto synching is probably the best cloud service just because it is extremely important to be able to record information from a client/vendor meeting and immediately sync that to your mobile device or laptop as you grind out quotes or pursue competitive offers. Sometimes you simply don’t have time to go back to the office one more time before heading home, if you can auto-synch your data to the cloud, you can retrieve it from anywhere.
5. File Encryption – We are all concerned about floating our sensitive documents out there into space and keeping them safe is a top concern. You should consider a cloud service provider that can best protect you with several layers of data encryption. Many providers utilize 128-bit AES encryption and some opt for multiple layers at 256-bit AES. The key to finding the best cloud services provider is to look for local, en-route and cloud-based encryption of at least 128-bit.
Overall these 5 services will help you determine who can offer your business the best cloud services, but there are other helpful points to consider like the availability of tech support and how easy it to access it. You may be bargain hunting so price could be a factor. Ultimately the amount of storage you require will also weed out some of the providers who cannot meet your needs.