Cloud technology has paved the way for us to enjoy greater mobility, connectivity and interactivity than ever before. In the retail environment, this has also enabled greater competition, operational improvement and customer satisfaction.
Every day, a growing majority of Australian businesses utilise the cloud. It’s an efficient, economical and secure way to manage email, financials, document storage and more – yet when it comes to backing up their systems and data, numerous business owners still rely on a physical, onsite process.
There is nothing wrong with onsite backup. It’s familiar, functional and provides certainty of access to your data when you need it. But it also means a finite amount of backup space, significant financial investment in hardware and a reliance on the security and physical safety of the location the device is stored.
Storing your data on the premises has the advantage of fast access should you need to restore data – a priceless benefit in today’s fast paced retail environment where prolonged downtime can mean damage to your reputation, loss of trade and compliance breaches. It does require valuable time and staff resources to maintain, but it allows you to keep tight control over where your data is, and who has access to it.
Cloud backup provides a sophisticated level of security that would normally be beyond the reach of most small to medium retail businesses owners, many of who have little or no dedicated IT resources. It’s constantly monitored and kept current by experts whose primary responsibility is to secure your data and ensure maximum uptime.
It also protects your data from physical harm caused by human error, malicious damage or natural disaster. As your data is housed offsite and backed up automatically, it’s not dependent on staff remembering to run the backup or the integrity of the person responsible, can’t get lost, stolen or broken, and is out of harm’s reach should your store be hit by fire, flood, power surge or power outage.
The need for rapid access to files is also driving the growth of syncing services like Dropbox and Google Drive. These services are a quick, easy and efficient way to enable collaboration between management, staff and suppliers. Multiple users can download, edit and share the same files simply by logging in to the service. It’s important to note however that the primary purpose of these services is not to back up your data, but instead to give you ready access and functionality with a limited amount of files.
Both cloud backup and onsite backup have their advantages. But for many retail business owners today, it makes sense to use a hybrid approach. Now with the installation of an agent such as GPK Cloud Backup on the server or system you want to backup, it’s possible to store several full backups of your data locally whilst also synchronising the data with an external cloud backup service. This approach gives you control and access to your data when and where you need it without investing in expensive hardware or substantial staff resources, and you have the peace of mind of highly secure, offsite protection.
Today more than ever, it’s essential to keep your business data protected and up to date. But the rapid pace of retail and growing competition mean the solution must also be cost and resource efficient and flexible. Cloud technology, and in particular, cloud backup can strengthen your data security without sacrificing accessibility, boost operational efficiency and responsiveness, and allow you to focus on growth and strategy instead of processes and systems.
If change and meeting your customers’ needs is a constant, doing nothing isn’t an option. Be sure you are partnering with a company with the depth and breadth of expertise you require. Particularly one who can help you navigate end-to-end managed services, cloud, mobile and paperless retail technology. GPK Retail consultant, Cordell Quaine, is available for a no obligation discussion on how GPK can help you reduce operational costs, manage your IT footprint more effectively and create an exceptional experience for your customers. Contact: Phone 1300 000 475 or email info@gpkretail.com.aufor more information.
