What to remember when choosing a cloud

Storing a company’s data abroad might be tempting, but risky. Archiving data on a firm’s own server has become an obsolete solution. Today’s trend is cheap cloud centres where business data flow over the Internet. Nevertheless, what are the most frequent mistakes made by managers when selecting a data storage centre?

Price as the only factor

Global providers of data storage centres usually try to win customers with the lowest price, which local providers then try to adjust. In real situations, price lists sometimes do not apply. Numerous services that global cloud providers love to charge are often included in the price for Czech providers’ services, which, therefore, can be cheaper in the end. Therefore, we should compare the comparable and consider all components of the price. Also invoicing in the local currency can play a major role as it excludes foreign exchange risks.

Customer support language important

Cloud customer support in a local language is an obvious advantage for many customers. English is widely used mainly among current students and university graduates. However, others are not one hundred per cent confident of their English. Therefore, it is hard to fully understand the English-speaking customer support explaining what happens to the data stored on the cloud. This can even get worse with the absence of technical knowledge. Those not willing to risk data loss or damage due to their less than perfect knowledge of English can choose a provider that offers full support in Czech.

Advantages of local data centres

Global data storage is a more likely target of physical or cyber-attacks. Therefore, more safety is offered by a data storage located directly in the Czech Republic that is smaller, harder to track, and less attractive for hackers or terrorists. Again, we should remember that an attack usually does not constitute a direct threat to the data as they are protected with multiple security and encryption. An attack can cause a temporary data centre failure or malfunction, which can cause operating difficulties to customers. In general, the use of cloud data centres still brings a much more favourable security/price ratio than data storage inside the company. For more information, please contact: Jan Gerhart, Sales director Email: Tel.: +420 467 005 111 RSM CZ and Infinity have become affiliates.