As individuals and businesses alike get back into the swing of things after the holidays, many will be inundated with thoughts of how to make 2016 bigger and better than ever before – busy setting New Year resolutions. And while goal setting and rock-solid business strategies are critically important, it’s also important to take the time to reflect on everything that went right in the past year and understand best practices for incorporating those successes into the plan for the next 12 months.
At Markley Group, we’re lucky enough to count some of the world’s most successful and innovative companies as clients – here’s what they all did right in 2015 to make sure their data storage strategies were in lock-step with their business goals:
Make Hybrid a Priority
As the debate between public and private cloud solutions wage on, there is actually a growing number of companies that are simply opting for the best of both worlds – hybrid cloud. With hybrid cloud, Markley Group’s clients gain the scalability, flexibility and affordability of a public cloud solution, alongside the security and latency of private cloud, all without having to build and maintain on-premise infrastructure themselves. This combination of benefits will continue to be a win-win through 2016 and beyond.
Focus on Security
2015 arguably delivered the most devastating security breaches we’ve ever seen and – for possibly the first time – elevated the importance of data security into the C-Suite. This momentum and diligence must continue into the New Year if companies are going to remain successful. The key here is ensuring that you work with the right partners and security vendors – including knowing their security capabilities up front and being clear on their protocols if something does happen to your data, all while maintaining the best internal security practices, like staying on top of the latest security vulnerabilities and technology updates.
Think Outside the Box
While a cut-and-dry storage solution might work for some organizations, most companies are looking to store varied and diversified data and information, so it only makes sense that their storage strategies mimic those characteristics. In 2015, we saw more companies than ever before implement a wide range of solutions – from colocation to multiple back-up locations. This approach helps organizations prepare for the worst, without putting unnecessary strain on infrastructure, services and resources when the unexpected happens. In 2016, we expect that even more companies will maintain multiple storage solutions across different regions and locations, with the proper backup plans in place to protect their data 24/7/365.
What are your data storage goals for 2016? Share your thoughts with us here or connect with Markley Group on Twitter. And if one of your goals in the New Year is to upgrade your data center provider or cloud storage solutions, Markley Group can help – contact our team of experts today to learn more.
