SMEs: Finding the right storage solutions as data volumes grow

Author: Isha Jain

By Uwe Kemmer, Director EMEA Field Engineering at Western Digital

To drive business growth, small to medium-sized business or SMEs need data and storage systems for every part of their operations.

In the UK, 99.9% of businesses are considered SMEs. No matter their size, these companies produce significant amounts of data through insight analysis, revenue optimisation or customer service improvements. Despite the differing uses for data, one thing is consistent – the need for tailored and reliable storage solutions that fit in with the company structure and goals.

In line with the rapid pace of business and the constant data growth, SME leaders and decision makers need to find the right data storage infrastructure. This goes beyond just providing larger capture and storage capacity, but must also improve performance, flexibility, and agility to access information to help SMEs improve operations. Regardless of how businesses use their data, the need for suitable, reliable storage solutions is consistent.

New technology, more data

Rapid technological development has added to the growth in data. These advancements have created new opportunities and efficiencies in how businesses function. Modern workplaces like offices, factories, and warehouses now often rely on machine learning (ML) and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies, which produce huge amounts of data that must be recorded and analysed to optimise operations.

And it’s not just integrated technologies that can put increasing demands on business data. With the increasing amount of installed smart video systems for surveillance, media-rich, detailed and sharp video data recorded at a minimum of 24 frames per second (fps) will double or even triple the storage capacity required by organisations. Recent research has shown that depending on the resolution and quality of the content, video streaming can take up to 15.98GB per hour in 4K. This results in a hugely increased data storage requirement.

For e-tailers and retailers, the combination of these advanced technologies unlocks new data potentials. They can not only accurately count and record the number of people entering or leaving a website but gain valuable insights into customer details and buying behaviours. These are particularly interesting for marketing purposes instore, for example: display optimisation, and online. A tailor-made email communication for example can help to drive traffic to web stores. In recent years, this has become more advanced, as algorithms can be used to ensure that targeted campaigns are directed to the most suitable consumers and personalised advertising is utilised to the maximum. The analysis of customer data leads to even data being created as insights which can be implemented into business strategies.

Storing opportunity through data

While data can make an SME more successful and expand its business model, potential risks can arise. Especially if this data is not stored on a reliable storage solution.

There are many data storage options, such as cloud storage, or local external storage. Experts recommend using multiple forms of backup and storing them in different locations so that in the event of theft or an unexpected event, data remains safe.

One option for many small businesses is a network-attached storage (NAS) system. This allows small businesses to share information via a network or over the internet with those who work within the organisation (regardless of location). This makes exchange and collaboration easier, which minimises costs and increasing productivity.

The great advantage of NAS is that the data is stored centrally, allowing its easy backup and protection, but at the same time, allowing remote access and sharing. NAS systems complement an environment of work and collaboration allowing SMEs to save and share files from anywhere with an internet connection and have files organised in one place to help streamline workflows.

Whatever storage solution small businesses opt for, as they grow and adapt, data is created in various forms for a different purposes. Throughout the business lifecycle, no matter the sector or function, data is increasingly important in day-to-day operations, planning and analytics. As many sectors are increasingly competitive, businesses must use all means and tools at their disposal to stay ahead of the competition and data is a key part of this.