Cloud technology was initially developed in the 1960s through cloud computing and became more popular in the early 2000s. Fast forward to today, it can be seen in our daily lives and has taken over the world of technology. Whether it involves storing pictures that you take on your phone or data management tools for your law firm, the cloud has been so instrumental in making business processes efficient.
Because the technology is newer and the science behind it seems overly complicated, there have been serious questions about the validity and security of the cloud. There are many things about the cloud that can be unknown to normal people, which is the legitimate reason why people are intimated and even scared of the cloud.
Read along as we discuss reasons why the cloud is not as scary as you think.
The most basic definition of the cloud is that the data is stored in an offsite server in a digital form. This allows businesses to share information and software between users.
Cloud can also be used as a delivery method for software that you use for your business. It is a network of multiple servers that work together as one system. There are a lot of functions that the cloud can do and these include delivering content and data, storing data, and running applications.
The Cloud does not require hardware to operate nor does it need physical networking gear on-site to work.
Since Cloud technology is newer, there are many concerns about the safety and security of its use. These concerns are the main reasons why a lot of businesses don’t want to deal with the cloud. But we typically fear the unknown and the best way to combat this fear is to get to know the product and have an understanding of how it works.
Here are the main benefits of the Cloud that your law firm can take advantage of:
As with any program or software that you use, constant updating of the application is important because it deters any security attacks. The updates can also implement newer technology to keep your information secure and safe. Some updates can be installed to improve the functionality of the program so that you can reap more benefits from it.
Back then, the main concern about the cloud is that the information is stored in an off-site server and the main concern with this is that it won’t function as well as a primary or internal server. Contrary to this, having an off-site server hold your information is much easier to access because the technology that it uses is more advanced.
It is very understandable to feel uneasy about sending your information over to an off-site server especially if the information has important client information that needs to be kept private and secure. This is why a lot of businesses are hesitant in using cloud-based solutions because they don’t understand how secure the information will be.
Cloud providers invest a great deal of money into their security because this is their bread and butter. If they can’t keep people’s data safe, nobody will buy their product and their company’s reputation will be in shambles.
A lot of cloud technology uses encryption which makes the data harder to hack into. Encryption employs the use of numerous complex algorithms to scramble your data which makes it harder to understand in case it falls into the wrong hands.
For example, if a hacker was successful in breaking into the cloud and hacking your encrypted data, they would need an encryption key to unlock the data which means that the data is useless to them.
When data is stored in an internal server and it crashes, you better have a good backup system to recover the data. If you don’t have any backups, it will be harder to retrieve the data from your system if it can be done at all.
On the other hand, if your data is stored in the cloud, it can be easily retrievable through the internet as long as you have the proper credentials. Retrieving the data can be done even if your internal server crashes and cannot be recovered.
Because of this technology, numerous law firms opt to use entity management software solutions because these solutions are cloud-based which makes the data easy to store and retrieve as needed.
Cloud technology also enables the use of backups for your data which can be stored on an external hard drive or another server.
Businesses who are using cloud technology are reaping the benefits from it because it can truly save you time and money. Because the information is stored remotely, you don’t need to purchase additional computer hardware that you have to maintain regularly.
You can have multiple users or employees accessing the cloud at the same time which increases productivity and saves time rather than having one person access information at a time.
Since the data is stored in an off-site server, you don’t have to pay for additional space to keep records and documents. As a law firm owner, time is essential and cloud technology can help you cut the time you’re spending on finding specific documents or files.
If you have questions about cloud-based entity management software solutions for your law firm, contact Athennian today! Our group of digital experts is knowledgeable and can give you the proper resources so that you can be better informed.