Your data is only truly secure in a cloud solution

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Demi-Jo Smith, July 28, 2022

How do you keep track of your projects, if you’ve lost all your files? The answer to that question is probably ‘not’. Reason enough to keep your data safe. But how do you do that? Too often, people still opt for in-house storage. That seems safe, but appearances are deceptive. A cloud solution offers a better and more efficient way to work (together). Here are 8 reasons to choose the cloud.

Man on construction site working on a laptop with a cloud solution
Data on the construction site should always be secure.

1. Always have the latest version at hand

Is that the blueprint with the architect’s addition or is it the version before the addition? Does the installer already know that the plumber is going to install an additional drain? Did the builders know, too?

If everyone has the latest version of the drawings and plans, you avoid delays, extra work and discussions about who should pay for the costs. In the cloud, you use a DMS (Document Management System) to ensure that all parties involved can access the files and keep track of versions. Everyone works with the latest version.

In theory, you can also set up version management with your own storage solution, but the cloud version is guaranteed to work for everyone. Are there any problems despite this? Then there is a specialised party that provides support. That saves a lot of time and effort.

In a cloud solution, the backup is arranged and tested.

2. Backup your data

Back to the opening question: what do you do if you lose all your files? If you discover at that point that the backup is out of order, you are in good company. Many companies have walked that path before you. Save yourself this painful learning moment with a cloud solution. There, the backup is regulated and – at least as important – tested. Your files are safe: even if your laptop falls into the freshly poured foundation while your phone disappears with a loud crackle under the tracks of a shovel.

Read all about document management here.

3. Managing access and rights

Who may view the blueprints and who may modify them? Which parties have access to the schedule? Via a cloud solution, you not only share files, but you can also specify in a very segmented way what people are allowed to do with them. For example, the architect can modify drawings, while the contractor can only view them. At least as convenient: you keep an overview of what is shared with all parties. You can easily add and remove people from the list.

4. Sharing large files securely

As an extension of access and permissions, you can also share files securely. With a good cloud solution, you can put a password on files, which gives extra security that they are not viewed by unauthorised parties. In addition, you can add a time lock to files. The person you share a proposal with has time to look at it. If that time expires, access rights expire. This gives extra security when confidential information is involved.

By using a cloud solution, you can put the technical execution of security in the hands of people who know what they are doing.

5. Security is technically in order

From your own file storage, how do you ensure that data runs over a secure connection? Are the certificates in order? Is the firewall set up correctly? What level of encryption is needed to ensure that security? Do you thereby fully comply with the GDPR? No idea? 

By using a cloud solution, you can put the technical execution of security in the hands of people who know what they are doing. You have the certainty that your digital infrastructure rests on a solid foundation and with a certified party and can focus on your work.

6. Multiple locations

How safe is your own file storage if something happens to your premises? To ensure continuity, it is necessary to store data in multiple locations. If a fire breaks out somewhere, you can continue to access all work in progress. To be safe, you want your data to be in at least three locations simultaneously. One where something can go wrong, one where your solution will automatically fall back on, and a third, because an accident never comes alone.

7. Maintenance and testing

How much time do you want to spend maintaining and testing your data infrastructure? Cloud solution providers allocate a good portion of their time for that. The rest goes into customer contact and technical innovation. If you just want to focus on building with your business, you can’t stand up to so much specialisation. By switching to a cloud solution, you choose not only ease of use, but also reliability and the certainty that your solution will grow along with the possibilities of technical progress.

8. Costs

Buying your own storage once, might seem more cost-effective than subscribing to the cloud. But the opposite is true. Your cloud subscription includes maintenance and support. If you opt for your own solution, maintenance is still added on a monthly basis. Something goes wrong? Then unexpected costs will be added, too. Are you expanding? Then you need to reinvest in extra hardware and your costs go up again. And exactly how long will that investment last? You should be putting money aside for the next upgrade.

Are you in the cloud? Then just extend your subscription slightly. That is transparent, manageable and easily arranged.

Nobody wants to dwell on what complete loss of all your data means for business operations. But risks of data loss abound. By choosing a cloud solution, you choose security. Your data is safe. On top of this comes a more efficient way of working (together) as a bonus. In short: there is not just one reason to switch to the cloud, there are eight.