As a small business grows, so does the amount of information it needs to store and access and the money to handle all that data storage and upkeep increases too. A business advance can help with the costs, but newer trends can help with the storage dilemma. Time was when all the data could be stored on a hard disk, but times change.  It is estimated that there is a 50 to 70 percent annual growth in storage for small businesses. What options does a small business have to find simple and affordable storage for 2011?

1.  Consolidated Storage

Computing doesn’t require that all the usable resources are in one physical location. The cloud is a conglomeration of resources that may exist in entirely different locations but which are treated as a single unit.  Cloud space is commonly purchased by a monthly subscription based on the amount of memory, processor or disk space the company needs.  Another option is to purchase a just one needed service, like online backup, to having older data archived instead of buying storage with multiple features.

Many small businesses look at the cloud as a way of decreasing their IT budget, since they outsource a particular service requirement. When you use cloud computing there are no upfront capital expenses to build a new storage facility. There is no backup software licenses that have to be tracked and paid for yearly. The complexity and risk of electronic data storage is outsourced to the company hosting the cloud server.

In some ways a precursor to the cloud, virtualization does for a single machine what the cloud does for many.  A virtual file server can be created on a desktop, a sort of ghost machine that doesn’t exist in the real world but which the system treats as real. Virtualization is another trend that is on the upswing.

2.  Increased User-Friendliness

Early adopters of new methods of data storage tend to be tech-savvy and are big enough firms to have the IT crew to handle the latest equipment. At some point vendors turn their attention to smaller businesses and recognize the need to adapt or even redesign their product for a different class of buyer.  That means that a general IT person ought to be able to effectively use storage tools designed for small business.  This is the person who is already handling a bundle of IT tasks in the office, such as backup, networking and troubleshooting. In this way, small businesses are not specifically hiring high-level IT employees because the need isn’t there due to the outsourcing and newer platforms.

3. Blended Systems

Sometimes the best choice is not to choose.  If more than one storage method has appealing qualities and you have the know-how to use most systems in your price range, consider combining approaches. It is not important to go with a proprietary system anymore as a good system can be set up with multiple packages, sometimes hosted by different companies. Consult a system integrator to develop the optimum blend of virtualization and networked storage plus hardware packed with set-it-and-forget-it features.  The major benefit to this approach is that uniting networking and storage can reduce the number of systems needed and your IT generalist can maintain and operate the equipment without adding another layer of management.