Debunqed

Category: Business

  • Get more organised digitally!

    Get more organised digitally!

    We often hear the phrase “technology is your friend” To what extent this friendliness is, to help you to cope with your daily activities or business plans depends on how you embrace it.

    Life can be chaotic. Which so much to do it is easy to frequently miss important appointments. Delays often come from having to wait till you get to a PC to respond or not remembering contact details. The worst is having to ask someone repeatedly for their number or business cards.


    If you often experience that, you are getting it all wrong and definitely need this friend!

    The need for emails

    Emails are on a progressive, disruptive path to eliminate postal services. They even facilitate and encourage the acceptance of digitally signed documents.
    Most financial companies and legal institutions in many developed countries already accept digitally signed documents.

    Your digital signature confirms that the information originated from you and has not been altered through encryption. This makes it legally binding.

    Naturally, you need special software or Adobe Sign, to digitally sign and attach as a PDF to an email.

    N26_banner-160x600-EN

    Thanks to emails, we can now also easily store and get in touch with our contacts. It could be in the office, lounging around a park, watching your children play; even onboard/at the underground train station.

    Additional email tools

    Calendar and contacts syncing is a simple tool which is not offered entirely by all domain host providers. It works wonders along with your calendar and scheduler.


    If you need a simple CRM tool to just help with email contacts and plug into an existing sales app, you can do so with a useful add-on like Outlook Customer Manager.


    There are certainly advantages of decluttering your emails. This helps to alleviate the frustration of unimportant mails getting in the way of the ones you need to access frequently. For that, there is a clutter service offered by Office 365.


    Additionally, to avoid retaining important attachments, and clogging up space on your mailbox, you can with a click, save large file attachments directly to your cloud storage.


    With all that relevance of emails, it is critical that you source the best one – even if it costs a bit more than the (free) webmail services provided by Outlook (Hotmail), Gmail and Yahoo.


    Naturally, with a paid service, you will almost be freed from the scourge of spam and malicious items embedded in documents. In some cases, they are screened even before landing in your mailbox.

    More advanced features


    Other perks like a ‘catch-all service’, data loss prevention, in place-hold (compliance features), and advanced threat protection. You can add them as essential services to give you an even more peaceful emailing experience.


    You can, for instance, use In-Place Hold (Litigation Hold) to place user mailboxes ‘on hold’ and preserve mailbox items permanently.

    This feature is especially crucial for those in the financial and legal sectors – requiring emails and its contents to be preserved for a minimum of seven years typically. Security is the central factor that has kept the postal service in business – well at least for now.

    Your checklist when shopping for a good email solution:

    • A decent-sized mailbox – with archiving ability – 50GB is the new standard size (don’t get short-changed!).


    • Should allow you to sync emails, calendars, and contacts onto multiple devices – and it must always work!


    • SMTP is now the standard and preferred Email protocol. If you are still on POP3 or even IMAP – run away!


    • Customizable domain (a .com or .net or any other you have bought), with the option to add more domains and email aliases. (info@ …sales@ etc).


    • Sync to an active directory – to keep your user-profile and allow for ease of single sign-on or extra security features like two-factor authentication. (Prevents unauthorized people from accessing your emails by pairing to your phone via an SMS code).


    • Your mailbox (since you are storing contact details or using it along with a CRM or ERP solution) must be GDPR-compatible.

    Final thoughts

    Finally, a good email hosting service should provide the ability to add innovative features in the future. These include extra archiving space, advanced threat protection, and enterprise voicemail. These are characteristics of a good email solution.

    Preparing to use an email solution can be effortless if you have the time. Most software suppliers like Microsoft (Office 365), have support sites with primary training material and “how-tos”.

    Check out Microsoft’s Support page to upskill your Office, email, and overall cloud-software aptitude.

  • Vocations of the Future

    Vocations of the Future

    There is a lot of banter, which is backed up by well-research papers on how Automation and Robotics (powered by AI) will replace manufacturing jobs.

    Blue-collar jobs are not the only ones however, that face imminent and progressive extinction.

    A recent survey report conducted by the World Economic Forum predicts futuristic trends affecting certain jobs in the modern workplace.

    Robert Solow predicted decades ago, in his Solow-Swan model, a massive driving force of global growth: technology.

    And the evidence is prevalent with the likes of Apple, Google, and Amazon championing stock markets with Billion-dollar market capitalizations. They also create an abundance of jobs globally.

    250x250

    Disruptive technological advances such as AI (Artificial Intelligence); the ubiquitous high-speed mobile Internet (5G); widespread adoption of big data analytics; cloud technology; and the recent Blockchain technology will be the drivers of this job evolution.

    Based on the report, by 2022, this job evolution will be firmly in place as it has already.

    In a matter of just 4 years, we could have a situation where jobs such as postal service clerks, data entry clerks, and bean-counters (accountants and auditors) would be made redundant.

    Impact on services

    Software like Microsoft’s Dynamics 365, aims to remove ‘silos’ within customer relationship management (CRM) and enterprise resource planning (ERP) processes.

    The latter takes over (fully automates) back-office operations such as stock-taking and supply chain management.

    Such tasks will be performed via software, reducing the need for more human supervision. Consequently, the focus would be more on managerial roles.

    In the sales and customer service realm, technologies like Microsoft’s AI will provide automated insights to guide employees on improving customer experiences.

    Furthermore, it may lower support costs by using virtual agents or Chatbots to eliminate in-house AI experts and those writing code. This will  result in more redundancies!

    World's jobs

    On a positive note, newer and more exciting jobs such as data analysts, machine learning and AI specialists, digital transformation experts and in general information system services will be on the rise – up to 135 million globally, according to the Report.

    The fields to benefit directly from new technologies would be information technology; information security; innovation; customer services and risk management (financial services).

    Impact on finance

    Another group of professionals whose nature of work will be affected due to the advent of ‘disruptive technology‘ is financial middlemen. Likewise, smaller banks and money transfer institutions.

    Decentralized systems were primarily put in place to eradicate exorbitant fees associated with transferring money across borders.

    Cutting them out completely undoubtedly renders them redundant. It is therefore pertinent for them to innovate their products in order to open up sufficient job position.

    Read more about the effect of Cryptocurrencies on the banking sector here

    Recently, Malta’s finance minister whilst in a private interview during a Blockchain Conference, echoed this. He said that the advent of cryptocurrency has changed financial middlemen into traditional “photo developers”.

    “I can see this, just like in photography when you could tell that […] those who process the photos will lose their jobs; a lot of financial intermediaries will be facing the chop in the not too distant future,” says Edward Scicluna.

    The good news for governments will be that the trend shows that the jobs created will surpass those lost.

    Be proactive and skill yourself accordingly or get the right personnel who can quickly adopt some of the mentioned skills so that you do not fall behind!

  • Anonymous Surfing

    Anonymous Surfing

    You don’t have to be an online arsonist, hacker, or international cyber-terrorist to hide your online identity. Likewise, concealing your PC’s web address or your Internet Protocol address (IP address), making it unknown to the public, does not necessarily mean you are up to no good online.


    We will, therefore,  build a case for why it is important at times to conceal your private online location using VPNs (Virtual Private Networks).


    A VPN is a connection method used to add security and privacy to your private and public networks. This includes your Wi-fi Hotspots and access to the Internet. They are most often used by corporations to protect sensitive data but now also by people like yourselves for the same purpose.

    VPN-Protect-you

    Click on the image to view a quick video


    Let’s get back to the importance of your IP address. It is probably something you rarely think about but is crucial to your online lifestyle even as an individual. How so? You might still ask.


    Well, without an IP address, you wouldn’t be able to get the current weather, check the latest news, or view videos (streaming) online for instance.

    The uses of VPNs

    Your IP is also used to access every online service you partake in including very private things like your internet/mobile banking or online trading activity.  Think of it as your physical address and how important it is when getting things delivered by post or using it when you need to make applications for loans, jobs, etc.

    “Without a public IP address, online service providers like Netflix, BBC, or Amazon wouldn’t know where to send the information you asked for. They wouldn’t be able to get it to your computer.”


    Imagine how naked you must feel if you have nothing to protect this address from the advent of a hack without adequate data encryption.  Also the just the haggling by overzealous online marketers, spam, malware, and even ‘419 scammers’!


    Now the argument for whether using VPNs is illegal is highly debatable for some of the valid reasons highlighted above. It should, however, be a given right to be able to use it. And even though it is commonly used by cyber-thugs to mask their clandestine and often dark activities, it should not be outlawed altogether.

    The case for VPN

    The legitimacy of VPNs debate, therefore, carries on into a grey area.
    We will, however, investigate a few VPN providers that are ‘paid for services’ and even offered by established companies such as AVG (which primarily offers Antivirus protection).


    The directive is to help the everyday consumer surf the web without ‘virtual’ salespeople bombarding them with offers based on personal information gathered in an ‘unsolicited’ manner.


    Policies like the European-based GDPR law were put in place to protect consumers from the non-consensus use of their data. Even your Internet Service Providers (ISPs) can track your online activities via your IP and sell your browsing habits.


    Some forward-thinking people and companies, however, have long been shielding themselves manually using VPNs.


    One direct benefit for you as a consumer is the ability to access content (information, products, and services) from different servers. A good VPN service can enable you to obtain access to other geo-locational content despite being on a different continent.

    It is perfectly legal provided you are paying for the service. The burden falls on the provider of the service and not you if it came down to a legal “scrap”.

    Rationale for using them

    If you perform these tasks frequently, you need a VPN:

    • Hide your IP address (to enable anonymity from marketers and hackers)
    • Change your IP address (to avoid identity theft)
    • Encrypt data transfers (private and financial data)
    • Mask your location (to access other services)
    • Access blocked websites
    250x250

    A word of caution when navigating websites blocked by governments with a VPN. Unless you are a high-profile journalist working on a case and backed by good legal aid – it’s not a wise thing to do.
    Do some research if you are not sure because accessing such sites could land you in some hot water. Rather use a known privacy service like Tor to ensure full anonymity to gain access to restricted sites if you really must.

    Top Virtual Private Network Protocols

    VPN protocols and available security features are numerous. The most common (best) protocols are:
    ExpressVPN – the acclaimed best offshore VPN for privacy and unblocking.
    IPVanish – great for P2P and Torrenting.
    VyprVPN – the best choice for those looking for security.
    NordVPN – security is its middle name.
    TunnelBear – dubbed the easiest VPN to use.
    Windscribe – a VPN which gives you unlimited connections.
    Hotspot Shield – an awesome solution for online browsing.
    KeepSolid VPN Unlimited – the jack of all trades of VPNs.
    CyberGhost – rich clients and ease of reconfiguring.
    ZenMate – user-friendly VPN that caters to the newbies to VPN.
    PureVPN – take advantage of easy to use apps and access to many servers.

    Source: www.itproportal.com, PureVpn

    Making the choice

    Picking a VPN service can be a daunting task as there are now literally hundreds of them to choose from. Landing the right one means striking the right balance between what you are offered, the ease of use, and naturally, the price.

    Some providers offer free you VPN services while some like AVG charges for their VPN service. Paid VPN providers, however, are preferred to the free service providers as they offer robust gateways, proven security, additional free software, and unmatched speed.

    The key is to find the best VPN that meets your immediate needs while matching your budget.

  • Accountable Supervision

    Accountable Supervision

    Leadership values are not only confined to the running of a political campaign, party, or country for that matter, however, like in any venture that has an objective and deals with human beings – it forms the backbone of a successful business.

    Consequently, what leaders such as CEO of Tesla Elon Musk, for example, say or does, have a positive or, in the recent unfortunate case, a negative impact on the shareholdings of his business.


    The share price can decline sharply and worse yet, it can lead to the exit of senior staff members and thus undermining the business, its leadership values, and objectives.


    This why it is critical for companies to adopt the right practices and responsible leadership to enable them to address both internal and external issues affecting them.


    This is even most relevant when dealing with a company that has a multinational operational facet such as the Murray and Roberts Group – a South African company that operates in a global setting.


    This specific multinational company was used in a case study for a research paper because it is firmly entrenched in the construction and engineering industry.


    More specifically, they service the global natural resources market sectors of underground mining; Oil & Gas; Power & Energy.
    Such a diverse set of operations requires a varied set of objectives spearheaded by a solid leadership path.

    A new model of leadership

    We have covered the topic of Emotional Intelligence before. It now surfaces again within a brand-new leadership model known as the ARCHES model.
    The name derives from a key characteristic of the physical structure of an arch and its durability.

    Coupled with its diversity in models and materials and its depiction as symbols of triumph, it represents an apt analogy of what responsible and effective leadership should be.


    The model was especially derived by an academic* for a syndicate group assignment and is based on six key characteristics that should be imparted in a leader.


    An effective and responsible leader is one who is attuned to their followers, responsive, possesses the necessary competencies, serves with humility, is ethical and adopts a sustainable approach to leadership.

    A leader who possesses all these attributes is one who can rise above adversity and lead their followers in a way that promotes innovation, motivates, develops skills, promotes personal growth, and encourages improved performance.

    B.Moyo

    Application of the model

    ARCHES

    The model defines attuned leadership as the act of being self-aware, informed, and aware of the environment in which you exist – servant leadership.


    Employees should be encouraged to take responsibility for their actions because responsibility and effectiveness are complimentary. The demise of US energy company Enron, for example, was due to a failure of management to execute communication-based responsibility, internally and externally.

    A volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous environment in which a business operates can result in many potential projects not coming to fruition.


    In such an environment, leaders that are attuned, responsive, and possess the right competencies can expert power as their way to influence followers to exhibit the same traits.


    Referent power develops out of admiration of another and a desire to be like them. Expert power, on the other hand, is a person’s ability to influence others’ behaviour because of recognized knowledge, skills, or abilities.
    This requires the leader to have a tolerable level of humility.

    This is defined as a personal quality reflecting the willingness to understand the self (identities, strengths, and limitations). That combined with a purpose in the self’s relationship with others.


    Once again, the emphasis on Emotional Intelligence coupled with traditional leadership competencies is needed to steer multifaceted companies.

    Even more so when dealing with diverse cultures and work ethics across borders and continents.

    Direct consequences

    Being the largest employer in the locality directly implied that Murray and Roberts had to be consistent with the idiomatic Zulu expression of “Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu”. This means: I am because you are, you are because we are.
    Good leadership in the Ubuntu philosophy is based on the engagement with communities and defines a well-led organization.


    Not paying attention to ethical issues surrounding a community or the environment can have an adverse effect on your values. This would also affect your staff and the image of the company you steer.


    A bitter consequence of the failure of ethics was evident in the $4.2m (64.1 million ZAR) fine to the said company. This was for its involvement in sector collusion related to construction projects for the 2010 World Cup.

    Concluding remarks

    Finally, a practical leader will also consider any upcoming projects with the lens of understanding the environment that surrounds them to incorporate the concept of sustainability.


    These traits might sound like they need to be learned but most should be already ingrained or come naturally to you or your leaders.

    If not this is not the case, you need to quickly install the right personnel with such to help steer your business enterprise or economy for that matter, to success.

    *This blog post contains excerpts and is derived from a master’s research paper. It was conducted by Bonnie Moyo for the Rhodes University Business School.

  • Modern-day Profit Hunters

    Modern-day Profit Hunters

    Dealing with Cryptocurrency has its interesting dynamics. There are, however, many hidden facets making it still a mystery to the masses. Not knowing about it makes you prone to, get rich-schemes or outright scams.

    We are all by now aware of the mania caused by the soaring prices and then, the subsequent decline that followed early this year.

    What we don’t pay attention to, however, is just how complex it is to physically “acquire” and store these Cryptocurrencies.

    Mining coins can be described very basically as the process where users “or miners” become part of a Cryptocurrency network. This by making hardware (processors & graphics cards) available to support that specific network’s operations.

    As a miner, you contribute towards the working of the Blockchain. The technology requires millions of calculations to validate transactions into what are known as public ledgers.

    Click here for more about how the Blockchain works.

    There are three main ways to mine these coins but we will not be highlighting them in this post. The matter to be covered here, however, is the business aspect: how the Blockchain has created a new line of commercial entities and ‘profit-takers’.

    These modern tech “enterprises” offer you a specific or cluster of altcoins and tokens as a reward for helping them maintain their Blockchain.

    Sounds like a win-win situation right?  Or is it?

    Mining is hard

    If you have actually looked into the methods of mining, you will discover that only those with high-end hardware are able to produce enough energy to power the Blockchain. This is called “hash power” or “hash rate”. This is kind of like horsepower for cars, but for PC processing.

    There are sites that illustrate how to calculate potential profits such as one conveniently called ‘what to mine’.

    The opportunity cost of operating the customized computer systems (known as Mining Rigs), will have to be offset with the cost of acquiring hardware such as the Antminer S9i. Then there are energy costs associated with running the rigs for long periods of time.

    Your profit would, therefore, be the balance of the costs versus the revenue involved in mining coins.

    The mining profit = revenue (quantity multiplied by the price of the coin in local fiat currency). Then subtract the cost of the mining devices + annual electricity costs (measured in local currency per KWh).

    The problem with going at it alone is that it is very hard to break even. You are also faced with a conundrum:  the more powerful your hardware is, the more electricity it consumes.


    It also takes a lot longer to acquire the coins which you are awarded by the respective blockchain network after successful hashing is completed.

    To make it worth your while you would hope that the coin you mine’s market value exceeds the costs of the monthly/annual electricity bill.

    Value proposition

    There a now hundreds of these so-called Crypto/Tech companies spurting up by the day. Their modus operandi: to relieve you of the burden of the high electricity and hardware costs. This in exchange a monthly or once-off fee.

    In return, they promise to mine coins and provide you with daily or monthly profits. They can do this because they presumably have more powerful mining setups and therefore, larger economies of scale.

    Some of these establishments use big rooms, whole buildings or even warehouses to run thousands of mining rigs throughout the year.

    The payments you make supposedly help them with maintenance costs and pay for the said electricity bills. They are also usually stationed in countries where the cost of electricity is very low.

    MiningCosts

    You are likely to, however, run the risk of dealing with the occasional Ponzi-scheme – setup.  Such companies dive at the opportunity to swindle those not familiar with Blockchain and Cryptocurrencies.

    By dazzling you with the price increases and potential astronomical returns, they take your money and make a run for it!

    You can also ponder, it is incredibly difficult and expensive to mine Bitcoin these days. If these setups are actually just people who have already made their millions from acquiring Cryptocurrency.

    The acquisition naturally, would have been when they were dirt cheap, and are now offering the residue to make more profit off unknowing investors.

     

    A working example

    How it would work is: let’s say you owned 100 Bitcoins mined in 2010 for the opportunity cost of $100 each (cost of electricity).  You then sold half at the height of the Crypto ‘bull-run’ in January 2018 when they were worth $19 000 each.  You would have been $945 000 richer.

    So, with almost a million bucks in the kitty and another 50 units of coins (which would be now worth a lot less); the natural inclination would be to look at ways to make the extra coins ‘work for you’.

    And what better way than to be your own boss and head a Crypto company! You can with your new setup, sell off the residue of Crypto coins in bits for profits in cash.

    This is likely what some of these companies offering you coins for an opportunity to get Bitcoins. This under the false pretence of partaking in a ‘mining operation’. Meanwhile,  in reality, the actual mining probably took place almost a decade ago!

    All in all, do stay alert and do your research before parting with your money to join a mining pool or Crypto investment scheme!

  • Financing your Small Business

    Financing your Small Business

    When considering small business financing, it is important to understand all your available options. If not, investors can easily take advantage of you and offer unfair terms.

    So before raising any money, find out if using equity, debt, or convertible debt financing makes the most sense for you to grow your business.

    Equity

    Raising capital through equity is popular, if not the most popular choice, for entrepreneurs to pursue. Investors buy stock (or shares) in your company, giving them a financial stake in the future success of your business.

    How It Works:

    • You set a specific Dollar/Euro amount for what your company is worth.
    • Based on that valuation, investors agree to give you money in exchange for a certain percentage of your company.
    • Investors receive compensation based on the percent of stock/share they own once you sell the company or go public.

    Pros:

    • All your cash can go toward your business rather than loan repayments.
    • Investors take on some risk and don’t have to be paid back until you’re doing well.
    • Investors often have valuable business experience.
    • Since investors have a financial stake in the success of your business, they are motivated to offer sound guidance and valuable business connections.

    Cons:

    • Selling shares of your company will make it very difficult to get them back.
    • You will also most likely lose control of part of your board to your investors.

    Debt

    Debt-based fundraising is the form of small business financing that most small businesses end up choosing, according to Fundable. It is also the easiest to understand. Money is loaned to you with the agreement you’ll repay it over time with an established interest rate.

    Get a quick loan for your business here: N26_banner-320x50-EN

     

     

    How It Works:

    • You borrow money with an agreement to pay it back with interest within a specific time frame.
    • You will also have to offer your lender some form of collateral, which are liquid assets you will give up if you cannot make your loan payments.

    Pros:

    • You will raise capital much quicker than with equity small business financing. This is especially true of smaller cash amounts.
    • You can keep 100 percent ownership of your company, along with 100 percent of its profits.
    • Interest payments are tax-deductible.

    Cons:

    • You must be completely confident you can make your loan payments in cash each month. If you don’t, lenders can make you sell your business in order to get their money back.
    • Interest payments can become one of your largest business expenses.
    • Commercial lenders will demand small business owners to personally guarantee the loan and offer personal assets as collateral. This even if your company is structured as a corporation or limited liability company, according to Forbes.

    Convertible Debt

    A convertible debt small business financing structure is a mix of debt and equity financing. The money raised is considered a loan, but at some future date, the loan can convert to equity if the lenders so choose.

    How It Works:

    • You will negotiate an interest rate to pay back the loan. This will also be the interest rate for those lenders who decide not to convert any debt into stock.
    • The details concerning how lenders can convert the debt into equity are negotiated at the time of the loan. For the most part, that means agreeing to give lenders a discount or warrant on an upcoming round of equity fundraising.
    • You will also set the valuation cap, or maximum company valuation, at which lenders can convert debt into equity. If investors decide not to trade in their loan for shares at this predetermined valuation level, they can no longer do so at a future date.

    Pros:

    • Transaction costs are low and the process moves quickly.
    • If you don’t want to set a company valuation, which involves a lot of uncertainty and risks for new startups, a convertible debt structure for small business financing makes a lot of sense, according to Covestor CEO Asheesh Advani.
    • Using convertible debt protects investors from dilution in future financing rounds.

    Cons:

    • Investors are uneasy about giving money without knowing the exact share of a company they will own. You might have to offer steep discounts on equity in order to get them to agree to the terms.
    • You may be forced to set a valuation before you are ready in order to avoid unaffordable loan repayment expenses.

    In the end, it’s best you make your final choice, based on which of the mentioned options works best for you, not just now, but in the immediate future.

    Read more: about other investment methods.

    This article was originally Written by Alex Liu and published on UpCounsel

    UpCounsel is an interactive online service that makes it faster and easier for businesses to find and hire legal help solely based on their preferences.
  • Cloud (Storage) Wars!

    Cloud (Storage) Wars!

    The term “storage wars” has taken on a new meaning. It has shifted literally from the ability to keep one’s belongings in physical containers to having one’s data stored and managed in the digital realm.

    A question often asked is whether the (Internet) cloud is infinite. The answer is both a yes and no.

    The top four cloud tech companies are endlessly engaged in a silent market share war. It is a tough choice as they all offer millions of gigabytes in storage. We can only attempt to investigate to what extent is there an abundance of storage when we ‘run out’.


    The “Cloud” as explained in our previous blog, is a series of backed-up servers scattered across the globe.

    Consequently,  in terms of availability of storage, it is just a matter of where (location) a datacenter can be run and at what its maintenance costs are.
    The answer to how infinite is the cloud, therefore, boils down literally to a cost, rather than a capacity issue for cloud-storage providers (CSPs).

    The main CSPs vying for a market share in the paid cloud storage subscriptions are Google, Microsoft (Azure), Amazon, and IBM.

    There are also smaller yet significant players such as Box, Dropbox, Tresorit, and Barracuda.  A quick online search on their websites will reveal what they can offer you.


    Similarly, the pages of any one of the smaller companies will give some comparisons of each cloud storage offer (bundles).


    We will, however, focus on the major ‘players’ and summarize their offerings based on offers for both individuals and small to large enterprises.

    What to look out for
    stacking-up-cloud-vendors-2018-right-scale-2

    Some of the key features to look for when storing data in the cloud include Encryption at rest and in transit, as well as end-to-end encryption; 2-Step Verification, HIPAA Compliance.


    Other factors to consider are the actual server location, ability to sync any folders, and perform selective Synchronization.


    There are also key offerings such as offering the ability to edit files on mobile devices. For businesses, the ability to remotely wipe mobile devices, perform file-versioning, and other useful features for data management.

    As a business, if the above-mentioned features are not in your cloud solution, you better look into switching away.


    While you can technically run your own cloud, it would require a full-on IT team. That or a very good support system to assist in its maintenance and administration.


    It is for this very reason that a SaaS(and Hybrid)-approach to storage is preferred by many medium to large enterprises.

    4 of the most popular CSPs 

    Google

    Weaponry: 

    A standard (personal) GoogleDrive starts from 15 GB in size and comes when you open a Google email account. This is a standard with most Android-powered mobile phones which require a Gmail account to register the phone.

    It is a convenient way to store and access your pics, videos, and files across multiple devices or back them up in case of a hard drive crash.
    If you do not mind the inconvenience of having several logins, you could get away with multiple drives giving you 15 GBs each.


    There is, however, a drawback as there is no such a thing as a free lunch – the level of security and compliance features naturally are little to almost none.  Additional storage can also be purchased with different upgrade plans, which may come with more  add=ons such as extra file encryption.


    When it comes to their business offering, their Team Drive is available with the G-Suite bundle. One can upload 750 GB of data per day and up to a total of 5 TB in size.  Team Drive can contain a maximum of 100,000 files and folders, however, this limit can be increased upon request.


    The basic package including the more advanced security costs $5 per user per month and gives you 30 GB for storage and collaboration.

    A full comparison of available storage plans 

    Tactical strengths:

    The ease of accessing and using the drives via strategic partnerships such as Android provides them with a growing market share.   As it is cloud-based and not linked to physical devices,  you can access your GoogleDrive using a Mac computer as well.


    There are growing talks of incorporating Artificial Intelligence <AI> into the data management systems. They are currently building a full AI Center in Accra, Ghana. This will help bigger companies manage, access, and organize their stored information faster and with more purpose.


    They have recently launched a set of new cloud storage tiers under the branding Google One. This comes with revised pricing and storage options: 15 GB: remains Free; 100 GB costs $1.99/month; 200 GB $2.99/month  and 2 TB $9.99/month.

    Potential weakness/es:

    Google is a latecomer when it comes to offering business solutions and still battles with the stigma of being a free service and thus associated with inferior quality.


    The integration with Office applications is still something they struggle to get right. Not many are fans of  Googlesheets.


    Most non-Microsoft platforms will have this compatibility problem.
    They also run into a few data syncing problems ever so often, especially with the free storage. Google offers full 24/7 customer and technical support with their products. More aggressive advertising and pricing of their business offerings now serves to hopefully alleviate this issue for them.


    How Google bounces back from a hefty  EUR 4,34 billion fine for colluding with Android will determine if they survive the storage war. This especially if they will be now forced to allow other CSPs to offer services on mobile devices.

    Amazon

    Weaponry:

    One of the first cloud solution providers to offer eCommerce and Business-to-Business (B2B) offerings. Amazon and its Amazon Web Services (AWS) have come a long and calculated way from just offering/selling books online.


    They are actually seen as a formal threat and a direct (more superior) competitor to Microsoft’s cloud (equivalent) offering –  which we touch on next.
    Most of this comes from a robust and apparently the world’s largest global cloud infrastructure.


    Based on this, its cloud storage, dubbed Amazon S3, works on a “pay as you use” basis while its free tier starts you off on 5GB of storage. Thereafter you pay in increments based on the storage class you fall under.


    So the first 50 TB will cost  $0.023 per GB per month and then the next 450 TB will cost $0.022 per GB per month and so on.
    This is practical for businesses that do not have a limit to storage space but scale up and down very quickly based on their operations.

    Tactical strengths:

    Amazon’s storage platform gives users and businesses alike the ability to geographically store and move data with the highest levels of encryption. In addition, one can use data analytics on your data without moving the data into a separate analytics system.


    Amazon Athena additionally provides anyone who knows SQL on-demand query access to vast amounts of unstructured data. As with Google, AI incorporation along with Alexa would facilitate this even further.


    Other notable benefits offered include open workflows, Hybrid-cloud storage capability, powerful APIs, and easy and reliable access to many Third-Party vendors & Partners.


    Naturally, you get access to its AWS Marketplaces. It also has a strong compliance adherence including HIPAA/HITECH, EU Data Protection Directive, and FISMA.

    Comparison of the various storage classes available.

    Potential weakness/es:

    Its primary offering of consumer goods and online delivery will make it prone to any bad press received if that arm of operations does not work well.


    Further expansion into areas like streaming TV via Amazon Prime and cashless stores might result in a jack of all trades expert in none phenomenon. They are, nevertheless, handling all well so far.

    Microsoft

    Weaponry:

    The “go-to” tech company for word-processing software as well as operating systems. This software giant like Amazon is branching into many products.


    They now offer games, server hosting software, applications, an online store for all its devices, software, services, and of course, storage.
    Its Azure platform powers certain parts of Nasa and utility giant Schneider Electric to mention a few clients. Its purchase works similarly to Amazon via ‘pay-as-you-use’ terms.


    Storage users need to have a .Net Framework and SQL installed to use the storage. For those looking for quick storing solutions without building heavy infrastructure, they can adopt the cloud completely.


    With the launch of its online services (Microsoft 365), it has had to repackage a portion of its Azure platform to cater to small to mid-sized businesses.


    These include functional/specific bundles such as OneDrive (personal), OneDrive for Business, and Sharepoint (powerful storage and content management tool).


    The online version of the Sharepoint starts at $5.00 per user per month for a rather limited 1 TB per organization. Thereafter, users can purchase more in 1 GB increments of 12 to 16 (US) cents depending on the total (storage space) size ordered.

    Tactical strengths: 

    Also early adopters of AI (Machine Learning) and recently, the Blockchain (Blockchain Workbench), Microsoft is providing its developers with more and better reasons to use its storage space for practicality.
    Like their online storage offers on Office 365, Azure storage packages are also quite structured and well categorised.


    There are specific functions such as a database server-data management system. Then there is one for application running services, and others to handle rest-based object storage (Blob Storage).
    Lastly, they offer storage to help perform computations and process events (Functions).
    These bundles are all provided free for the first 12 months and then range from $0.002 per GB to about US 0.20c per million executions.


    They have a good Partner system to help distinguish and provide support for the best storage package based on one’s immediate needs.


    To bolster their growing Marketplace, they recently also purchased a business that deals with OpenSource (GitHub).  This enables more freedom for developers to manipulate the software on their platform.

    For a comparison of the storage types via Azure and pricing for each, click here.

    Potential weakness/es:

    People have found its pricing a little to steep on the storage side and so keeping market share will be tough.  Many new smaller CSPs offering cheaper per GB rates.


    They can only counter this by offering more products that require their storage (compatibility-wise).
    Some other cumbersome restrictions like users being only able to upload 20 000 files at once or the actual file-size limit might not bode too well with heavy cloud data users.


    They also don’t have as many APIs as Google or Amazon does, but these are growing by the day.

    IBM

    Weaponry:

    Probably the first of the CSP batch that provided cloud computing. It therefore has had the experience of honing ways of storing and retrieving data for larger businesses. International Business Machines (or IBM) can be considered as the grandfather of data storage.


    As with the other CSPs, there is a free offering called the “Lite plan” consisting of a single IBM Cloud service instance with storage up to 25 GB/month.
    Paid storage is staggered, per consumption and based on complex costing tiers based on location, storage class, and resiliency choice.


    Storage charges start from $0.09 for up to 50 GB down to $0.014 for 500+ TB on what they call the Cross-Region Flex plan.

    For more insight into the complex costing table, visit the IBM storage pricing page here.

    Tactical strengths:

    Their security is their biggest pride and strength and makes them a firm favourite for large companies and potentially governmental institutions.
    The fact that they do not actively advertise as much as Google or Microsoft is telling. They clearly need to provide high secrecy and protection for their existing clients.


    One such feature unique to the way data is stored on their cloud servers is using Information Dispersal Algorithms (IDAs). This helps to separate data in unrecognizable “slices” that are distributed across datacenters.


    So basically the complete copy of the data resides in any single storage node, and only a subset of nodes are available in order to fully retrieve the data on the network. This is similar to how peer-to-peer sharing or data encryption works.


    And speaking of heavy encryption, they have allegedly recently also started on the Blockchain and are experimenting with a particular Cryptocurrency to enable ease of payments. This in the light of IBM with its Watson platform looking to become more of a cloud-based data operating system.

    Potential weakness/es:

    IBM relies too much on its reputation as a forerunner for tech and cloud-based computing. It has earned that title for several decades before the likes of Google and Amazon barged in.


    They might lose out on market share once the newer CSPs start to offer more robust products and compliance services like theirs.


    Their high security and complex system come at a premium so designed for or rather restricted to wealthy companies essentially. The hosting option (main server locations) looks limited and restricted to geographical areas primarily in the US and EU.

    250x250

    Be wary of clandestine terminology such as ‘unlimited archiving/storage’ even with a paid subscription. This usually refers to storing data at rest and not the ability to constantly and unlimitedly sync files.


    Another salient factor to compare would be the number of files that you can upload or sync at the same time.
    This will be relevant for larger companies that need to upload large files and by large, we mean 10 GB files (2 and a half HD DVDs’ worth of content) and upwards.

    Making a choice

    At the end of the day, your decision to take on a faction in the storage war should be based on your priorities. You simply match it to what each of the companies is offering taking your budget into consideration of course.


    You may need to consider running a combination of two or more of them.
    Some larger companies offer storage as a “must-have” with hosted email or something as basic as purchasing a new smartphone.


    You will, however, have to ask yourself a few more pressing questions around functionality, data security, and compliance before taking it up.

    Or you can simply not accept the offer or disable it in cases where it is presented as a freebie!
Translate »

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you accept our use of cookies.