To keep the data in electric form is much easier as it does not require physical space. Here are a few ways to keep a safe backup of business data:-

1.  USB flash storage is small gadgets and thus very useful to carry around big business data.

2. A hard drive provides a huge amount of storage, but they can easily break down when not handled properly.

3. Cloud storage is the most recently introduced storage options. It also provides large storage space and doesn’t require high IT knowledge.

4. A solid state drive is a revolutionary technology that offers incredibly high data transfer speeds.

5.A Great option for backing up data is the establishment of a local network. This makes backing up process fast, easy and secure. To use a combination of these solutions is the best way to keep the data safe and secure. To read more follow:-1.     http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/marketing-strategies/keeping-your-data-safe-5-available-storage-solutions-for-your-business-74118

According to a report, it's estimated that by 2016, 36% of all data will be stored in the cloud, with the total spending on cloud computing will amount to $183 billion by the end of this year. Many businesses are moving to software-as-a-service (SaaS) cloud storage as 94% of managers say digital security was improved after transitioning to the cloud, 80% of the businesses on the cloud say it's reduced IT costs, and  52% of companies using cloud applications confess they've led to productivity and thereby increasing efficiency. There are numerous benefits of cloud storage. Read more about the benefits of cloud storage at - http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/inside-erp/cloudy-with-a-chance-of-productivity-top-3-reasons-cloud-storage-will-benefit-your-business-70586

The introduction of Hadoop has changed the outlook of businesses. It is a software system that has made processing large sets of data located on distributed servers an easy task. Hadoop is mainly used for analytical purposes boosting business performances and customer relationship management. It has worked wonders for small businesses as it has incorporated concepts of big data analytics. Data is much more accessible now and the cost of procurement has been drastically reduced. Some convenient features in Hadoop has made it much more attractive for small businesses. Hadoop has made effective use of big data possible to optimize businesses. With its value increasing day by day, more and more companies from various sectors are going in for Hadoop. Read more at: http://www.dataversity.net/an-introduction-to-hadoop-for-small-businesses/

Hadoop works on extracting voluminous unstructured data to interpret business performance, customer relationship management etc. Large business houses are at a distinct advantage in handling big data, but with features like Excel reporting in Hadoop, small businesses can also take advantage. Some salient features are:
1. Hadoop is being used with cloud storage platforms to expand storage capabilities.
2. Third party tools and add-ons help tighten up big data security, as big data security is vital.
3. Allowing big data processing through integration with IT systems.
4. Hadoop allows modifications, to extend functionality and accessibility.

To know more: http://www.business2community.com/big-data/hadoop-keeps-even-small-businesses-loop-big-data-analytics-01257559

The cloud services leader Amazon Web Services (AWS) has been challenged by the big daddy Google by announcing new storage partnerships with a number of companies for data backup (Veritas Technologies Corp./Symantec Corp.), on-premises appliances for data de-duplication (NetApp), encryption and compression (Iron Mountain Inc.), and offline disk storage and Disaster Recovery-as-a-Service (DRaaS) solutions (Geminare Inc.). Google offers an Online Cloud Import service that can be used to migrate petabyte-scale data from other online storage services to Google Cloud Storage, the company said in a white paper about Nearline Storage.Nearline will enable users to easily back up and store limitless amounts of data at a very low cost and access it at any time in a matter of seconds, which has been positioned against the Amazon Glacier storage service.

To know more, please visit the following link:

http://virtualizationreview.com/articles/2015/03/16/google-nearline-storage-challenges-aws.aspx

Cloud data centers are capable of handling higher traffic loads whereas traditional data centers are facing various challenges in terms of confluence of capacity, performance and infrastructure complexity due to the data explosion and rising need for scalability. The traditional incremental approach will no longer offer the scalability to face the challenges that are unavoidable in cloud computing. To overcome the challenges, the transition of data centers involves end-to-end transformation of servers, storage and networks has become a necessity. Cloud data centers support greater degree of standardization, virtualization and automation resulting in high performance and cost optimization. Mid-sized and large data centers are growing considerably attributed to huge cloud storage deployments and build-out of public cloud offerings. Investments are pouring from various vendor segments into the data center markets due to these changes. There is an industry trend where almost all cloud service providers are establishing two or more data centers in high economic and advanced zones near major metropolitan cities. Consequently, cloud data centers are clustering around major internet hubs in the world. Read more at: 

http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/the-enterprise-cloud/cloud-computing-and-the-evolution-of-the-data-center/

An article by Zach Miners, news reporter of IDG news service, spoke about how the cloud storage and file sharing vendor, Dropbox, is expanding its scope beyond photo management and document collaboration. He also mentioned that when Dropbox users work together on a PowerPoint, Excel or Word file, Dropbox will display visual cues to alert them when someone else edits and then syncs the changes. Dropbox also incorporates a chat service in the Microsoft software's interface.

For more information visit http://www.itworld.com/internet/413888/dropbox-diversifies-beyond-storage-photos-collaboration-apps