intelligent

From there , these accounting firms are free to more readily undertake financial health checks and be proactive with their clients , as opposed to being perpetually in compliance response mode . Simply put , they have more time to advise clients on the best way to not just help the company survive but thrive once the lockdown eases . So let them do the work .

A key to growth is analysing your finances and forecasting a few years down the track , and that comes down to collaborating on your accounts . Without that , you ’ re just throwing darts into the wind and hoping to hit a bullseye .

JIM CROOK , SENIOR DIRECTOR OF MARKETING , CTERA

A KEY TO GROWTH IS

ANALYSING YOUR FINANCES AND FORECASTING A FEW YEARS DOWN THE TRACK , AND THAT COMES

DOWN TO COLLABORATING

ON YOUR ACCOUNTS .

To collaborate effectively and grow , SMEs must prioritise the management of their data ; they must ensure it is secure , while enabling users to gain quick access and benefit from the ability to remotely collaborate on files . Global file systems are an increasingly popular way to achieve this .

In a global file system , a ‘ gold ’ or ‘ master ’ copy of the data is stored in the cloud storage , and local caching capabilities provide efficient , remote access from home or branch offices as well as individual devices . The entire system , with both local devices and cloud storage , exists within a single global namespace while all features and access are controlled centrally . As a file system , the solution supports file access protocols such as NFS and SMB , although data is often stored as objects in the cloud to reduce costs .

Global file synchronisation provides consistency across all devices in the system , which is critical for ensuring efficient and effective collaboration for a distributed and remote workforce . Many solutions also provide data protection features such as file versioning and Disaster Recovery .

In this way , global file systems enable SMEs to benefit from the many advantages of the cloud , notably scalability , flexible pay-as-yougo pricing and built-in data resiliency , while increasing performance and lowering costs , providing greater collaboration and flexibility .

There is one hurdle when it comes to public cloud storage however : egress costs .

Nevertheless , global file systems can curb these by leveraging intelligent caching algorithms to determine which data is most likely to be needed and caching it on the local device for future access .

Additionally , this approach offers the high performance of local storage . Costs are further cut by applying data reduction techniques , which decreases the total capacity required , before data is stored it in the cloud .

The benefits of global file systems do not end here : this architecture in fact also provides SMEs with multi-cloud abilities , enabling them to avoid vendor lock-in commonly enforced by cloud providers . This flexibility is important for SMEs as they expand so they can ensure they can use the most suitable cloud for each new or existing workload .

Enabling secure and rapid access to data and the ability to collaborate on files from any location is critical for the success of SMEs . An effective data management and storage strategy is an essential foundation to allow this growth .

ALEXIS ANDREIEFF , SENIOR REGIONAL VICE PRESIDENT – SMB , MEDITERRANEAN , MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA , SALESFORCE

The past 18 months have accelerated a number of innovations from SMB owners to digitise . Salesforce ’ s annual Small Business Trends report found that 75 % of SMBs globally believe shifts they ’ ve made to business