Cloud storage is a service model where digital data is stored on remote servers managed by a third-party provider and accessed over the internet. This approach eliminates the need for businesses to purchase and manage their own physical storage infrastructure. Instead, they can leverage on-demand, scalable capacity from a provider, often paying only for the resources they consume.
Adopting cloud storage offers significant advantages over traditional on-premises solutions. It allows businesses to streamline operations, reduce overhead, and enhance their data management capabilities, moving from a capital-intensive model to a flexible, operational one.
Cloud storage isn't a one-size-fits-all solution. It's typically offered in several deployment models, each catering to different needs for control, security, and scalability. Organizations can choose the model that best aligns with their operational requirements and data governance policies.
While often used interchangeably, cloud storage and cloud computing serve distinct but related functions in a modern IT strategy.
While cloud providers offer robust security, organizations must address key considerations to protect their data.
The cloud storage market is dominated by three hyperscalers: Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud. These providers lead the industry with vast global infrastructure and a wide range of services. They offer scalable solutions for nearly any use case, from enterprise data lakes to simple backups.
Beyond the big three, other vendors serve specific niches. Services like Dropbox and Box are popular for file synchronization and sharing. Meanwhile, traditional enterprise vendors like IBM and Dell EMC also offer robust cloud solutions.
How secure is my data in the cloud?
Leading providers use robust security like end-to-end encryption and compliance with major regulations. However, security is a shared responsibility; you must still properly configure access controls and manage user permissions to prevent breaches.
What happens if my cloud provider has an outage?
Most providers guarantee high uptime through service-level agreements (SLAs) and have built-in redundancy across multiple data centers. This ensures your data remains accessible and minimizes disruption to your operations during an outage.
Can I switch cloud providers easily?
Migrating between providers can be challenging due to data egress fees, technical complexities, and potential downtime. Planning a multi-cloud or hybrid strategy from the outset can help mitigate vendor lock-in and simplify future transitions.
Funnel optimization is the process of improving each stage of the customer journey to maximize conversions and drive revenue growth.
Trigger marketing uses customer actions or events to automatically send highly relevant, personalized messages at the perfect moment.
Predictive Customer Lifetime Value (pCLV) is a forecast of the total net profit a single customer is expected to generate for your business.
A warm email is a message sent to a prospect with whom you have a pre-existing connection, like a mutual contact or a prior interaction.
An API (Application Programming Interface) is a software intermediary that allows two applications to talk to each other and exchange information.
A complex sale features a long sales cycle, multiple stakeholders, and a high-value transaction, demanding a strategic, consultative approach.
Lead Velocity Rate (LVR) is the growth rate of your qualified leads, measured month-over-month. It's a key indicator of future revenue.
A vertical market is a niche where businesses cater to a specific industry or group of customers with specialized needs, not the mass market.
A needs assessment is the process of identifying the gap between a company's current state and its desired future state.
A value statement is a clear, concise declaration of the unique benefits a company provides to its customers, outlining its core purpose.
An Applicant Tracking System (ATS) is a software application that manages your entire hiring and recruitment process from a single dashboard.
A Marketing Qualified Account (MQA) is a target company that has shown significant engagement, indicating it's ready for the sales team to pursue.
A triggered email is an automated message sent to a user in response to a specific action or event, like signing up or making a purchase.
A sales dashboard is a visual tool that centralizes and displays key sales data, metrics, and KPIs to help teams track performance and goals.
The Challenger Sales Model is a sales approach where reps challenge a customer's thinking by teaching, tailoring, and taking control of the sale.
Feature flags let you remotely control features in your app without new code. This enables safe testing, gradual rollouts, and quick rollbacks.
A payment gateway is a service that authorizes and processes payments for businesses, acting as a secure link between the customer and the merchant.
“End of Quarter” (EOQ) refers to the final weeks of a business quarter when sales teams rush to meet quotas, often leading to a flurry of deals.
Siloed describes the isolation of data, teams, or systems within a company, which blocks collaboration and creates operational bottlenecks.
Warm outreach is contacting prospects with whom you have a pre-existing connection, like a mutual contact, making your message more personal and effective.
Scrum is an agile framework that helps teams structure and manage their work through a set of values, principles, and practices.
Stress testing is a type of software testing that determines a system's robustness by pushing it beyond its normal operational capacity.
Account match rate is the percentage of target accounts successfully identified and matched against a specific database or data provider.
Contact discovery is the process of finding accurate contact details for potential leads, including names, emails, phone numbers, and job titles.
Chatbots are AI-powered programs that simulate human conversation. They interact with users via text or voice, typically for customer support.
Account-Based Sales Development (ABSD) is a focused strategy where SDRs target key stakeholders within specific, high-value accounts.
A sandbox is an isolated testing environment where new or untrusted code can be run safely without affecting the host device or network.
Cold emailing is sending unsolicited emails to potential customers you haven't contacted before, aiming to start a business conversation.
Programmatic advertising uses AI and real-time bidding to automate the buying and selling of digital ad space, targeting specific audiences.
Sales operations analytics is the practice of analyzing sales data to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the entire sales process.
A sales call is a real-time conversation between a salesperson and a prospect, aiming to persuade them to purchase a product or service.
Low-hanging fruit are the most obvious and easy-to-tackle tasks or goals that provide a quick, valuable return for minimal effort.
Data hygiene is the practice of ensuring your customer data is clean, accurate, and up-to-date by removing duplicates and correcting errors.
A Digital Sales Room is a private online space where sellers share all relevant content with buyers to streamline the sales cycle.
Dark social is the sharing of content through private channels like messaging apps or email. This traffic is hard to track as it lacks referral data.
Programmatic display campaigns use automation to buy and sell digital ad space in real-time, targeting specific audiences across the web.
Data visualization is the practice of translating information into a visual context, like a map or graph, to make data easier to understand.
Sales Operations Management streamlines sales processes, tech, and data analysis to help sales teams sell more effectively and efficiently.
Microservices is an architecture where apps are built as a collection of small, independent services that communicate with each other over APIs.
Cold calling is a sales tactic where reps contact potential customers by phone who haven't previously expressed interest in their product or service.
Agile methodology is an iterative approach to project management and software development, focusing on delivering value in small, incremental steps.
A Search Engine Results Page (SERP) is the page displayed by a search engine after a user enters a query, listing results ranked by relevance.
An Operational CRM is a system that automates and improves customer-facing business processes like sales, marketing, and customer service.
Data encryption translates data into another form, or code, so that only people with access to a secret key or password can read it.
A sales strategy is a comprehensive plan that outlines how a business will sell its products or services to achieve its revenue goals.
A Request for Proposal (RFP) is a formal document that outlines a project's needs and invites qualified vendors to submit bids to complete it.
Return on Investment (ROI) is a key performance metric that measures the profitability of an investment relative to its initial cost.
Inventory management is the process of ordering, storing, and using a company's inventory, from raw materials to finished goods.
Site retargeting is a marketing strategy that shows ads to people who have previously visited your website but left without converting.
Data privacy is an individual's right to control their personal information, including how it's collected, processed, stored, and shared.
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Drupal is a free, open-source content management system (CMS) for building websites and applications. It's known for its robust flexibility.
The Jobs to Be Done (JTBD) framework focuses on understanding customer needs by identifying the specific 'job' they are trying to accomplish.
Serverless computing is a cloud model where the provider manages servers, so developers can focus on code without worrying about infrastructure.
A Statement of Work (SoW) is a document that outlines a project's scope, deliverables, and timeline. It acts as a contract between parties.
Customer Success is a business strategy focused on proactively helping customers achieve their goals with your product or service.
Event marketing is a strategy where brands engage directly with target audiences through live events like trade shows, conferences, or webinars.
CPQ (Configure, Price, Quote) software is a sales tool for creating accurate, configurable quotes for complex products and services.
Content Rights Management involves controlling the use and distribution of copyrighted digital media to protect intellectual property.
Outbound sales is when reps proactively contact potential customers through cold calls or emails to generate leads and build a sales pipeline.
Predictive lead generation uses data and AI to find prospects most likely to buy, helping teams focus their efforts on high-value leads.
Private labeling is when a company rebrands a product made by a third-party manufacturer and sells it as their own.
ETL, short for Extract, Transform, Load, is a data integration process for moving raw data from various sources to a central data warehouse.
Competitive analysis means identifying your rivals and assessing their strategies to pinpoint your own business's strengths and weaknesses.
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Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) is a web security vulnerability that allows attackers to inject malicious scripts into trusted websites.
The purchase stage is when a buyer has decided on a solution and is ready to buy. They're comparing vendors to make a final choice.
Intent leads are prospects who show buying signals through their online actions, indicating they're actively looking to make a purchase.
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Freemium is a business model offering a product's basic features for free, while charging for advanced or supplemental features.
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The customer lifecycle is the journey a person takes from first becoming aware of your brand to becoming a loyal, repeat customer.
A demand generation framework is a strategic process for creating awareness and interest in your product, ultimately driving new business.
A lead list is a curated database of potential customers (leads) with contact information and other key data for sales and marketing outreach.
Cost Per Impression (CPI) is the price an advertiser pays for each time their ad is displayed to a user, irrespective of clicks.
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A Point of Contact (POC) is the designated individual or department that serves as the main hub for information and communication on a matter.
Segmentation analysis is the process of dividing a broad market into smaller, distinct groups of consumers with similar needs or characteristics.
Phishing attacks are fraudulent attempts to trick you into revealing sensitive data like passwords or financial info by posing as a trusted source.
Account-Based Analytics measures engagement and impact across target accounts, not just individual leads, to guide B2B sales and marketing efforts.
A sales lead is a potential customer—an individual or organization that has shown interest in your company's products or services.
The FAB technique is a sales framework connecting product features to advantages and then to the specific benefits for the customer.
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A Service Level Agreement (SLA) is a contract defining the level of service between a provider and a client, including metrics and penalties.
A field sales representative, or outside sales rep, travels to meet prospects in person, selling products or services directly within their territory.
Return on Marketing Investment (ROMI) measures the revenue generated by a marketing campaign relative to the cost of that campaign.
A talk track is a script that guides sales reps during calls. It ensures they cover key points and maintain a consistent message with prospects.
A use case is a detailed description of how a user interacts with a system to achieve a specific goal, outlining the steps from start to finish.
Docker is a tool that packages applications and their dependencies into isolated environments called containers for easy deployment and scaling.
Mobile compatibility ensures your site or app works flawlessly on mobile devices, like smartphones and tablets, for a seamless user experience.
Custom Metadata Types store application configurations as metadata. This makes them easily deployable between different Salesforce environments.
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Employee advocacy is the promotion of an organization by its staff members, who share positive messages and content through their personal networks.
Account Click-Through Rate (CTR) is the percentage of individuals from a target account who click on a link in an ad, email, or on a webpage.
Deal flow refers to the stream of business proposals and investment opportunities that a company or investor receives.
A firewall is a digital barrier that protects a network by monitoring and controlling traffic, blocking unauthorized access and malicious content.
A hybrid sales model blends traditional and digital sales methods to engage customers across multiple channels and buying preferences.