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.
Pipeline coverage is a key sales metric. It's the ratio of your total open pipeline value to your sales quota for a specific period.
Average Revenue per Account (ARPA) is the average revenue generated from each customer account, usually measured on a monthly or annual basis.
Private labeling is when a company rebrands a product made by a third-party manufacturer and sells it as their own.
A Data Management Platform (DMP) is a tech platform used to collect and manage data, mainly for digital marketing and advertising campaigns.
Forecasting uses historical data to make informed predictions about future trends, helping businesses anticipate outcomes and plan accordingly.
WordPress is a free, open-source content management system (CMS) that allows you to easily create, manage, and publish websites and blogs.
A trusted advisor is an expert who builds a deep client relationship by consistently prioritizing their best interests over any single transaction.
Lead enrichment tools are platforms that automatically add missing data to your leads, like contact info, firmographics, and buying signals.
Content Rights Management involves controlling the use and distribution of copyrighted digital media to protect intellectual property.
Data-driven lead generation is the process of using data insights to identify, attract, and convert high-quality leads into customers.
A sandbox is an isolated testing environment where new or untrusted code can be run safely without affecting the host device or network.
Digital analytics is the analysis of data from digital channels to understand user behavior and optimize online experiences for business goals.
Consultative selling is a sales approach where a salesperson acts as an advisor, focusing on understanding and solving a customer's specific needs.
Touches are the individual interactions you have with a prospect throughout the sales process, from emails and calls to social media messages.
Sales productivity is the measure of a sales team's efficiency, focusing on maximizing revenue generation while minimizing the resources spent.
Revenue Operations KPIs are quantifiable metrics that track the performance, efficiency, and health of a company's revenue-generating engine.
CRM hygiene involves regularly cleaning and updating your customer data to ensure your CRM system remains a powerful and reliable tool.
An elevator pitch is a short, memorable summary of what you do, designed to be delivered in the time it takes to ride an elevator.
Cybersecurity is the practice of protecting computer systems, networks, and data from digital attacks, theft, and unauthorized access.
Retargeting marketing is a digital advertising strategy that targets users who have previously interacted with your website or brand online.
Tokenization is the process of breaking down text into smaller units called tokens, such as words or characters, for AI to process.
Agile methodology is an iterative approach to project management and software development, focusing on delivering value in small, incremental steps.
Low-hanging fruit are the most obvious and easy-to-tackle tasks or goals that provide a quick, valuable return for minimal effort.
Sales performance metrics are key data points that measure a sales team's effectiveness in achieving its goals and driving revenue.
The C-suite, or C-level, refers to a company's most senior executives. Their titles usually start with 'Chief,' such as CEO, CFO, or CTO.
A sales plan template is a reusable document that outlines your sales strategy, goals, and tactics, providing a clear roadmap for your team.
Data privacy is an individual's right to control their personal information, including how it's collected, processed, stored, and shared.
MEDDICC is a sales qualification framework for complex B2B deals. It helps reps identify and validate key aspects of an opportunity to close more effectively.
Direct-to-consumer (D2C) is a sales strategy where a brand sells its products directly to end customers, bypassing any third-party retailers.
A Representational State Transfer (REST) API is a web service that uses a simple, stateless architecture for systems to communicate online.
Real-time data processing is the method of analyzing data the instant it's generated, enabling immediate actions and decision-making.
Direct sales involves selling products directly to consumers in a non-retail setting, such as at home, online, or person-to-person.
An HTTP request is a message sent by a client, like a web browser, to a server to ask for a resource, such as a web page or an image.
An early adopter is a user who embraces a new product or technology before the majority, helping to validate and popularize the innovation.
Dynamic pricing is a strategy where businesses set flexible prices for products or services based on current market demands and other factors.
Sales funnel metrics are key data points that track how effectively you're moving potential customers from awareness to a final purchase.
Deal flow refers to the stream of business proposals and investment opportunities that a company or investor receives.
Multi-touch attribution is a marketing analytics method that credits multiple touchpoints on the customer journey for a conversion.
Data cleansing, or data scrubbing, is the process of detecting and correcting inaccurate records from a dataset to improve data quality.
Responsive design is an approach where a website's layout adapts to the user's screen size, providing an optimal experience on any device.
Copyright compliance is adhering to laws that protect creative works. It involves legally using content by obtaining permission or licenses.
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are measurable values that demonstrate how effectively a company is achieving its key business objectives.
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A marketing play is a repeatable tactic used to achieve a specific marketing goal, like generating leads or driving engagement.
Think of a trademark as a brand's unique signature—a word, symbol, or phrase that legally protects its identity and sets it apart from the rest.
Analytics platforms are tools that collect and analyze data from various sources, helping businesses track key metrics and make informed decisions.
Lead scoring is the process of assigning points to leads based on their attributes and actions to determine their sales-readiness.
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Marketing attribution is the process of identifying which touchpoints contribute to a conversion and assigning value to each of them.
Expansion revenue is the extra money a business makes from its current customers via upgrades, new products, or additional services.
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On-Target Earnings (OTE) is a salesperson's total potential pay, combining base salary and commission for hitting their sales quota.
A sales champion is your internal advocate at a target company. They believe in your product and help you push the deal forward to close.
Sales acceleration refers to strategies and technologies designed to speed up the sales cycle, enabling reps to close more deals, faster.
A Software Development Kit (SDK) is a set of tools that allows developers to create applications for a specific software package or platform.
Yield management is a dynamic pricing strategy that adjusts prices based on demand to maximize revenue from a fixed, perishable inventory.
Lead scraping is the process of automatically extracting contact information and other relevant data about potential customers from online sources.
CPM, or Cost Per Mille, is a key advertising metric. It's the cost an advertiser pays for one thousand views or impressions of a single ad.
Deal closing is the final step in a sales cycle. It's when a prospect signs a contract and officially converts into a paying customer.
A Sales Development Representative (SDR) is a sales specialist who finds and qualifies new leads, building a pipeline for the sales team.
Learn about brand equity, including understanding its importance, building strong brand equity, measuring brand equity, & real-world applications.
Direct mail is a marketing method where businesses send physical promotional materials directly to potential customers' mailboxes.
Process automation uses technology to execute recurring tasks or processes, replacing manual effort to cut costs and boost efficiency.
Data appending is the process of adding new data fields to your existing database records to enrich and complete your information.
Smarketing is the process of aligning your sales and marketing teams. This integration focuses on shared goals to improve lead quality and drive revenue.
A sales dialer is software that automates outbound calling for sales teams, allowing reps to connect with more prospects in less time.
Site retargeting is a marketing strategy that shows ads to people who have previously visited your website but left without converting.
Sales prospecting software automates the process of finding, contacting, and tracking potential customers to help sales teams build their pipeline.
Data warehousing is the process of storing and managing large sets of data from various sources for business intelligence and reporting purposes.
Competitive intelligence (CI) is the ethical gathering and analysis of market data to inform strategic business decisions and gain an advantage.
Funnel analysis is a method for understanding the steps users take to complete a goal, revealing where they drop off in the conversion process.
DevOps is a culture and set of practices that merges software development (Dev) and IT operations (Ops) to shorten development cycles.
Adobe Analytics is a leading web analytics solution for gaining real-time insights into user activity across websites and mobile applications.
ETL, short for Extract, Transform, Load, is a data integration process for moving raw data from various sources to a central data warehouse.
Data encryption translates data into another form, or code, so that only people with access to a secret key or password can read it.
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A/B testing is a method of comparing two versions of something, like a webpage or email, to determine which one performs better with your audience.
Content syndication is the process of republishing your web content on third-party sites to reach a much wider audience.
Predictive analytics uses historical data, statistical algorithms, and machine learning to identify the likelihood of future outcomes.
A Product Qualified Lead (PQL) is a user who has experienced a product's value, signaling a strong potential to convert to a paid customer.
Data-driven marketing uses customer data to inform marketing decisions, optimize campaigns, and deliver personalized experiences to consumers.
A marketing budget breakdown is a detailed plan that allocates your total marketing funds across various channels, campaigns, and activities.
Target Account Selling is a focused sales strategy where teams identify and pursue a specific list of high-value accounts.
Sales enablement content refers to the materials and tools that empower your sales team to engage prospects and close deals more efficiently.
Time on site, or session duration, is a key web metric that tracks the total time a visitor spends on your website during a single visit.
User-generated content (UGC) refers to any form of content, like images, videos, or text, created and shared by users on online platforms.
Sales metrics are quantifiable data points that track and measure a sales team's performance against specific goals and objectives.
Your email deliverability rate is the percentage of sent emails that successfully land in a recipient's inbox, rather than bouncing or going to spam.
Cross-selling is a sales tactic of encouraging customers to purchase products or services that are related to what they're already buying.
A sales stack is the suite of tech tools—from CRMs to prospecting software—that sales reps use to close deals faster and more efficiently.
Solution selling is a sales approach focused on understanding a customer's pain points to offer a comprehensive solution, not just a product.
A sales coach is a mentor who trains and guides sales reps to enhance their skills, boost performance, and ultimately close more deals effectively.
A data pipeline is a set of automated processes that move raw data from various sources to a destination for storage and analysis.
Microservices is an architecture where apps are built as a collection of small, independent services that communicate with each other over APIs.
The Dark Funnel describes customer buying activities that are untrackable by companies, such as private chats and word-of-mouth referrals.
Return on Marketing Investment (ROMI) measures the revenue generated by a marketing campaign relative to the cost of that campaign.
Sender Policy Framework (SPF) is an email authentication method that lets you specify which mail servers can send emails on behalf of your domain.
A version control system (VCS) tracks changes to files over time, allowing you to recall specific versions and collaborate without conflicts.
A sales methodology is the framework that guides how your sales team approaches the entire sales process, from prospecting to closing deals.
Lead management is the process of capturing, nurturing, and qualifying leads to guide them from initial interest to sales-ready.