There are many good reasons to shift storage over to the cloud, but the question remains whether large numbers of enterprises are ready to take the plunge just yet.

After all, it’s not easy to give up a tried and true data preservation method — and just because someone says they can provide the same service for less money doesn’t mean you should run off into the forest without a clear idea of what the consequences are.

So in that vein, I’m hoping to highlight some of the actual operational benefits that cloud storage offers. The cloud may be cheaper, but is it better?

Jeff Echols, senior director of cloud storage at CommVault, lists a number of advantages above and beyond the cost factor in a recent Business Week blog. Among them, he cites improved employee productivity by off-loading routine storage operations to a third party, the end of tape archiving, improved disaster recovery, and the ability to access resources based on need rather than what’s available in-house. As long as your applications are secure enough to facilitate the movement, archiving and discovery of data on the cloud, you should find the cloud a much more flexible environment than traditional server infrastructure.

more of the IT Business Edge article from Arthur Cole