Data protection is vital to the survival of any business. It may be challenging and expensive, but it is a necessary measure you must take. There is no telling when data loss will happen, so it is crucial to think ahead and implement a backup solution. This ensures peace of mind and helps you quickly return to normal operations after a disaster.
As the name implies, this is a backup solution delivered over the internet that relies on cloud technology to store and secure a copy of your data. Cloud backup relies on a structured system to copy and store data to a third-party cloud-based server. Its most significant advantage over traditional backup solutions is that it keeps data on a virtual file system and is not geographically limited. It is also a cost-efficient method of backing up data.
Cloud backup involves transferring copies of data to a remote storage platform, usually hosted by a third-party service provider. The provider charges you to use the platform based on capacity, bandwidth, and the number of people using it. You can use as much or as little of the service per your needs. With a cloud-based solution in place, when your hardware fails or falls victim to a virus attack and your data is lost, you can still access copies of the files preserved on the cloud.
Usually, when you engage cloud backup services, the first step will be to do a full backup where all the data you want to be protected is copied to the cloud. The duration to back up your files will depend on the amount of data involved. Alternatively, you can use the cloud seeding technique to do away with the need for sending the initial data over the internet. After the initial backup, you can select the backup schedule, and the backup software will collect, compress, encrypt and transfer the data to the cloud service provider for backup.
When the data is needed, you need to access your cloud account and retrieve the files you need all the entire amount of data.
Unlike traditional backup methods, cloud backup provides access to your data anytime and from any location. You only need a device connected to the internet to authenticate yourself, and you will have your data. Even if you have lost your computer or storage device, you can still access your data using a different device. There are also no interruptions and delays in getting the information you need. It takes a few steps to restore the data you need, ensuring no downtime in your operations, especially in times of disaster.
Market competition forces cloud backup solutions to innovate and introduce more value to their customers. As a result, they are constantly introducing improvements that your IT team would otherwise have had no time to research and implement. Besides backing up your data, cloud backup includes information syncing and sharing, and mirroring.
Syncing services allow you to create a folder online to store and access files stored on personal computers or servers. The files are updated automatically, promoting collaborative working and making sharing data easy. The file sync and share feature can also serve as a backup. However, it will only be efficient for a small amount of data. It cannot be relied upon for large or sensitive data since its user-oriented approach makes it vulnerable.
The good thing about investing in cloud backup is its flexibility to adapt to the changing needs of your business. When your needs grow, you can quickly scale up; similarly, if needs reduce, you can scale down. However, with in-house backup solutions, you must do complex calculations about purchasing new equipment to increase storage or what to do with extra equipment, not in use.
The pricing options for cloud backup are very flexible. Usually, providers have different plans to accommodate different user needs. Therefore, you can easily downgrade or upgrade the plans to get what suits your business. This is very helpful if you are starting your business or experiencing accelerated growth and your on-premise storage cannot keep up.
Another advantage of cloud backup is that the software provider handles all the backing support and maintenance. Therefore, you do not have to worry about needing additional staff to resize, encrypt and deduplicate files before backing them up to the cloud. Whether you have a large or small amount of data needing backing, there is little to no management on your part. It is the responsibility of the service provider to facilitate the backup process.
Besides the need to recover lost or compromised data, backups are essential to security audits and compliance. Compliance is meant to protect consumers and ensure continuity of service even if a disaster happens by ensuring their information stays secure. The standard security and compliance measure is to have one primary copy and then have two backups where one is stored offsite. Cloud backup mainly acts as the secondary backup, saving copies of your data in different regions.
Most of the backup solutions in the market include data policy and regulations management. You can therefore offload the regulatory compliance requirements to the provider. However, the rules and regulations followed by a particular software provider may be limited to specific industries and countries of origin. Therefore, you need to take the initiative to verify if a backup solution matches the compliance-related qualifications you need.
In addition, most cloud backups use highly secure encryption protocols. This adds a layer of protection such that even if hackers get access to the files, they cannot decipher them. The fact that the backup is located offsite also ensures that the data has extra protection from viruses and ransomware attacks.
To find out more about how you can build solid backup and recovery solutions for your business, contact Orbis Solutions Inc today.
Orbis Solutions, Inc., in Las Vegas, Henderson, Summerlin and throughout Nevada, has developed creative, strategic and cost-effective technical solutions for a wide variety of clients. Offering a diverse range of products and services, Orbis provides IT solutions to promote your company’s productivity and profitability, and help you sort through the latest-hyped technology, so you can select the best hardware, software or service for your business needs.
Get the clarity your Las Vegas organization needs to get your IT back on track. Completely risk-free, with no-obligation.
