What would happen to your business if, all of a sudden, you had a massive security breach? How long would you be able to cope without access to your systems? What would happen if you lost all of the data critical to your day-to-day business operations?
Doesn’t bear thinking about, right? While that all might sound like something out of a nightmare, it is, unfortunately, a very real threat if catastrophe strikes and you don’t have proper backup and disaster recovery plans in place – no security system is 100% foolproof, after all. That’s what backup, in general, is so important.
Now, let’s say you do have your data backed up. Only it’s stored on a physical server on your company’s site and there’s been a power failure. And you need access to it now. While many companies have relied on traditional backup solutions for a number of years, the growth of cloud-based backup solutions offers many benefits to companies of all sizes.
What is cloud backup?
Backing up your data to the cloud essentially means archiving it in a secure data centre via the internet. Think of the cloud as a mesh of remote servers all interconnected in a network, accessible over the internet rather than locally.
Many individuals and businesses already rely on cloud-based applications in their everyday lives for things like working collaboratively on documents online and saving photos. So if your information is already in the cloud, what’s the point in backing it up there too?
Why should you use cloud backup?
Data loss is a threat you can’t ever rule out completely. Even though some of the biggest cloud-based applications are extremely unlikely to ever lose your data, you can’t always account for human error, hackers or someone losing a device with work information on it. Here are five more top reasons for backing up your data in the cloud.
Keeps your valuable data out of the wrong hands
With traditional backup methods such as physical servers, you always run the risk that someone unauthorised will be able to access your data. With cloud-based backup, you have cloud security on your side. You can assign authorised users who are the only ones who can access the data. Making sure your data is encrypted too means that not even the cloud service provider could read it.
Peace of mind that your data is always safe and secure
With traditional backup, you’re essentially relying on one single computer or server to keep your data both safe and accessible at all times. So what happens if there’s a power outage on-site or a natural disaster strikes? When using the cloud, you have a whole network of server centres to put your trust in – if one goes down, another can pick up the slack.
Real-time data available from anywhere at any time
Not only can you safely save and archive all of your important customer information in a place that’s accessible at any time, but cloud-based backup all happens in real time. This means that an authorised user can access data from any device that has cloud-based storage, and easily recover the most recent data available to them if they need to.
Removes the risk of human error compromising data security
It’s possible that with traditional tape-based backup – where magnetic tape is the medium used to store data – mistakes can be made, such as tapes not being swapped over properly, or someone missing the fact that a backup needs to go over multiple tapes. Cloud-based backup removes the likelihood of this happening as backups can be done automatically.
Ease of setup and ongoing support options
As cloud-based backup is a growing field used by small and large businesses alike, there is a lot of information available online that can help you get up and running. Taking popular off-the-shelf cloud backup service providers such as Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive and Dropbox, for example, a quick browser search will return helpful information such as:
- Forums and knowledge bases
- Webpages addressing frequently asked questions
- Online tutorials covering getting yourself set up
- Online walkthrough videos showing how to use the service
- Free troubleshooting guides for if you run into trouble
- Email, phone and live chat services to support you if you have any issues
With so much information readily available so you can solve any problems as quickly as possible, it really begs the question – does your traditional data backup solution offer this?
The future of cloud-based data backup
Making a switch over to cloud-based backup is likely to come at a cost. However, as the reliance on user data and digital solutions grows across every industry, it isn’t something you can put off forever. This greater demand also benefits you as a customer – providers will have continually invest in their services to stay competitive, meaning more secure encryption and greater accessibility to data. Over time we’re likely to see cloud-based technology not only get more advanced and powerful, but also cheaper, faster and even more convenient.
Computers in the City, your IT partner
Computers in the City is London’s longest-standing IT partner. With over 20 years’ experience, we can assist you to meet your IT support, consulting and cloud computing needs. We’re proud to be local, offering 24-hour support in straightforward language that takes the stress out of IT support.