Data loss often happens when you least expect it. Human error, malicious actors, and even natural disasters can wipe out or hijack your company’s data at any time. Recent studies show that a staggering 93% of organizations that lose data because of a disaster go out of business within two years. Still, many companies do not have an adequate backup protocol in place.
To guard against data loss, many organizations seek cloud backup solutions for fast recovery of critical enterprise data. Here are some advantages of cloud hosting over traditional hosting.
Cloud backup is a method of storing copies of your data, documents, or files in an offsite location, preserving it in the event of an incident or emergency. Also known as online backup or remote backup, cloud backup usually relies on third-party cloud providers that offer the use of their servers for backup services. The fees charged for backup will usually depend on the amount of space required, the data transmission bandwidth needed, the number of users, or the number of times data is accessed.
How does cloud backup restore your data?
Generally, cloud backup solutions will vary depending on the level of service that a business has signed up for. The backup provider will usually employ a software application that will collect, compress, encrypt, and store the relevant data as part of a predetermined schedule. For example, some organizations may sign up for daily backups, while weekly may be enough for some. The regularity of your data backup will affect the fees you pay to your backup provider.
There are different types of backups offered by providers. For instance, businesses may initially require full backups, which copy the entire data set. They can employ this approach every time a backup is initiated but this is a time-consuming and storage-intensive process. Instead, after a full backup is performed, organizations may subsequently require only incremental backups. These will only backup the data that has changed since the last backup was conducted.
Here are the top five reasons to move to the cloud for data backup and storage:
- Space Saving and File Backup
If you offload files to the cloud rather than storing them locally, your hard drive won’t fill up as quickly, which usually translates into better performance, especially for solid-state drives. Even if your hard drive is of the spinning variety, though, it’s always good to be able to clear up some space. For example, if your photo collection is taking up space, you’d prefer to use it for a new video game. Alternatively, instead of moving files from your hard drive to the cloud, you can also duplicate them and create a backup.
Either way, if something happens to your computer, your files will be safe. - Get predictable costs and simpler budgeting
Cloud backup services are uniquely suited to address server data protection, including predictable monthly budgeting, and costs. The service is completely automated, providing immediate backup of server data to an offsite location, and leveraging the vendor’s infrastructure and expertise. This also frees IT personnel to become better aligned with business goals.
The charge for cloud backup is a known monthly service fee, rather than the capital cost of acquiring software licenses for specific servers. This allows for simpler budgeting and predictable monthly costs. There are no costs for software, backup hardware, maintenance, or media with cloud backup. The service provider bears the cost of the infrastructure and storage devices—now and in the future—as its customers grow. - It minimizes downtime
Data protection is not a one-time event. It’s an ongoing system of complex interconnected processes. Cloud solutions ensure that these processes run smoothly, which minimizes the risks and costs of downtime.
Data protection is not a single activity or a one-time event. It’s a complex workflow of interconnected processes that extend far beyond simple onsite backup, including the following steps:
Backup replication of critical data to another device
Transfer of the replicated data to an offsite location to protect it from human-made or natural disasters
Storage that both protects and organizes the data so that you can recover it easily and quickly
Recovery of replicated data from storage whenever and wherever needed.
If your current data protection solution doesn’t address all of these steps, your organization risks unacceptable exposure from partial protection that easily could result in costly, crippling downtime and the loss of irreplaceable data. Cloud server backup solutions offer a single low-overhead solution that addresses each step in the data protection workflow and reduces the risks and costs associated with each step. - Security and Data Encryption
If you’re browsing for the ideal cloud backup solution, it’s important to make sure that it supports data encryption.
There are several encryption strategies available and covering them here would be out of the article’s scope.
Suffice it to say; that encryption should take place before data is sent to the cloud, sometimes referred to as end-to-end encryption or local encryption.
The advantage of encryption lies in a user-defined key, which cannot be tampered with or accessed by the backup company. Therefore, providers cannot read files uploaded to their servers, even if forced by the government or other agencies. - Access Everywhere
However handy saving space and money are, though, the two main benefits of cloud storage are the fact that you have access everywhere and that files sync continuously. The first of these is the simplest: no matter where you are or what device you have with you, you can access your cloud storage account provided you have internet access and the password.
If you shoot a cool video on your smartphone, you can edit it on your desktop PC by simply uploading it to the cloud. If you need to quickly edit a work document on your smartphone during your commute, you can do so without opening your laptop on a crowded train. Having files available to you no matter where you are comes in handy more often than you might think.
It’s what spurred the creation of Dropbox, the first widely available cloud storage provider. The story goes that Drew Houston, one of the founders of the company, had a habit of forgetting his USB thumb drives exactly when he needed them. Existing ways of storing and retrieving data from the web at the time were slow and buggy, so he created his service.
Many organizations don’t identify critical vulnerabilities in their existing data protection methods until disaster strikes.
By then, it’s too late.
Microsoft Azure Site Recovery automatically protects mission-critical data from natural and human-made disasters, virus attacks, human error, equipment failures, and other disruptions.
Villextra offers the entire range of managed Cloud Services powered by Microsoft Azure and Microsoft 365.
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