A reliable backup service is an important tool for any small business to have because it can be the pivotal piece of your IT infrastructure that saves your data in the worst-case scenarios. Data backups have uses that range from countering ransomware attacks to getting an employee back up and running after their work machine has accidentally broken. However, not all backup services are the same, so here are three features that you want to look for when you talk to your managed service provider (MSP) about data backup options.
Reliable Backup and Recovery Options
A recovery time objective is the length of time your businesses has planned it should take to get back up and running when restoring from a backup is needed. This plan will inform how often your data gets backed up and how you choose to access it when you need to go back to a restore point. A reliable backup service will make setting consistent restore points easy and give you options for how to recover your data as fast as possible. For example, you could choose to contact your MSP and have them recover your files for you, or you can ask for a control panel that allows your IT staff to recover your data for you.
Seeding Backups
Ideally, a business will start backing up their data to a reliable backup service early. However, some businesses may need a large amount of data backed up right away, and it is not always possible to upload hundreds of gigabytes of data to the cloud over your internet connection. To work around this problem, a strong backup service will send their client a hard drive with plenty of space on it to seed their backup. A business would simply upload a large portion of their data to the hard drive and then mail it back, where it will be uploaded and allow the business to add their more sensitive data over a secure connection.
Limited Bandwidth Options
The most reliable back up services will come with options for a business that doesn’t have access to great internet, such as small businesses in rural areas. If a business’ internet speeds are too slow for quick, dependable backups to be made, then your managed service provider can install a device on premises for you that will immediately store your backup and overtime upload it to the cloud as your bandwidth will allow. This option makes it so that you can access your backups at any time, even if they have not finished uploading to the cloud, so your slow internet does not get in the way of you meeting your recovery time objective.
Summary
The most reliable backup service is the one you do not have to think about until you need it, and when you need it, your data should be easily accessible for recovery. This is why a reliable backup service will include the options for backup and recovery that best suit your needs, ways for you to get all of your data backed up, and reliable means of continuing to backup your data overtime. Our security specialists here at Robinett Consulting know that losing data is not an option for small businesses, and that’s why we want to be your managed service provider, so you get the reliable backup service that meets your needs!
