Backing up data is an essential part of any business’ operations because it’s only a matter of time before something happens that causes data loss. Having a physical or cloud backup can mean the difference between losing a few hours of productivity or having to completely start a project over from scratch. Many businesses are moving from physical backups to the cloud, but why is this? And how can cloud backups help your business?
Cloud Backup: The Basics
When backing up your data on a physical storage device, selected files are mirrored onto another hard drive and stored there until they are needed. A cloud backup functions similar to this, but instead of your information being stored on a physical device in your office, it is uploaded to a remote server in the cloud. Once backed up to the cloud, your information can be accessed to restore lost or damaged files any time; you simply login to the service hosting your data on the cloud and restore your information as you would from a physical drive.
How is it Different than Cloud Storage?
At first, a cloud backup might just sound like cloud storage, but these services are distinct. With a cloud backup, your information is stored in the cloud and kept safe from any changes that occur on your device. On the other hand, cloud storage will sync information between your device and the cloud. This means that if you change a file on your device and it syncs with the cloud, then the file is changed on the cloud as well. With a cloud back up, it will only update stored files when you choose to backup your data again.
How Does Cloud Backup Help?
A cloud backup has many advantages over its physical counterpart. For one, a physical drive kept in the office can be lost, stolen, or damaged over time, and this makes long term storage require more care and effort. More importantly, a cloud backup can be accessed from anywhere in the world. This means that no matter where something goes wrong, you will have access to the information you need to keep your business up and running.
Storing your backups on the cloud is also easily scalable because backup services will allow you to increase the amount of cloud storage space available – if it’s not already unlimited. In addition to this, the cost and resources needed to manage backed up data are handled by the service providing cloud access. The most important benefit, however, is that backing up data to the cloud keeps it more secure from malicious actors because off site cloud storage will not be easily accessible from your network in the event of a cyberattack on your business.
Summary
Many businesses have moved to cloud backups because of their security and ease of use. They are often safer than only having a physical backup and using a cloud backup properly can potentially save you time and effort if something happens to cause your data to be lost or corrupted. If you think your business should backup its data in the cloud but need more information, then one of our team members would love to book an appointment with you today.
