Expert Tips to Help You Choose A Backup and Recovery Provider

Gorjan Kolev
Backupology
Published in
4 min readFeb 8, 2023

Data backup and recovery providers perform a crucial business continuity service to businesses worldwide. As the name says, these services provide data backups and point-in-time recovery. The importance of these two services goes beyond traditional business continuity practices.

Namely, data is the bread and butter of a business. Without data, a business would be unable to operate effectively and efficiently. This is why data is so important and why hackers are actively looking to get ahold of your data.

To prevent that from happening, consider getting in business with a total backup and recovery service provider. But choosing a provider is easier said than done. These services are numerous and widespread, and the best way to choose the right provider is to consider certain parameters.

This guide aims to educate readers on the correct way of choosing a backup and recovery provider. We will do that by giving you the # expert tips essential to get the job done.

5 Tips for Choosing a Data Backup and Recovery Provider

The following tips will help you assess potential cloud backup services to determine if they fit your needs correctly.

The Company’s Reputation

Data handling is a serious business. Therefore, you want to go with a backup and recovery provider that knows what they’re doing. The best way to determine if potential candidates fit the job description is through their reputation.

Reputation is everything in this line of work. One simple mistake that leads to critical data loss can have serious repercussions for the company. If that happens, people in the industry will know about it, and they will talk about it.

So when researching potential candidates, determine their reputation in the industry. If they’re notorious for having a bad reputation, cross them off the list regardless of how appealing their data backup or cloud storage product seems.

The Company’s Product

The next thing to look at is the product itself. Remember, you’re not looking for a data backup product or recovery service; you’re looking for both. The ideal candidates would offer a tool that incorporates means to backup data and recover data in case of accidents or disasters.

The right candidate must offer the right tool to protect your customers’ data, as you’ll handle plenty of customer data. Moreover, the right backup and recovery service provider must offer a reliable data backup product. Even if the recovery part isn’t as best, offering multiple backup methods is crucial in this line of work.

This means the right provider must provide their own cloud storage space for your backups and multiple backup types, including full backups, incremental backups, differential backups, and more.

The Disaster Recovery Plan

Not all dangers are tied to hackers or threat actors. Some dangers are natural disasters, such as earthquakes, tornados, floods, etc. There is a difference between data protection and disaster recovery.

The former involves strategies and methodologies to protect business data from outside threats, while the latter involves methodologies to restore data in case of natural disasters. So the right provider must offer the right data backup strategy and disaster recovery plan in addition to already existing data security strategies.

The Level of Professionalism and Customer Service & Support

You wouldn’t work with someone who is unprofessional or offers poor service. The same logic applies to potential data backup and recovery providers. The right candidate must be able to support you with any assistance should you need it.

Moreover, the right provider must be available 24/7 regarding technical problems or questions. While it’s considered standard practice for providers to offer 24/7 customer service and support in multiple geographical locations, you still need to verify the validity of these claims.

The Scalability of Their Products

Another important thing to look out for when determining the right data backup provider is the scalability of their product.

Your business’s goal is to grow, not stagnate. Therefore, your data backup and recovery needs must grow along. Choosing a provider that can grow as your business does is an important factor worth considering.

For example, the right provider must offer unlimited user accounts or backup storage space to accommodate your needs. Oppositely, a provider that limits the number of accounts or storage space for your backups is one to avoid.

These five tips will help you choose the right provider. But these aren’t all the things you need to be looking for. As a bonus, here are several additional tips to help you make the correct choice:

  • Right Pricing
  • Downtime
  • Frequency of Backups
  • Integration with Existing Applications and Services
  • Security

Conclusion

Ultimately, choosing a data backup and recovery provider is a process. It involves cautious due diligence and research, as these two are essential for avoiding mistakes and ensuring you get the best product for your buck.

Therefore, a simple Google search doesn’t cut it. However, these tips will help you know where to look the next time you find yourself on the market for a data backup and recovery provider.

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Gorjan Kolev
Backupology

Content writer, geek and combine them together you will find out I write about IT stuff.