Cloud Backup for Business
High Stakes: Why Businesses Should Invest In a Cloud Storage Backup Plan
How to choose and what’s the business advantage?
The popularity of cloud computing was steadily gaining steam over the past decade. Then, the advent of COVID-19 in 2020 sent millions of workers home and forced businesses to collaborate remotely. Many of them adjusted quickly, migrating their digital infrastructure to the cloud. Even as employees rejoin colleagues in the office, the percentage of data stored on the cloud will continue to rise.
According to one estimate, up to 85% of organizations will adopt a cloud-first strategy by 2025. As companies continue to put higher proportions of their data into Microsoft 365 and Google Workplace, they must consider the consequences of a hack, accident, or some other catastrophe. With ransomware attacks on the rise, data security is growing in importance, and data loss could cause tremendous damage to any business.
Most Companies Have Cloud Storage; Now They Need Cloud Backup
Google Workplace and Microsoft 365 derive their incredible utility from the cloud storage they provide. It allows people from across the globe to collaborate on documents and other products in real-time, unlocking the productivity of a global workforce. However, a higher degree of access presents many security challenges, internally and externally.
Internal human error sometimes compromises data security. For example, users can accidentally delete their own data. Furthermore, users with editing privileges can do the same out of confusion or malfeasance. IT departments also make errors from time to time, deleting the accounts of past employees without ensuring they preserve essential data first.
Externally, hacking and phishing can give access to a company’s cloud storage by tricking employees into revealing login credentials or bypassing security measures. Of course, the cloud storage providers themselves are not infallible, and viruses, negligence, or physical damage to the servers can threaten staggering amounts of data.
Therefore, businesses looking to avoid the dire consequences of data loss must understand that backups are relevant not only to physical devices (desktops, laptops, tablets, smartphones, etc.) but also to cloud storage services. After all, even though “cloud storage” feels nebulous and remote, the fact remains that physical servers contain everyone’s data. Therefore, unless businesses maintain a copy that is fortified against loss or attack, they run the risk of a data-loss calamity.
There Are Several Common Forms of Cloud Backup
Of the several popular ways to back up cloud storage, each has its own benefits and tradeoffs, and some lend themselves to certain industries better than others. Nevertheless, these five ways of backing up cloud data have proven reliable for thousands of businesses worldwide.
On-Premises Infrastructure
Many larger companies have a robust infrastructure on-premises and would rather completely control their physical storage and backup. This private cloud approach gives more control and (potentially) security than any other type of cloud backup. However, it is more expensive than most other options, as companies must foot the bill for infrastructure, security, servers, and hosting.
As a result, most companies do not want to tie up human resources to manage the infrastructure, preferring other backup methods. On the other hand, some industries that prioritize security above all (and are willing to pay for in-house measures) take ownership of physical servers and develop a private cloud.
General cloud storage services
One of the simplest methods of backing up critical data is through a public cloud service like Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud Platform, or Microsoft Azure. In general, data backup to a public cloud is inexpensive but presents potential challenges. For instance, these services often have limited tech support for businesses that deploy simpler backup packages. Service providers often limit the availability of full tech support for those that purchased or subscribed to more advanced backup packages. So, in this case with limited tech support, recovering data can potentially be an expensive hassle. Furthermore, large public clouds, though usually reliable, still have breaches and outages.
Hybrid Cloud Backup
Hybrid backup services include a mix of on-premises and private service provider infrastructure. For some companies, the hybrid model is a way to reduce the cost of their IT infrastructure while maintaining or increasing data capacity — it is a scalable option. In addition, some countries have different localization and data privacy laws, requiring on-premises storage and backup. Moreover, the cloud-based portion of the data is accessible to remote workers for collaboration.
The potential drawbacks of a hybrid model include the physical security of data. As with the fully on-premises model, the physical presence of backup media is a vulnerability without the requisite investment in security. Moreover, managing and tracking data spread over on and off-site facilities requires diligence and may be prone to errors.
Cloud-to-Cloud Services
A new and increasingly popular service is cloud-to-cloud (C2C) backup. The C2C model specializes in porting data from an already existing cloud (e.g., Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, etc.) to a private service provider.
The primary convenience of this method, especially for businesses already entirely on a cloud, is that companies can transfer data from one cloud to another instead of downloading it from one and uploading it to another. In addition, the C2C provider typically has its own proprietary backup software that businesses can use to configure their plans.
Cloud-Based Backup Services Hold Many Advantages
On-premises and hybrid data backup models can be prohibitively expensive, especially for small businesses that cannot tie up resources for on-site security. Cloud backup options are much more cost-effective, and the facilities are built specifically with safety in mind. Moreover, the amount of maintenance required of the business retaining cloud backup services is minimal, encompassing only learning how to use the provider’s software. As a result, data infrastructure becomes scalable and accessible at a fraction of the cost of on-site backups.
C2 Backup Is the Premier C2C Service Provider
C2 Backup provides the cost-effective flexibility that businesses need to secure their data. Their highly configurable software makes it possible to scale up data without losing the granular capability of recovering a single file or restoring a single device. C2 Backup also prioritizes efficiency to preserve bandwidth, backing up only changed data during each execution. Finally, the military-grade AES-256 encryption provides full security, ensuring all data is protected both in transit and at rest. For the best balance of security, convenience, and price, visit C2 Backup and give it a try for 30 days.
