Too few business owners fully realize the importance of investing in cloud-based backups for their business. While most large-scale businesses have at least some kind of backup and recovery model in place, small- to mid-sized businesses struggle to get the protective services they need to resist and recover from disasters.
One of the best ways to protect your business is to invest in cloud backup software. But why is it so important?
The Basics of Cloud Backup Software
First, you should understand how cloud backup software works. Different types of cloud backup software do different things. Most are designed to back up all your files — and your employees’ files — automatically.
Using differential backups, incremental backups, or some other methodology, your data will remain redundantly backed up and secure. If you ever suffer a catastrophic loss, you can restore your work to a previous version as if nothing ever happened.
10 Reasons Why Your Business Should Invest in Cloud Backups
Some of the benefits of investing in cloud backup software will be intuitive, based on the description above. Listed below are ten additional advantages to consider.
1. Secure offsite backups.
For starters, your business will have dedicated offsite backups. Your data will be stored in data centers far from your physical location. If your place of business should be struck by a meteor — or if you suffer a direct physical attack — you can rest easy knowing that your data won’t be affected. Cloud storage providers are responsible for the security of their customers’ data. They make it a point to encrypt stored data and keep it safe at all costs.
2. Redundant backups.
Significantly, most cloud backup software providers offer physically redundant backups. That is to say, your data isn’t just being stored in one data center or at one physical location. Instead, it’s being copied and stored in multiple locations. If your cloud provider’s data center on the west coast gets hit by an earthquake, its east coast servers can take over.
3. Incremental and differential backups.
Incremental and differential backups make iterative copies of your files as they undergo changes. This way, you can choose to recover the most recent version of your files or a previous version. You’ll only spend time uploading files if they undergo significant changes.
4. Automation and consistency.
It’s possible to manually back up your files using a local server or even a hard drive. Doing so gives you a great degree of control. However, it’s time-intensive and vulnerable to human error. If you forget about backing things up, or if your schedule is disrupted for some reason, it can ruin your whole strategy. Using cloud-based software, you can automatically back up your work consistently and reliably.
5. Cost savings.
In most cases, cloud backups have the potential to save you money. You’ll spend less on cloud-hosted backup tools than you will with manual backups. You won’t need as many in-house employees. Additionally, if you ever do face a true disaster, you’ll be able to recover from it faster and more efficiently, spending less money in the restoration process.
6. Convenient recovery tools.
Cloud backup customers have access to an array of convenient recovery tools. In many cases, you’ll be able to restore a past version of your systems with just a few clicks. It may take you hours, or days, to fully recover, but you can get your systems up and running again in no time.
7. Less downtime.
Your business now has the ability to restore critical datasets with just a few clicks of the mouse. You stand to save a lot of time and money by reducing downtime. Downtime is notorious for being expensive. Anything you can do to minimize it will be beneficial.
8. Professionalized recommendations and guidance.
In many cases, signing up for a cloud backup service also connects you with a team of IT security professionals. They can advise you on digital security matters, provide you with recommendations, and potentially point you in the direction of other valuable resources.
9. Regulatory assurance.
For some businesses in various industries, regulatory compliance is a top priority. Keeping customer data safe is a legal requirement for many businesses. Additionally, your industry may be subject to specific security standards. Working with a compliant third party allows you to offload this responsibility.
10. Peace of mind.
Finally, investing in cloud-based backup systems will give you peace of mind. It can’t protect you from every threat, but it can provide a streamlined path to recovery.
Cloud backup software typically costs hundreds to thousands of dollars per year and can be even more expensive if you need more robust functionality. However, these expenses are almost always worth it. Even if you never face a catastrophic threat, you’ll remain in compliance with regulations, you’ll save time and money over manual backup strategies, and you’ll have much better peace of mind.
