Having a data backup is one of the most important IT priorities companies today need to attend to. Keeping that failsafe system in the same building as the content it’s protecting, however, partially defeats the purpose. Organizations that want disaster recovery services are likely looking to save their files and applications in the event of a natural disaster or other catastrophic event, which neatly shows the value proposition of offsite backups: A hurricane that wrecks a company’s data center is likely to take on-site backups with it. If keeping backed up data on the premises is only half a strategy, putting it in the cloud is the whole thing.
Cloud’s advantages explained
IT News Africa recently presented an overview of the value companies are hoping to recoup when they commit to cloud backups. The source pointed out that small organizations have developed an interest in this technology recently. Every type of business needs to protect data, so this is not such an unusual trend, especially considering the popularity of other cloud-based solutions with SMBs. The source quoted Securicom’s Richard Broeke, who explained exactly what information means to companies at large.
“The loss of business information can cost companies a lot in more ways than one,” he told the news provider. “Data is the lifeblood of any business; from the documentation of products and solutions, related intellectual property, customer records and financial statements to contracts, processes and procedures.”
Broeke explained that the difference between traditional and cloud backup takes several forms, and it goes well beyond saving time and money – though those advantages are on the table. Specifically, he called out the cloud’s ability to protect information in case on-site and connected systems from malware varieties such as ransomware. Organizations attacked by this type of software will want preserved versions of their content kept somewhere out of the range of the attack – that’s where a cloud backup comes in.
When it comes to actually selecting a partner to host this vital backed-up information, Broeke told the news source that trust is the key. Users must be sure they are working with a company that has sufficient policies to protect their content, whatever may happen. Some of the variables buyers can use to evaluate their third-party ally include the policies that determine who can access content and security tools in place to guard the servers. Fortunately, good providers will be forthcoming about these capabilities, allowing users to shop around.
When disaster strikes
As Cloud Computing New contributor Joseph Blass recently explained, there are occasionally examples of exactly the kinds of disasters that make cloud backup a vital consideration for companies. Blass pointed to a fire in Holborn that left organizations’ personnel unable to go into their offices. Furthermore, all the affected buildings lost power. If those companies only backed up on-premises, they would be effectively shuttered for the length of the clean-up process. Organizations today are powered by the computers and live or die on the integrity of their digital content. If they lose access to that, what can they do to go on?
