The modern world of work is technologically dominated; we live in a golden age – an age of instant connectivity and tech tools designed specifically to make our lives easier. Unfortunately, for all of the improvements it brings with it, tech does also offer opportunities for the criminal community to cause carnage.
In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, cyber criminality is on the rise. This is one of the many reasons why it is of primary importance that you back up the essential sensitive data that your organisation relies on. Every business – regardless of size or industry – must have an effective backup strategy.
Backup is the process of copying your files to a second – and often third – location in case the original data is lost or stolen. This is key to protecting your assets, so that even if the worst happens you still have the opportunity to continue offering a good service to your clientele.
There are many different ways to backup your systems but, in our opinion, it comes down to a duel between Cloud backup and Local backup – the difficult thing is working out which method is best for you.
Choosing between the two is entirely personal, as it all depends on what works for your business. As we said, regardless of which you choose, one point is constant: it is essential you backup your data, because not doing so will leave you with no way to work in the eventuality of a disaster.
Implementing measures to ‘keep the lights on’ is always recommended. You can’t completely stop cyber criminality or unforeseen disasters – no matter what you implement – but you can prepare your business to continue operating after an attack or disaster.
Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of both cloud data backup and local data backup.
The argument for cloud data backup
What is cloud backup?
Cloud backup is the automatic copying of data to a cloud-based server in a remote location. Your Cloud provider manages the Cloud backup service for a pre agreed subscription fee (that is taken either monthly or annually).
Advantages of cloud data backup
- Cost-effective – There are huge cost savings to be gained from not having to purchase and maintain the hardware needed for local backup, and, with the subscription being a fixed cost, not only will there be no surprises but you will also only be paying for what you are actually using.
- Realtime access – Data in the cloud is accessible as and when required. It will provide your users with the most up to date versions wherever they may be accessing them from.
- Scalable – If mid-way through your workday you run out of capacity on your agreed plan, extra backup capacity can be ordered and implemented practically instantaneously; just contact your provider and they will do the rest for you. With local backup, if you run out of space you have to go out to purchase new hardware, set it up, and manage it.
- Reliable security – Cloud backup has cyber security features that are the best in the business – it has access control and data encryption features as standard, and it is all part of your subscription price.
- Automation – Cloud backups happen without you even knowing they art taking place, meaning that you are not reliant on a team member to remember to do them. The ability to automate the process allows you to choose how often you want backups to take place (either every few minutes, or hourly, which is far more often than when a human team member can do it manually).
- Less risk – Your local backup is subject to the elements, meaning that if – heaven forbid – you had a fire, flood, or other disaster, your data is lost. The locations where your Cloud data backups are housed are built in such a way as to prepare for practically every eventuality.
Disadvantages of cloud backup
- Reliance on an internet connection – One of the main disadvantages of Cloud backup is if your connectivity is poor it could cause problems with swift data recovery. If your connection is lost completely then your data stored there is useless until you systems have been recovered.
- Regulated industries – An important consideration to make is how the data is stored will affect you in a regulatory sense. The military, finance, and legal sectors operate under tight security regulations and therefore must protect, store, and distribute their data in a certain way. They must remain in control and the Cloud may not offer enough to stay compliant.
Predominantly, small to medium sized businesses enjoy the convenience of Cloud backups as they don’t have to employ an expensive internal IT team. There are finance and eCommerce businesses out there that store their data in the Cloud, and the continuous backup that the Cloud allows can help them to adhere to their regulatory obligations.
In the following article, we will explore what Local backup is, and the advantages and disadvantages of using this method.
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