Most of the business today depend on data and applications to provide better service to their clients. Protection of these data has also become a necessity. Online cloud storage is a model in which digital data is stored and the files stored in the cloud can be accessed at anytime and anyplace as long as you have internet connection.
Choosing the best Cloud Data Backup Service is a difficult task, as there are many services with various features, but finally everything comes down to what you need and what service is being provided. Cloud backup service enables to store data and files on internet using storage service provider.
Cloud backups include the software and hardware necessary to protect company’s data. The main benefit of Cloud backup is that you can restore files lost on your computer. Backups can be created by selecting particular files or creating schedule backup event or cloud sync.
You should use cloud backup storage when the total amount of data to be protected is less than 100 GB per 1 Mb of network bandwidth, and when rate of change in the data is less of the total data per month.
Now, you know how cloud data backup can help you and why it is important. But what are the things you should look for while choosing cloud data backup service?. Here are some of the things to look for while choosing cloud data backup service.
How much storage you need?
The first thing to do is to evaluate your storage capacity. Cloud data backup provide backup capacity from 1GB to unlimited space. The amount of space offered is directly related to the service cost. The cost also rises with the increase in the amount of data to be backed up.
How secured is it?
Data is vulnerable both in rest and during working between the business and cloud. You need to encrypt your data i.e. convert your data into a code to avoid unauthorized access not only when it is being uploaded, but also once it is stored. Some cloud data backup services also provide service where files are kept in encrypted format before transmitting it to a cloud vault and are protected by decryption key.
What is the pricing structure?
You need to look for the cloud data backup pricing model, before hiring the service. Pricing is mostly based on the amount of features offered and the storage capacity. You need to look for the cloud backup service providers who offer better service that suits your business model and has affordable and flexible pricing structure. Be sure to ask for setup cost, hardware and software fees and if there are any additional charges.
What is the Backup frequency?
It is important for you to know the frequency at which your data is being backed up to the cloud. Backup frequencies are offered on hourly, monthly, daily and fixed basis. Vendors use various type of data backup practices, so you need to understand which is suitable for your type of business. For instance, some services backup your files as you make changes, so this can mean backing up the entire file or only backing up the changes made by you.
Does cloud data backup service meet regulatory requirements?
You need to know who is handling your data and how it is being handled?. There are regulatory standards and others who focus on how the third party handles data. You need to look at the cloud data backup provider’s level of certification that will show you that whether they meet regulatory requirements and standards.
Do they provide disaster recovery?
You need to make sure that the cloud data backup service provider you choose offers disaster recovery for your data. It is possible that unforeseen events such as natural disaster or cyber attack can make your data inaccessible and shut down servers, hence it is very important that the cloud data backup provider has a disaster recovery plan which can get you back online.
How is the performance?
It is essential to see that the cloud backup service provider has faster internet speed. Top companies providing cloud data backup service offers very fast backup and restore with no restrictions on the bandwidth. Whereas low end cloud backup providers offer slow backup with the restricted bandwidth.
What are the terms and whether they provide support?
Look at the terms of service such as service limits, contract terms and if vendor lock-in is required. If service provider has Vendor lock-in, it will become very difficult for you to move to other vendor. Make it sure to see if the cloud backup service provides any support at the time if something goes wrong. See if you can reach the vendor by multiple channels such as phone, email, social media etc.
Adopt the cloud data backup system that serves all your business needs and also ensures cost saving, security and flexibility.
via Anushka Chakrabarti
Anushka Chakrabarti is an avid blogger of Docup, a company that does document management for individuals, tax professionals, and businesses of all sizes. She loves technology, especially cloud technology. She writes on cloud based apps and works in the online cloud file storage company.
