Does your business use a cloud based backup system for reliable and secure data and information backups? With the rise of cyber-attacks, ransomware, failing servers and hardware, having a cloud-based backup system is critical if you want your business to stay secure and operational 24/7. The WannaCry Ransomware attacked thousands of businesses in over 150 countries. This was a wake-up call that preserving business continuity and protecting data needed more than just local device backups. If your business uses hard drive disks that aren’t backed up to the cloud you risk business continuity problems if IT incident occurs.
Could your business withstand the pressures and inconvenience of losing data through a natural disaster, equipment failure, accidental deletion or cyber-attack? Would you be able to make up for lost business opportunities and disruptive delays? When your business has a cloud based backup solution, you get peace of mind that your data is securely and automatically maintained in the cloud. As your business expands and the amount of data you use grows, a cloud backup system makes it easy to add extra storage.
What is a cloud based backup system?
During the last few years, cloud backup systems have transformed the way business information and data is backed up and protected. Cloud backups store data on remote servers that are accessed via the Internet and are an excellent alternative to storing data onsite. They have replaced the need for in-house servers and hard-drive backups which have limited storage and security capabilities. When your business uses cloud backup services the capacity is easily scalable and you only pay for the amount you use.
How cloud based backup systems safeguard your business from downtime
Most businesses today depend on their databases, hardware and software to stay efficient and competitive. If an IT incident occurs and you can’t access files and data, the downtime has the potential to bring your business to a halt for hours, days or even weeks. And if your company can’t trade effectively because of an IT incident, it will lose money. December 2017 statistics show that the average hourly downtime cost of business servers being down was between $301,000 to $400,000. And with the average time of 7 hours to resume normal operations, the cost to your business after an IT incident occurs can skyrocket.
The business ramifications of IT downtime go beyond financial costs. IT downtime also has the potential to:
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in Europe and the mandatory Data Breach Notification in Australia means your business must make a public announcement if customer data is lost during downtime. This requirement can further impact customer trust and damage your business brand.
Outages to your business IT can be unavoidable but if you are prepared you won’t have to experience downtime. Backing up your data is a good first step but it’s also important to have a reliable, quick solution to restore information. While your business continuity solution can use local backups, what would happen if the power fails or the device is destroyed? This is why storing your valuable business data and information in the cloud has become so necessary. But using only a cloud based back up system can be risky because:
A hybrid-cloud solution negates the risk of only having your data stored in the cloud. Your data is first copied and stored on a local device, making it fast and easy to restore if something happens. This data is also replicated in the cloud so if the local device fails, your data will still be available. If an IT disaster does strike your business, a hybrid cloud solution ensures it can still continue operating. The Datto Hybrid Cloud Platform is a cost effective, seamless cloud based backup system.
The top benefits of Cloud Backup Systems for your Business
While cloud based backup solutions are a cost efficient, scalable and secure way to protect your business data, there are other benefits for your business. Key benefits of utilising cloud backup systems include the following:
1. Your business can recover data quickly and efficiently
After your files and data are backed up in the cloud for the first time, you’ll be able to automate backup times so your data is synced and up to date. If you need to recover your business data from the cloud it’s a fast and straightforward process.
2. Cloud based backup systems relieve your IT headaches
Relying on the cloud for your backup system means that your IT department won’t need to be concerned about managing backup hardware. Using cloud based backup systems allows your IT team to focus on the core IT tasks that help your business grow and stay competitive.
Questions to ask your Cloud Back Up Provider
Did you know that virtual contact centres give your company built-in protection to maintain operations if your business suffers an outage because of operational failures or weather emergencies? In the event of a disaster, the cloud ensures your business can easily move operations to another location, log in and be operational again. Calls can be easily routed to agents and facilities that aren’t affected by outages or the disaster.
But what happens if your provider has a disaster? They can easily and seamlessly enable disaster recovery from another data centre because they have failover and redundancy functions in the cloud.
1. What storage capacity does the cloud server have?
Your business will have large files that need to be backed up, including multimedia and video files. It’s important to know what storage capacity the cloud backup service has now and whether its capacity will meet your business needs in the future.
2. How quickly can data be recovered if there is a disaster?
While cloud storage capacity is important, it’s also essential to know how quickly backups can be created and restored. Having a clear idea as to your business requirements and recovery timelines is important. We suggest you ask cloud backup providers how often backups are created (hourly, daily or weekly) and the estimated time it takes to restore them (minutes, hours or days).
How to find the best Cloud Based Backup System for Business in Australia
Need help transitioning your business backup to the cloud? Since 2002, Arrow has helped thousands of Australian businesses with file and data storage and backup solutions. We specialise in helping businesses transition to cloud based backup solutions with cloud based technology through Datto and Guardian SAAS Protection.
Our highly trained and experienced team of IT specialists work closely with public cloud providers so your files and data seamlessly integrate to the cloud.
Guardian SAAS Protection is a complete backup solution that gives businesses peace of mind about business continuity. With ransomware detection and protection, server “proof of life” screenshot verification and end-to-end data security encryption your business gets 500GB to 120TB of backup capacity.
File sharing and mobile collaboration becomes a breeze when your business has Guardian SAAS Protection. With secure team-based sharing, over 50 file types with perfect rendering and control access and permissions available on any device, your team will be able to do business faster and more efficiently.
Guardian SAAS Protection also offers:
Our cloud based backup system can safeguard your business files and data while ensuring business continuity. Find out how to make your business secure and restorable at any time.
Since 2002 Arrow have been the leading cloud service providers and I.T solution experts. With access to a top tier suite of solutions and providers, we’ve delivered virtual contact centre solutions to thousands of medium and large Australian businesses.
