Benefits of Online Backup

Data is considered to be one of the biggest assets for many companies. As such, it pays to find the most solid and secure way of protecting company data from data loss. If you’re the owner of a business where data plays a major role, you should have online backup for data protection and recovery.

There are several things that could put your business’s data at risk, from natural disasters to human error. People make mistakes, and your data could accidentally be erased by a well- meaning employee. There’s also the possibility of the theft, mechanical failure, data corruption, or viruses.

Natural disasters like hurricanes, floods, or tornadoes can occur and cause damage to your property and the hardware that’s backing up your data. In short, relying solely on on-site hardware for your data backup is a sure way to put your business at risk of losing one of its biggest assets.

Cloud storage is much safer than traditional data storage solutions. The majority of IT professionals recommend it, and as more businesses switch over to online backup providers the benefits are becoming more widely appreciated.

What is online backup?

Known by some as cloud backup, online backup will duplicate your important data and store it in a second spot – the cloud. The cloud protects the copies of your data in secure servers that are accessed over the internet. By creating backups of your data in the cloud, you have a safe, second copy in case something goes wrong with your on-site storage setup.

Online backups are always accessible by the customer, even though they are hosted by a cloud storage provider. Whereas backing up on physical hardware requires you to be in a particular place to access your data, an online backup can be accessed from anywhere with the internet, without needing anything from the service provider.

This form of off-site data storage has been a game changer in data protection, because it comes with so many benefits that physical in-house hardware doesn’t have.

What are the benefits of online backup?

Now that online data backup is more accessible and affordable, companies of all sizes can count on this tool as part of their disaster recovery plan. The benefits of online backup offer more than enough reasons to switch to this form of data protection.

Less time and money. You could start backing up your date with online backup today and not have to purchase a single piece of equipment. You’ll save money from the start by cutting the costs of the hardware and the IT expenses required to keep the on-site system updated. Instead, online backup lets you rely entirely on the cloud, so you’ll spend less on your IT budget and save time in the process. Cloud data backup works through an infrastructure that already exists in the cloud, storing your files safely offsite.

Off-site protection. Online backup adds an extra layer of protection in your disaster recovery plan by keeping your files off site. You never know what tomorrow will bring. If something like a flood, hurricane, or fire should impact your office, you may lose your on-site backups. That’s one reason why online backup is a good idea, as it keeps your data stored off site in the cloud.

Added security. Many of the traditional data storage solutions are much less secure than an online backup – and not just in terms of natural disasters. When your data is backed up in a cloud network, it’s being guarded by a team of IT professionals who are dedicated to watching out for threats to your data. Plus, many providers offer an option for encrypted data storage services, which increase the security of your data even further.

Easy recovery. If and when something happens to your data, you’ll find that recovery through online backup is easy and quick. This reliable option lets you restore your lost data in no time, so you won’t lose a workday trying to recover from a disaster.

Automated backups. When you switch to online backup, you don’t just save time and IT efforts at the start. You’ll free up time down the road, too, thanks to the automated backups that are included in cloud backup. Many companies have admitted that they’ve skipped important backups due to the time it takes. Remembering to keep up with a backup schedule is difficult and often falls to the bottom of the list. With online storage, the backups are totally automated.

Providers like Citi-Telecom Solutions Backup perform the backups at a regular schedule, so you don’t have to think about it. Your latest data is always there when you need it.

Sync data and access from anywhere. Some of the benefits of online backup could completely change your workflow, like the ability to access your data from any device. Since the data is stored in the cloud rather than in a piece of on-site hardware, you can retrieve it through any compatible device that’s connected to the internet. You’ll be able to seamlessly move from desktop to tablet to laptop to phone as needed. Your files are always available to you from any location at any time.

Unlimited storage capacity. There’s no end to the virtual storage space that’s available. With online backup, it’s simple to size up or scale down, with no limit to what you can save. Of course, adding additional cloud storage space will typically cost extra. However, having the option to backup your entire database is worth the investment.

Access earlier copies. Many online backup providers go the extra mile for your data backups by holding on to sequential copies of your files. In other words, in addition to protecting your current data, they will keep earlier copies of each of your files as well. This way, you can go back and access previous versions whenever needed. For businesses that are regularly updating files, this provides a convenient way to keep track of previous data, or recover something that may have been accidentally deleted.

You may want to read Use IT Disaster Recovery Tiering to Build a Recovery Strategy That Works.