Cloud solutions have been talked about pretty heavily over the last year, but there are still organizations out there that just don’t understand the cloud. Companies that don’t understand cloud solutions, don’t trust them. When the reality is that these solutions are reliable and make a lot of sense for many organizations. Hard drives aren’t forever. Backing up your critical data is extremely important. With more and more stories hitting the headlines in regards to loss of data, more companies are scrambling to get a backup solutions in place.
There is not a shortage of cloud backup solutions out there, so choosing one can be a daunting task. Instead of choosing based on price, make sure that your business evaluates the performance criteria and understand the different types of solutions available. Here are some areas you need to consider before choosing a solution.
- Backup & Restore Features. Is there a cap to the amount of online storage available to you or is it unlimited? What type of backup does it use? There are a few types of backups to understand: automatic which scans your computer and uploads files to the cloud automatically, continuous which takes any existing files in the cloud and makes automatic updates to it, incremental identifies files that have changed and backs up only them, saving both time and bandwidth. There are other features a solution might offer such as deleted file recovery and file versioning, which gives you the power to revert to a previous version of a file.
- Security. The area that causes people the most pause is the security of the cloud. Transferring your private data via the internet and storing it online does come with some amount of risk. It is important for data encryption to keep files safe during transit and during rest. There needs to be password protection and a personal encryption key. It is also important to understand and consider the data center security as well. Is the data center of the solution you are considering protected 24/7? Do they use geo-redundant storage (meaning multiple data centers with duplication of your files to safeguard against risks of fire or natural disaster)? Do they have a data wipe security feature that can protect your data from falling into the wrong hands due to theft?
- Mobile Access. Given the way that mobility is taken over the business world, it is important to know if the solution you are considering has smart phone apps that can be used to access your stored data from remote locations. If they have these apps available, do they have them available for all the main operating systems? Given the pace that technology changes, you need to make sure that you are choosing a solution that has a versatile mobile experience.
- Technical Support. When you use a cloud solution, you are the one in charge of the solution. If it is the first time you are using the cloud, you are going to have questions and you are going to need to make sure you have support available to get you quick answers. You also will want to ensure there are multiple methods of contact available in case one method won’t work due to phone outages or network issues or whatever may be thrown your way.
Computer failures happen every day, natural disasters happen occasionally, so there is a high likelihood that at some point you may benefit from a cloud backup solution that will protect your data. Every day, organizations produce and store more data. Without this data, the business is nothing. It is critical to have a modern, but still dependable solution in place to safeguard all your important information. Choosing and implementing a cloud based backup solution is an important decision that requires a lot of understanding. You should consult with your IT Provider if you are considering on implementing this solution. If you do not have an IT Provider or are not happy with your current one, contact 2W Tech today and let’s work together to select the solution that makes the most sense for your organization.
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