Virtually every business relies and depends on its computer systems. Nowadays it’s fairly hard to imagine a business or establishment that doesn’t use computers. An inevitable consequence of this is that as employees rely on them to do their jobs, losing data because of unreliable computer systems is deeply frustrating and can be extremely debilitating for staff morale.
Which is why computer systems need to be backed up. If you don’t, you risk permanently losing your data, losing time and losing money. What’s more, your backup systems need to be robust enough to cope with your data backup needs of the future, not just right now.
But what do you need to know before you spend your money on cloud-based storage?
Well, as with most things in business, cost is key. Work out your budget before you choose provider but then arm yourself with the information you need to spend wisely:
- As well as cloud backup, they should be able to back up the data on other media and locally
- They should also be able to protect different devices of different brands on different platforms. Most businesses use a combination of all three so just protecting one is pointless
- You should be able to access your cloud-based backed up files from any device
- You need full image and backup recovery to the cloud and locally, including file and folder backup. Yes, you should be that detailed and specific
- Thinking ahead, you need to be able to schedule as many different backup plans as you need. Your current requirements may change in the future
- You must be able to encrypt data and passwords for maximum security of data in the cloud
- Make sure that you can generate and manage encryption keys yourself
- Make sure that your provider enables you to create Virtual Private Cloud – entirely private to you
- Choose a provider whose solutions are cost-effective and flexible – this is an evolving area
As a business, you need to be getting the best value for today with an eye on the future, so pick a provider who can evolve with you.