Businesses of all sizes are responsible for safeguarding and preserving the integrity of their data. Customer contacts, financial records, inventory and sales data, email correspondences, company documents, and other confidential content require thorough protection to ensure the sustained functioning of your business.
All organizations should consider what might happen to their data if a server fails or an unexpected disaster occurs. While the chances of a major disaster are low, human error, hardware faults, or theft can leave them vulnerable. It’s crucial to have tools in place, like backup as a service in Calgary, to recover data for any scenario.
A cloud-based backup provides extra security in case of an incident. Since the files are hosted off-site, local issues are less likely to affect them. Many cloud solutions are available, so it’s important to choose one tailored to your business needs.
What are Cloud backup Solutions?
Cloud backup solutions (also known as online or remote backup) duplicate physical or virtual files and databases and securely store them in an off-site location. This measure protects against threats like equipment failures, site-wide catastrophes, or human errors. Typically, the backup server and data storage systems are managed by third-party cloud or managed IT service providers, who charge clients recurring fees based on storage space, data transmission bandwidth, user count, server count, or the frequency of data retrieval.
Cloud data backup improves data protection, business continuity, and regulatory compliance strategies without adding to the IT staff’s workload. The efficiency and time-saving benefits often outweigh the additional costs, including data transmission expenses.
Cloud subscriptions for these services are typically structured monthly or yearly. Originally popular among individual consumers and home offices, online backup services have become a staple for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) and larger enterprises to safeguard specific types of data. Cloud data backup adds a layer of security for critical business information.
How Backup as a Service Solutions Work
A cloud backup solution operates around a client software application that adheres to a predefined schedule based on the level of service the client selects and their specific needs. This process involves several key steps:
Scheduling backups: The customer’s contract determines the chosen backup schedule. For instance, daily backups occur every 24 hours.
Data processing: The client application collects, compresses, encrypts, and moves data to the cloud service provider’s servers.
Implementing incremental backups: Service providers often implement incremental backups following the initial full backup to optimize bandwidth usage and reduce transfer time. Only data that has changed since the last backup is transferred.
Inclusive data protection: Cloud backup services typically include software and hardware components required to safeguard an organization’s data, including applications designed to protect critical systems.
Data restoration: Whether a customer uses their own backup application or the cloud backup service’s software, the same application is used for data restoration. Data can be restored on a file-by-file basis, by volume, or through a complete backup restoration. File-by-file restoration is often preferred, enabling businesses to quickly recover individual lost or damaged files without restoring entire volumes.
Data shipping: In the case of large data volumes, the cloud backup service may ship the data on a complete storage array to the customer, allowing them to connect it to their servers for data recovery. This process is similar to reverse seeding.
Cloud backup solutions offer the flexibility to conduct restorations from virtually any computer and location. If the primary data center becomes unavailable, data can be recovered directly to a disaster recovery site in a different location. The key feature of cloud backup solutions is their ability to ensure data protection, efficient backups, and seamless restorations, regardless of the location or scale of the data recovery required.
Types of Cloud Backup Solutions
Backup applications traditionally offer various backup operations. Primary types include full, incremental, and differential backups. Additionally, there are synthetic full backups and mirroring. In cloud backup, incremental backups are typically more resource-efficient. Initially, a full backup can be done in the cloud, followed by incremental backups. Mirror backups are generally an on-premises method, commonly using disks. Here is a brief overview of each type of backup:
Full backups
Full backups duplicate all data onto a storage device like a disk or tape. The primary advantage is swift data restoration, providing a complete data copy on a single set of media. However, full backups are time-consuming and demand substantial storage space, leading to periodic usage. Data centers with limited data or critical applications may opt for daily full backups. Typically, full backups are complemented by incremental or differential backups.
Incremental backups
An incremental backup exclusively copies data that has changed since the last backup. Organizations typically employ file modification timestamps to identify changes. Incremental backups can be executed as frequently as needed, capturing only recent alterations. Their advantage lies in the minimal data volume they copy compared to full backups, offering swifter backup speeds and demanding less storage media for backup retention.
Differential backups
A differential backup operation copies all data changed since the previous backup on its initial run. Subsequent operations continue to back up all data altered since the last full backup. Differential backups accumulate more data than incremental backups, but considerably less than full backups. While more space and time-intensive than incremental backups, they are still more efficient than full backups.
Mirror backups
A mirror backup closely resembles a full backup. It creates a replica of the source data but exclusively retains the latest version in the backup repository without tracking multiple file versions. Mirror backups offer swift data recovery and easy access to individual files but require substantial storage space. If the source data encounters issues like corruption or deletion, the mirror backup reflects these problems. It’s advisable not to rely solely on mirror backups for comprehensive data protection and to incorporate other backup types in your data strategy.
A daily full backup offers great protection for organizations handling smaller data sets without significantly escalating storage expenses. However, for larger organizations with extensive data or server volumes, adopting a weekly full backup strategy, complemented by daily incremental or differential backups, is a more practical and efficient choice.
5 Factors to Consider When Choosing a Backup as a Service Provider
Here are five important factors to consider when selecting a cloud data backup service:
Storage and Scalability
Research how much data the cloud service provider can support. Depending on the plan, it can range from 1 GB to unlimited data. Consider how flexible the solution is for multiple computers and employees or if you need to increase users due to growth.
Backup Frequency
Some providers offer hourly, daily, or monthly backups, while others provide real-time backups and syncing. The best providers match backups to your needs and allow scheduling during low usage or bandwidth times.
Security of Servers
Ensure the provider can handle cyber threats, as hackers often target cloud systems for confidential data. Check if they comply with your organization’s standards and regulations, such as data center location requirements.
After-Sales Support
Investigate the effectiveness of their customer service. Check the communication channels they offer for support, such as email, phone, chat, or social media, to ensure you can easily contact them in case of emergencies or technical issues.
Competitive Pricing
Cloud service providers have different pricing schedules, from monthly to yearly costs per user. Some include backup services in larger service packages. Determine your budget and work with the provider to find the best solution for you.
Safeguard Your Data with Ironclad TEK
Consider all the proprietary data your business creates—thousands of emails, contacts, documents, and records stored on computer hard drives and corporate servers. This data represents your business’s intellectual property and perhaps its most valuable asset. How would a loss of data affect your business?
At Ironclad Tek, we provide backup software, storage, and management resources for a turnkey solution. A reliable, flexible and automated data backup solution prevents data loss, protects against breaches, and ensures data recovery and restoration when needed.
We offer exceptional support and expertise, providing secure backup, storage, and recovery for your mission-critical data. Our automatic and reliable remote backup service ensures your data is safe off-site, away from potential threats like theft, fire, and other disasters. Protect your business’s most valuable asset with Ironclad TEK’s Backup as a Service in Calgary.
