How can I backup my data to the cloud?

By Eric Salinas

Storing data in the cloud is the choice most businesses are making today. Along with the right storage solution, businesses must also consider can be how the service stores the data in their cloud. Some of them copy (replicate) the data to other locations to guarantee the data always be available. Although pricing for cloud storage is continuously decreasing, it may still be a difficult decision for some business. Today, most businesses are finding that the price is worth it for business continuity.

But what happens when these storage locations stop working and become inaccessible?

Cloud Backup Recovery Plans

Depending on what measures have been put in place to recover from such scenarios, the following scenarios can occur:

Recovery Plan 1: No plan in place to recover the files.

Outcome: Files are lost for good. They need to be recreated manually or the business must go on without them.  This is the worst-case scenario and it can have a significant impact on your bottom line.

Recovery Plan 2: Files were manually or automatically copied to an external hard or flash drive.

Outcome: If the drive was not affected by any failures of the computer, the files will be intact and can be manually restored to your devices.

Recovery Plan 3: Storing files in a non-connected device like a NAS.

Outcome: Since files are automatically copied by a program or utility to another computer or device not directly attached to the one that failed, they can be restored from a local source with relative ease. Common examples of these programs are: Windows Backup, Symantec Backup Exec, Acronis, Barracuda, Veeam, Datto, CommVault, ArcServe, EaseUSToDo, Paragon, Macrium, and ShadowProtect. Many of these backup solutions also copy the files to an additional source, creating a second copy of the data for extra protection.

Recovery Plan 4: Cloud-based backup solutions.

Outcome: This is the one solution to protect the files that are only housed locally when the entire office or site is compromised by a disaster. Cloud-based backup solutions fill the gap in data protection by saving data at an offsite location. Frequently used solutions are: Co-locations (off-site storage), Dropbox, Google Drive, iCloud, iDrive, CrashPlan, Amazon Drive, MS OneDrive, NextCloud, Zoho, MozyPro, Carbonite, Egnyte, OpenDrive, FileCloud, CenterStack, and Wasabi.

 If using the cloud for backups, sounds right for your business, take your time when sorting through your options. Information on your current setup will influence the best fit for your business, so make sure you know how much data there is to be moved, the type of storage(link to storage article) that aligns with your goals (collaboration, storage only, flexible backup storage or hybrid), and how you want your data protected (redundancy plan). Keep in mind, the more protection and function needed the higher the cost.

Article 1 in our Cloud series: Cloud Computing

Article 2 in our Cloud series: Cloud Storage

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