These days, we all recognise the importance of backing up our data to aid a speedy recovery should the worst happen. But where’s the best place to store your backups? It may not be where you think…
Backing up your data is one of the smartest decisions you can make. Especially at a time when cyber attacks are becoming increasingly sophisticated, leaving businesses at greater risk than ever before. Data backups mean that, should you suffer a breach – with data either stolen or held hostage – you’re able to gain access to what you need in order to put your continuation strategy into action.
Hopefully, you’re already backing up your data. But where are you storing it?
Some organisations are storing their backups on-site. And it’s easy to see why. After all, the entire reason for backing up data is so that, in the event of a problem, you’re able to access your data quickly. And there’s nothing quicker than having your data right there, easily accessible within your office. Just pop in the right hard drive, and all your lost data is magically and instantly restored.
However, while on-site backups are convenient, they’re not the best option. In fact, although you may believe you’re protecting your business, you could be leaving it open to even more risk.
The problem with on-premises backups
Of course, on-site backups are certainly better than no backups at all. But they come with their own unique set of risks. The first is that CDs, hard drives and tapes are all physical items stored within your workplace. If the security of your premises is compromised and thieves are able to gain access to your office space, there is a chance these physical backups could be stolen, leaving you with nothing.
Another very real risk is the risk of disaster, either natural or otherwise. What happens if a fire breaks out at your premises? Or your office is hit by flooding? Your data could be lost forever. Reports suggest that 50% of businesses have lost data due to having a poor backup strategy.
The solution: off-site backups
Off-site backups mean that your data is backed up and stored at a different location to your workplace. This is often in a secure and monitored environment, massively reducing the risk.
Off-site backups were once considered to be less convenient due to the need to rely on data retrieval from a third party. However, the introduction of cloud-based storage in remote data centres has largely eradicated this issue, with data able to be accessed quickly from anywhere, at any time.
As you can probably guess, off-site backups are generally more costly than on-site solutions. But they’re also scalable, growing – or reducing – as your requirements change, so you only pay for what you need. And a question every business should be asking is: can we afford NOT to back up off-site?
The good news is that many organisations are already realising the benefit of off-site, cloud-based backups, and reports suggest that 81% of mid-large businesses and 94% of smaller companies are now using cloud backups. But those figures could be higher. And that’s what we’re here for.
As part of our managed IT services, we ensure your business-critical data is being backed up regularly, giving you complete peace of mind that, should the worst happen, you’re well on your way to a speedy recovery. To find out more about our services and discover how we can help you, get in touch.
