5 Cloud Backup Myths

As we mentioned in a previous blog post, What Exactly Is The Cloud, “the cloud” is a nebulous concept that often causes confusion. Because of this, unsurprisingly, there are commonly-held misconceptions about cloud backup and how it works. The goal of this blog post is to dispel some of these pervasive myths and shed some light on cloud backup as a business tool. Cloud Backup is Insecure Many people are concerned that cloud backup is insecure and that data and privacy can be hacked easily on the cloud. In reality, many enterprise-grade cloud backup solutions are more secure than other traditional, on-premises backup methods; it really depends on the system. Most traditional backup systems require best practices such as managed rotation and encryption to be fully secure, and many organizations fail to adhere to those practices. Managed Services Providers (MSPs) can implement backup systems—both through the cloud and on-premises—with extremely effective security measures. Restoration Takes Too Much Time Most enterprise-grade cloud backup services store data locally, in addition to storing multiple off-site copies. Because of this, most recoveries occur locally at LAN speed, and data restoration is rarely necessary. In the unlikely case that the local data is compromised, fully encrypted portable data can be typically be shipped to an organization within 24-48 hours. Some service providers might offer additional alternative data recovery options as well. Cloud Backup Has Inadequate Capacity Many business owners require a full backup daily or weekly and so fear that those needs are too much for cloud services to handle. While repeated full backups to the cloud is not a good practice, enterprise-grade cloud services should support “incremental forever” backups. With “incremental forever,” incremental backups are made after the first full backup; only the changed data is sent, drastically decreasing the amount of data. Because of this, “too much data” is rarely cause for concern when it comes to cloud backup. “Incremental Forever” Means Countless Incremental Restorations Although organizations can backup data to the cloud incrementally, they do not have to restore that data incrementally. Rather, enterprise-grade cloud backup systems allow you to restore data to any point in time—with a single operation. Cloud Backup Too Expensive How valuable is your organization’s data? Could you put a price on it? What would it cost you to lose that data? Cloud backup systems are not necessarily hugely expensive. With managed backup services, you can align your backup systems—whether cloud, on-premises or a combination—to you organization’s specific data needs, eliminating unnecessary services and costs. Abandon your preconceptions, and rethink cloud backup. Cloud backup is a useful tool for businesses. Interested in a fully-managed backup system perfectly catered to your organization? Contact AIS today about our managed backup services.