Data is a fundamental resource for professionals and companies, but also a legal responsibility. This is why it is important to manage them correctly and protect them from old and new threats with an adequate backup system for businesses.
To find out more, here you can read:
Why backing up business data is essential
Backup methods for professionals and companies
Benefits of cloud backup for businesses
How to choose the right cloud provider for backing up business data
Types of cloud backup for businesses
Why backing up business data is essential
Today, companies collect volumes of data that grow at an exponential rate: + 50% every year. Most of them are created internally, while a smaller part comes from outside, for example from public databases.
Both in corporate and in SMEs, data is mainly generated by: sales and contacts of potential customers (leads), emails and work management software. Any organization retains customer information, employee information, and work files; in some cases also data coming from sensors and surveillance cameras.
Data are a huge resource for businesses at any scale: a lot of information is essential for setting up marketing strategies or even providing services and managing work. It cannot be lost. And it cannot even fall into the wrong hands, because companies have legal responsibility for the personal data they hold.
Data stored on disk can become unusable due to hardware failure and accidents to the buildings that house it; and today more and more often due to ransomware and hacker attacks, which jeopardize not only business continuity, but also respect for the privacy of users and employees.
It is clear that a company must be able to count on an efficient, secure and GDPR compliant backup system. And making a backup in the cloud allows not only to avoid data loss, but also that the latter are safe in protected data centers and accessible only by authorized personnel.
Backup methods for professionals and companies
Professionals and companies today have several backup methods available, from the most traditional to those taking advantage of the most advanced technology:
Backup to USB devices
Corporate data can be manually saved to USB devices. Storage space on external devices costs less and less. However, the time required to update backup copies negatively affects work, and human errors and oversights are just around the corner.
Backup to NAS
NAS are disk storage devices – basically computers – connected to work PCs through an internal corporate network. Through the network it is possible to make backups and access the saved data. NAS can support large amounts of data, but this could be lost in case of failures or cyber attacks, and also have the disadvantage of needing to be updated manually.
Cloud backup
The cloud is a technology that allows you to create backup copies on remote servers – usually made available by a provider – and connected to the internet. Thanks to clients and apps, backups can take place automatically even on a daily basis, and are accessible from anywhere through the public network. In addition, the cloud allows you to keep your business data safe from accidents and to be able to restore them in the event of cybercrime.
Benefits of cloud backup for businesses
A cloud backup system allows a business to automate the update of security copies of files, and have them safe and always aligned with the work done. In fact, cloud backup is:
Automated.
The best cloud services allow you to set up automatic backups, thanks to which data will be constantly saved in the cloud without employees and collaborators having to deal with it. This prevents the possibility of human errors. Moreover, the backup copies of business documents can be updated several times a day.
Safe.
Backups on local devices such as NAS and USB devices depend on the integrity of the disk hosting them, which can be threatened by accidents or attacks from computer viruses.
Instead, a reliable cloud service always guarantees data retention by replicating files to protect them in case of failures. Furthermore, the latest-generation data centers provide for physical and logical security procedures that may not be overcome, even by cybercriminals and ransomware.
Efficient.
Services such as Babylon Cloud offer a very high backup frequency and the storage of infinite versions of working documents: even in the event of a disaster, there will always be copies of the data saved just before, which can be restored in real time through the network.
Flexible.
A cloud backup service allows the organization to adapt the available space to the volume of data managed in real time, by purchasing more storage. It saves the time needed to manage local storage systems, which require planning and investments to always be ready to welcome new data.
How to choose the right cloud provider for backing up business data
Before choosing a cloud service for backing up business data, you need to make sure that the provider complies with a series of requirements:
- Cloud based on TIER IV datacenters located in Europe.
They are in fact the latest generation, which provide very strict procedures for data protection, both at the software and at the physical level. Better if the datacenter is also located in the European Union, where data protection regulations are extremely stringent. - Backups that comply with the GDPR.
The system must be designed for the protection of personal data: only in this way can a company be sure to comply with the rules without having to devote time and money. - Flexible storage space.
It will be useful to estimate the volume of storage needed and verify that the supplier offers it together with the possibility to adapt it quickly if professional needs change. - Data accessible only to the user.
The most secure cloud services are zero-knowledge: they make backup files unreadable to anyone other than the legitimate owner, thanks to data encryption and obfuscation systems. - Easy to manage system without an internal IT department.
One of the benefits of the cloud is that it frees the IT department from the burden of protecting data. The cloud provider should therefore provide clients and apps with a simple interface — which allow you to set up automatic backups — and excellent customer support. - Fast recovery in case of data loss
Better ask yourself a few questions right away: in case of disaster recovery, how long would it take to recover the data from the cloud? Are there any limits on downloading files? Is customer assistance efficient? - Administration panel for emplo
yee access management.
A cloud backup service for companies must offer the ability to differentiate data access and modification according to the type of user. - Apps for backing up mobile devices and private devices.
Today we also work outside the office and employees\’ personal devices – PCs, tablets and smartphones – increasingly contain work documents that need to be included in the backup. The Babylon Cloud app, for example, performs a real constant backup of mobile devices, not a simple cloud storage.
Babylon Cloud meets all these requirements. It also allows you to back up any type of device, including servers and NAS, making it easy for businesses to complement or replace local storage systems with a cloud backup solution.
Increase the security and ease of business data management: discover Babylon Cloud services!
Types of cloud backup for businesses
Cloud backup for businesses can take place in three ways: on a public cloud, on a private cloud and on premises.
Public cloud backup
If you choose a backup service on a public cloud, your company data will be stored on an infrastructure shared with the other customers of the provider.
Private cloud backup
Companies that prefer to have dedicated servers available can create their own infrastructure or take advantage of a private cloud as a service, by relying on an external provider.
Backup on on-premises infrastructure
A private cloud can exploit servers located remotely or installed in the company. The organization can choose whether to invest in the construction of the infrastructure, in its maintenance and constant upgrade, or use it as an IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service). In this case, the provider will take care of the construction and management.
Babylon Cloud allows professionals and companies of all sizes to choose between public cloud, private cloud and on-premises infrastructure, transforming data backup into a convenient and flexible service. Find out more about our solutions!
