Technology

Critical Factors to Consider When Choosing Cloud Backup Solutions

Cloud backup solutions

A quality cloud backup solution is very important for reliable computer systems. Nowadays the future is heading towards the cloud, and it’s delivering a lot of benefits, including security, mobility, and convenience.

Cloud data backup stores your existing data on offsite servers for use anytime, anywhere. Data is frequently synchronised or updated to mirror your system in real-time. You can provide optimal backup while using all cloud functions.

Good cloud backup solutions not only protect your business from disaster but also save you a lot of time and money in operational recovery. These days, there are several cloud backup solutions available in the market.

So in this article we are going to discuss seven critical factors that you need to look for when choosing a cloud backup solution. These are;

  • Data security
  • Compliance support
  • Seeding method
  • Ease of use
  • Availability
  • Pricing
  • Simple installation

So, let’s get into it.

Seven critical factors when choosing cloud backup solutions

Data Security

Several major data breaches in prominent data centres have recently made data security stand out. you must check the measurement method of various cloud backup solutions which is used thoroughly adopted by the provider to make sure the data is in the right hands.

Compliance Support

Vendors must adhere to standard privacy and security protections.

However, if you have a specific compliance requirement that your organisation needs to follow when it comes to backup or archive, find out exactly how your cloud backup solutions vendor will meet that specific demand.

Seeding Method

Installing the backup software and starting the initial backup has no effect until you have a complete copy of your backup storage. Some vendors seed via an internet connection, some provide physical drives and others seed locally to replicate a copy to the cloud.

Find out how your potential cloud vendor will use it, and investigate the pros and cons of each.

Ease of Use

You are much more likely to ignore or follow the least to the complex and difficult backup schemes.

Make sure the cloud backup solutions provider has a simple process that encourages employees to follow the backup protocol.

Cloud backup solutions Perth

Closeup of ethernet ports

Availability

Most cloud backup servers advertise 99.9% uptime but check your contract to see if that’s what it means. Many providers have exceptions and provisions that may leave you without access to your information. It needn’t matter if you are simply backing up your popular Australian blog, or a large software component, availability is still critical.

If possible, check the update schedule to see if their cloud backup solution meets your needs.

Learn about Pricing

Small vendors can provide both backup software and storage at a simple cost per gigabyte. With large vendors, you may have to pay charges for basic storage and additional receive, send, retrieve, delete, and query charges.

These are somewhat complicated, making it difficult to easily calculate predictable monthly costs. Ask and receive quotations that are clear and easy to understand.

“Sometimes it becomes very difficult to know what suits your needs. Everyone claims to be the best, fast and easiest.” says James Silver from Perth business, Balcatta Storage. “It’s a matter of evaluating the complete financial impact of their service.” he added.

Simple Installation

Forget drive installation and tape replacement. These methods are labor-intensive and can take hours or days to complete, depending on the size of your business. The cloud backup solution setup should be an easy one-time event.

You should be able to back up your files automatically according to the schedule you choose. So, it is important to confirm with your vendor.

In Summary

So when looking at cloud backup solutions, remember to check for these seven things;

  • Data security
  • Compliance support
  • Seeding method
  • Ease of use
  • Availability
  • Pricing
  • Simple installation

Look at various Australian cloud backup providers, and evaluate them all on similar questions. I wish you all the best of luck!

About author

Lauren Clarke is an Australian freelance blogger, who writes on small business marketing, human resources and business for a number of blogs. Outside of writing, she enjoys sampling Australian red wines, and live theatre. Follow Lauren on Twitter.