We all know that backing up our important data is vital, especially in the business environment, but with a variety of options available, how do you know which one is the best for you? One of the most popular choices is often between online backups and external hard drive backups. Many people worry that backing up online poses additional security risks when in fact, more often than not, it is the safest method of backing up – and it has certainly proven itself in the past few years. While external hard drives have had their time and place over the years, at Soteria Cloud we strongly believe that online backup is far better than external hard drives. Let’s take a look at why:
Why External Hard Drives Are NOT the Ideal Backup Option
- While a hard drive can always be with you, it’s not necessarily a good thing. An accident, theft or even a fire can cause irreparable damage.
- Hard drives aren’t invincible and neither is your data when it is backed up to one. Your hard drive can fail or it can be damaged and along with it; your data, both of which need to be replaced.
- Data recovery from a damaged or malfunctioning external hard drive can be expensive and sometimes even impossible.
- Hard drives need to be physically linked up to the machine you are working on in order to access the backed up data. This can be quite problematic if you don’t have the required hard drive on you, or if you need to access the data unexpectedly / remotely.
- The security of your data is your responsibility and unless you are particularly knowledgeable about IT, encrypting data can be an overwhelming task. Data saved on an external device that can be accessed by anyone stands to face a variety of security risks if it isn’t encoded.
Why Online Backup IS the Ideal Backup Option
- Online backup offers exceptional security features such as 256 bit data encryption and 24 hour security monitoring.
- Your backed up data is always safe! There’s no need to worry about losing important data if your device is stolen or becomes damaged. You can still retrieve backed up data even if your hard drive fails / malfunctions.
- It’s affordable. Online backups cost in the region of R2 per Gig, which can be budgeted for upfront. Investing in hard drives that might need replacing along the way is an unknown expense.
- Quick and easy data backup restores. Any and all lost files can be recovered within a couple of hours by contacting a local South African support team.
- Everything is automated so you won’t have to remember to process backups. Simply set up the system to an automatic schedule and as long as you are connected to the Internet, your backup will be handled for you.
At Soteria Cloud we offer affordable, encrypted online backup options to our clients. We invite you to learn more about our business online backup packages as well as our personal home online backup packages.