Back to Basics of Backing Up: How to Choose the Right File Sync & Backup

19 May

2020 saw the whole work-from-home concept flourish. It’s not that people are starting up their own businesses from home, but rather that businesses are realising the value in having home-based and remote workers. Not only does this make for a happier workforce, but it also seems to boost productivity. Of course, with the convenience of home working comes a plethora of threats, data loss potential, and vulnerabilities open to opportunistic cybercriminals.

The work-from-home professional has a lot to worry about! Hard drive failure, ransomware, natural disaster (flooding or fires), human error – you name it! The only true way to protect your data, your business, and your employees is to get back to basics – backing up! By choosing a good file sync and backup service, you can minimise the potential for ultimate data demise.

What is the Best Backup Solution?

When it comes to backing up data, there are a few options to choose from. One is that of backing up to an external hard drive and another is to opt for an online backup service. The problem with external hard drives is that they can malfunction, you could lose the device (or it may get stolen), or you could fall victim to a natural disaster.

For these reasons, we believe that online encrypted data backup services are the best possible data protection solution.
What’s great about an online backup service is that the files are all encrypted for security reasons. In addition to that, the uploaded files can be accessed and restored at any time and from anywhere – as long as you have an internet connection and your username and password on hand.

Is Encrypted Backup the Same as Cloud Storage?

The simple way to answer this question is, ‘no’.  A file syncing and cloud storage service is a service such as Dropbox, Google Drive and even OneDrive. These services will store files in the cloud, but they don’t offer document protection.

The Cost of the Right Backup Service

One of the first things that business owners worry about is the cost involved in a cloud backup service. Because the right backup service doesn’t usually come for free, they think that opting for a free cloud backup service is the answer…when, in reality, it is only a temporary solution and will eventually lead to complications and even more costs.

All cloud storage and backup service providers offer packages that have different account features. These rates usually fluctuate depending on the security offered, the number of devices linked to the account, and of course, how much storage space will be used.

Free accounts do offer storage capabilities, but when it comes to document protection, it’s quite limited. Free cloud backup plans also come with storage space limits and restricted key features. These features are typically essential to a professional business. You might also find that the files are difficult to upload, or the size of the files that can be uploaded at once are limited. This can be quite inconvenient. When you run out of space, you will typically be offered the option to upgrade to a paid account.

The Convenience of the Right Cloud Backup Service

When shopping around for a good backup service, you will likely pay special attention to the data encryption offered – and that’s good – but what about the convenience? Imagine going to the expense of equipping all of your employees with professional backup systems on their devices, which they then forget to make use of! That’s a waste of money and a risk for your business.

With a decent backup service, you should be provided with software that is quick and easy to download and activate. You should then be able to set the software to carry out an automated backup on certain days of the week and at specified times. This means that you and your employees never have to remember to do a backup – the system will do it for you.

Because the data is stored in the cloud and encrypted, there’s no need to store sensitive information on employee devices and if something does happen to the device or if there’s a case of human error with an accidental delete, there’s nothing to worry about as it’s all there, safely stored in the cloud.

The Security of the Right Cloud Backup Service

There are many cloud backup services available, but not all of them are equal. Consider a backup service that offers data encryption as this means that not even your employees can access documents that are saved to the cloud and locked. Absolute peace of mind is yours. You will be given a private encryption key required to unlock your documents and you can use a password manager to store this for you.

Features of the Backup Service

One of the most important features to look for in a data backup service, and second only to encryption, is that of the restoring of files. Restoring and recovering files should be quick and easy. If it’s not, you are wasting valuable time and money. Make sure that your chosen system has an effective file search feature and that it also has the ability to recreate and restore entire folder tree structures – which is what you will require if you need to recover from a big data breach or loss.

The Performance of a Backup Service

Another important feature to keep your eye out for is – speed. You don’t want a backup service that is extremely slow. You need a service that can encrypt, compress, and upload files to the service quickly, especially if you need to upload a lot of data or a lot of large files. Pay attention to the minim speeds offered and ensure that you chat to the service provider about your particular size and amount of data.

In Conclusion…

Choosing the right backup service at the right price can seem daunting, but have you considered the risks and costs of going another day without it? The more your workforce works from home and the more freedom you give your staff to work from home, the greater the risk of data loss and breach is to your business. Protect your business, yourself, and staff – choose the right data backup service today.

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