People are increasingly relying on cloud storage for both personal and professional information because of the various benefits it provides. However, using the cloud for data storage does not negate the necessity to back up your most important information in other locations. Cloud storage has its benefits: flexibility, high security, and the ability to access it anytime from multiple different devices. In many ways, the cloud is comparatively safer than other types of data storage.
Should I Back Up My Cloud?
Although there are many advantages to the cloud as a data storage solution, you also face certain risks, some of which can be mitigated by backing up your most vital data. Here are a few reasons why having local copies of important information is a wise idea:
1. Human Error and Syncing Issues
Although your data is generally safe when it’s in the cloud, a technical issue with a service could cause your data to be erased. You also can accidentally overwrite or erase critical data, which would be a big misfortune if you didn’t have the information backed up locally. When you’re switching service providers, there also is a risk of data getting lost in the transition.
2. Cybersecurity Breaches
Cyber threats are an evolving yet always present problem in the digital age. If you are the victim of a data breach or malware attack, you could lose your data or have to pay a steep price to recover it. According to a study by the Ponemon Institute, the average cost incurred by a business for each stolen or lost record is $158. With local backups, your company is more resilient and can return to business as usual quickly and efficiently after a cyberattack.
3. Service Crashes
Although highly unlikely, a service may experience a problem and erase your data, which is what happened in 2009 with Microsoft’s Sidekick servers when roughly 800,000 users lost access to their personal data. If the services you use crash or are temporarily interrupted, your access to mission-critical data becomes restricted, which can disrupt the flow of your business, negatively impact your clients and cost you time and money.
How to Back Up Your Cloud
If there is data you’ve been compiling over the years or that is critical for personal or business reasons, you shouldn’t rely solely on the cloud to keep your data safe. It’s equally important to have local backups of this data.
The Google Takeout page allows you to download your data from numerous Google services, such as Drive, Contacts, Google+, and YouTube. You can also export and download your calendars from the Google Calendar website on the Settings screen. LastPass is a smart solution for exporting your passwords and notes as an encrypted file.
Certain cloud platforms, like Azure, have internal backup and data recovery systems, and they provide complete user control when it comes to how and where backed-up data is stored.
These are a couple of examples of services that can help businesses in the southwest locate and create a local copy of your most important data. You can also get recommendations and assistance from a company that provides IT and business tech solutions, such as Integrated Axis Technology Group (IA).
IA is the go-to firm in Tucson and Phoenix, Arizona, for boosting the cybersecurity protocol of your business and ensuring your data is preserved in case of human error, malicious attacks by hackers, and technical failure.
