Selecting the Best Enterprise Cloud Backup Solution

Selecting the Best Enterprise Cloud Backup Solution

Securing your data against threats like cyberattacks may appear daunting, especially when handling copious amounts of information.

But since data loss can occur at any time, it’s essential to be prepared to react with resiliency, and enterprise cloud backup data protection solutions may help.

It not only protects your data and prevents downtime but additionally gives you peace of mind knowing that if needed, data recovery can occur quickly to get your operations back up and running.

On this guide, we’ll discuss the advantages of enterprise cloud backups and what to contemplate when selecting a backup solution.

What Is Enterprise Cloud Backup?

Enterprise cloud backups are designed to back up enterprise workloads on servers in an off-site location to enhance company resiliency. As attacks and costs rise, 80% of IT professionals rank availability and performance as vital for businesses. Enterprise cloud backup solutions are built for giant organizations that require robust cloud backups to secure operations-critical data and ensure business continuity.  

On top of securing data within the cloud, enterprise backups provide quick data recovery solutions in case of a natural disaster, power outage, data breach, or equipment failure. On-site or traditional backup systems are especially vulnerable to physical failures, akin to harddrive failure, putting you prone to losing critical data.

Enterprise cloud backup solutions are sometimes scalable and automatic and include robust security measures that may help corporations meet regulatory compliance requirements.

Cloud Backup vs Cloud Storage

While each solutions utilize cloud environments, cloud backup and cloud storage are very different. 

Cloud Storage

Cloud storage allows users to store data on servers in an off-site location. Consider it as a virtual harddrive. This data is accessible whatever the device used or location. One advantage is that it streamlines collaboration and file sharing. It also permits you to increase storage capability when needed, unlike on-premises storage systems, which require you to buy a brand new device when you should expand.

Nonetheless, cloud storage doesn’t employ automation and doesn’t include backup storage or recovery solutions.

The different sorts of cloud storage include block storage and object storage. Liquid Web offers each of those options.

Cloud Backup

This cloud service provides a backup strategy and guards against data loss in case of a natural disaster or malicious web attack. It stores copies of your data out of your physical or virtual machines in an off-site location that you could access anywhere with an Web connection. Furthermore, it ensures automatic backups of your files and applications and creates a fast recovery solution in case of information loss. 

Cloud backup services and backup software often include security measures like encryption to guard data each at rest and through transit. The precise security measures vary by whether you might be using a public or private cloud system.

Overall, cloud backups are mainly used to perform emergency recoveries and ensure resiliency, while cloud storage maintains a concentrate on accessibility.

Varieties of Backups

Full backups can be costly and take longer to perform than other types of backups.

When selecting an enterprise backup plan, there are several types to contemplate. Below are essentially the most common:

Full Backups

Because the name implies, full backups entail making a replica of your entire data, including files, SaaS applications, and folders, onto a storage device. Note that the info is backed up right into a single version in such a backup strategy. 

The principal advantage of a full backup is that it should take minimal time to revive the info when needed. Nonetheless, it also includes some downsides. As an illustration, running such a backup requires a variety of data space for storing, which may get expensive. Full backups also take longer to perform and require more bandwidth.

Because of this, corporations are inclined to run full backups on a set schedule together with incremental or differential backups to save lots of bandwidth and space for storing.

It bears noting that every one businesses should run a full backup as a baseline.

Incremental Backups

Incremental backups involve copying or backing up only the info that has modified because the last backup. For this strategy, the software backs up essentially the most recent changes no matter which backup type (i.e., incremental or full) you performed last. 

This implies a corporation may perform such a backup as steadily as needed for its specific needs. An organization recurrently running sales transactions would back up data more steadily than an organization with data that changes only occasionally.

Since incremental backups copy smaller amounts of information, it leads to a speedier backup using less bandwidth. Nonetheless, multiple incremental backups could lead to needing extra space to accommodate them along with the total backup.

One downside to incremental backups is that recovery time could also be slower, because it requires data to be pieced together from multiple backups.

Differential Backups 

Differential backups lie between full backups and incremental backups. Mainly, differential backups start with a full backup, after which subsequent backups will include all of the changes made to the files. 

For instance, let’s say a full backup was performed on Monday morning, and changes were made Monday night. On Tuesday, the differential backup will store all of the changes made since Monday’s backup. If more changes are made Tuesday night, Wednesday’s backup will include the changes from each Monday and Tuesday nights.

Any such backup strategy doesn’t waste bandwidth on data that’s already safely backed up. It also takes less time to finish a backup because there may be less data to transfer. And since you would require only the last full backup and the newest differential backup to perform a knowledge restoration, you will not need as much data space for storing.

Best Practices for Cloud Backups

Best practices for cloud backups include testing your backups and staff training.

Listed here are just a few things to be mindful of when backing up enterprise data to the cloud:

  • Test your backups — The last item you wish is to find your data protection solutions aren’t working when you should get well something. To guard against this, test your backups to make sure all is working properly.
  • Implement staff training — Regardless that enterprise cloud backup services include robust security mechanisms, make sure you train your staff to discover potential cybersecurity threats like social engineering attacks. The most effective cyberattack and ransomware protection is usually a well-trained staff that knows what to observe for.
  • Implement the principle of least privilege — This principle ensures that only authorized users can perform backups. This principle implies that you simply allow users access to what they should perform their job duties moderately than setting blanket access levels.
  • Follow the 3-2-1 backup rule — This backup strategy involves having three copies of your data stored on two different storage devices with one backup copy in a distant location. This rule will also be implemented with cloud services in case your provider has geographically diverse data centers.

Advantages of Cloud Backups

Using the cloud as a backup strategy and data protection solution offers strong advantages for organizations of all sizes, from small businesses to large enterprises.”

Data Protection

One key profit is the optimal protection it gives you. As an illustration, suppose disaster strikes or your system gets compromised. Having enterprise cloud backup means you possibly can quickly get your data and online presence up and running again, whatever the condition of your physical locations.

As mentioned earlier, local backups are vulnerable to natural disasters, local events, and civil unrest. Hurricanes, wildfires, riots, and even an area power outage can put your data in danger. And may data land within the incorrect hands, the results could include lawsuits, financial losses, and long-lasting reputational damage.

Cost-Effectiveness

One other significant profit is that it’s cost-effective.

You won’t should purchase hardware like on-site servers or put money into ongoing maintenance. As well as, there won’t be a have to look into additional hardware or backup software if you outgrow your current backup storage capability. As an alternative, you possibly can offload infrastructure costs and maintenance to your service provider. 

Scalability

As mentioned earlier, cloud backup doesn’t require replacing hardware as your storage needs or backed-up data increase. That’s because cloud services assist you to quickly scale in response to high demand. While extra resources carry some extra cost, it’s minimal in comparison with adding physical capability at your location. You furthermore mght won’t need as much time to upgrade.

Accessibility

Cloud data is accessible from any Web-connected device, which suggests you possibly can access your data from anywhere. This also makes it easier for distant teams to collaborate. Private clouds more strongly secure distant access than public clouds.

Automatic Backups

Automatic backups save time and lower risk versus traditional backups. Cloud service providers typically offer the power to preset automatic backup schedules to suit your needs. It also means you won’t should worry about time spent on manual backups, so your IT team can devote more time to concentrate on high-priority tasks. 

What To Look For in Enterprise Cloud Backup Solutions

Enterprise cloud backups allow you to restore backed-up data with ease.

When evaluating enterprise cloud backup services, there are several items to consider before making a choice.

Security 

So to guard data against potential breaches, ransomware attacks, and other cloud backup security issues, enterprise backup solutions often provide advanced safety features. These features include encryption, access controls, replication, intrusion prevention, and authentication. Providers often offer a alternative of public cloud or private cloud plans and add-on features and services, akin to Acronis Cyber Backups, to permit corporations to customize their security levels.

For enterprise backups, physical security measures are also vital. Protections akin to motion sensors and surveillance cameras help ensure maximum protection on your company’s data.

Disaster Recovery 

A disaster recovery plan is important for enterprise corporations. As an illustration, how quickly can your system get well from a natural disaster or malicious attack?

Your backup solution needs to offer quick and efficient disaster recovery. 

Key elements of a disaster recovery plan include a recovery time objective (RTO) and a recovery point objective (RPO). These metrics seek advice from how long your system could be down and the way much data loss you possibly can tolerate.  

Backup Frequency

The frequency of backups is determined by the kind of data you are backing up. And firms could have different schedules for various parts of their business. An ecommerce division might back up sales hourly, while an HR division might only have to back up weekly. 

Backup scheduling flexibility and limits vary by provider. It is vital to select a provider that gives you the liberty to schedule backups that suit your needs. 

Customizable

The best enterprise cloud backup provider should provide you with the power to customize your cloud backups and storage to suit your specific needs. As an illustration, Liquid Web permits you to control your scheduling options and configure log storage. Additionally they include a recovery team across the clock to help you together with your backup needs each time they arise.

Compliance

Enterprise backup services must also comply with security protocols and meet requirements for corporations that must comply with industry-standard regulations like PCI DSS, SOC 3, and government rules like HIPAA. The worth of noncompliance for covered enterprises is high, so you will not need to ignore compliance standards.

Customer Support

Enterprise backups are critical to protecting your data. And your backup solution needs to be accompanied by reliable technical support, no matter your operating system. Expert technical support for Linux or Microsoft Windows apps needs to be available. Strong technical support helps to scale back your IT costs and helps you get well data faster in case of a disaster or targeted attack. As well as, multiple channels of support like phone and email needs to be available.

For instance, Liquid Web provides industry-leading support such that it earned a status as The Most Helpful Humans In Hosting®. It also provides fast response times — under 59 seconds.

Final Thoughts: Selecting the Best Enterprise Cloud Backup Solution

On the entire, enterprise cloud backup is an incredible option to secure business-critical data, ensure its accessibility, and scale with ease.

If you happen to’re in search of a reliable enterprise cloud backup solution, Liquid Web has you covered. Our cloud server backups include multiple layers of protection and painless recovery options. On top of that, you’ll also get multiple storage options and 30-day log retention.

And if that’s not enough, we guarantee 100% network uptime.

Enterprise cloud backup solutions fit perfectly with fully managed enterprise hosting. We offer enterprise hosting with built-in redundancy, load balancing, and other powerful features.