As an SME owner, you have more than enough to worry about right across your business on a daily basis. Which may mean taking care of the security of your data backups may feel like something you can put off for a while.
However, did you know that a UK SMB gets hacked every 19 seconds? How about the cost of a cyberattack has risen from £115,000 to £310,800 for UK SMEs? Or that up to 60% of small businesses actually cease trading six months after experiencing a data breach?
This is an issue that has increasing resonance as more and more small businesses are increasingly employing hybrid working post-pandemic. Unfortunately, too many SMEs don’t have a security plan or a cloud backup service for small business in place to guard effectively against these risks and are paying the price for it.
Your data backup security specifically has important implications for your overall data security and business continuity. By adopting a cloud-based approach, you can reduce your risk of losing data and improve business continuity – in a cost-effective and scalable way.
In this article, we’ll explain your options.
What is Cloud-based data Backup?
Simply put, cloud-based data backup is when some, or all, of your data is backed up to cloud based systems. Cloud backup solutions for small business in the UK typically store backup data on flexible and scalable infrastructure in multiple data centres across the globe.
And Cloud-based cloud based backup solutions for small business offer the flexibility to work with an on-premise solution or completely replace it.
There are out-of-the-box, proprietary cloud-based small business cloud backup services. However, you may need to develop a custom solution, depending on the scale and nature of your data requirements. As well as any regulatory and compliance needs you may have under, for example, the Data Protection Act (DPA)2018 and associated GPDR regulations.
What are the business benefits of cloud-based data backup services?
Contrary to popular belief, cloud backup for small business can be more secure than conventional on-premise backups.
When looking for cloud backup services small business must keep in mind that security doesn’t only relate to threats from hackers or other cybercriminals. Threats can also arise from natural disasters, power interruptions, hardware or software corruption, human error, etc.
In a typical on-premise solution, all your data is stored on a single system or server. Effectively this is a single-point-of-failure. Which means if something happens to the system – or the office premises housing the systems – all your data is effectively at risk.
This has a number of very practical implications including:
- If your server is offline due to the disruption, your data will be unavailable to make decisions for business continuity
- And if your server is lost due to a fire, flood etc. then all of your data is also lost
The typical scenario above highlights some of the key benefits of a cloud backup service for small business:
- cloud backup for small business services generally don’t store your data backups only in a single location. Data may be stored in multiple, geographically-dispersed data centres. If one server goes down, the data can immediately be accessed and restored from an unaffected one. Which means your data is available and secure at all times
- Today’s cloud data centres are specifically designed to provide the very highest level of physical protection for the servers your data is housed on, such as category five hurricanes, fires, security personnel, etc
- cloud based backup solutions for small business have a vested interest in the security of their systems. They also have the capital to invest heavily in security on a large scale. Despite what may seem intuitive, cloud backup systems often have tighter cybersecurity than in-house solutions. It’s also harder for malware to spread across various cloud systems which reduces the very real threat of data loss and corruption
- Cloud backups are available from anywhere, 24/7/365. If for whatever reason, you cannot access your on-premise servers, your data is also inaccessible. However, you typically only need an internet connection to access your backups from a cloud backup service
Why do small businesses need Cloud-based data backup?
However, there are more benefits to adopting cloud backup infrastructure than just the security and availability of your data. When considering cloud backup services small business has to bear in mind the many practical benefits on offer to a small, medium or growing business.
As you know, budget and effective resource management is always a primary issue for SMBs. And implementing an on-premise backup solution introduces several issues:
- The need for extra manpower to manage the backup systems
- Procuring, maintaining and refreshing systems
- Investing in extra on-premise security measures
Cloud based backup services remove the cost and hassle of all of the above. Their key focus is on providing backup-as-a-service and the onus is on them to invest in the hardware, software, security, maintenance, etc., to offer it as a package deal. And are most effective when implemented by a trusted IT support provider as part of a comprehensive IT security solution that also includes elements like a cyber security audit, security training for staff, best in class security monitoring tools and a plan for business continuity and disaster recovery.
What’s more, they can offer this in a way that’s both scalable and flexible meaning that you can scale your backup requirements in tune with the needs of your business. Just as you are able to do with other cloud products which you can implement as part of a cloud journey – rather than a discrete, fixed-term project. And data backup plans can cost as little as a few pounds per month per user.
So, the benefits of cloud backup solutions for small business in the UK are:
- Low resource requirements
- Minimal burden on your internal staff
- Scalability and flexibility
- Cost-effective pricing
That’s on top of benefits to data security and accessibility.
How does a cloud-based backup work?
Here are the basics:
- Cloud-based data backups involve storing some or all of your backups on cloud servers
- Multiple copies are made and stored in different data centres to ensure availability and redundancy
- Your cloud based backup solution will use some form of versioning to make sure all systems know which copy is the most up-to-date
- Updates and restores can be scheduled at regular intervals or be carried out on-demand
So that explains the ‘how’ in terms of how it all works. But what type of small business cloud backup solutions are available to your growing business?
These fall into 2 broad camps:
‘Out of the box’ solutions
Where you can download and configure a web based solution for yourself. In this case you will be selecting, configuring and monitoring your own solution.
Slight health warning here – implementing effective and secure cloud backup solutions for small business in the UK can be complex. Even in a small business. So, you are going to need know your RTO from your RTP and have some experience working with data backup and data security to ensure your solution is watertight.
Custom solutions
If your business is in growth mode you are more likely to want to implement or create a custom solution. One that is
- tailored to the requirements of your business
- takes account of specific data and device requirements
- addresses your needs for regulatory compliance
- and provides a roadmap for growth
Ready to move your backups to the cloud?
By now, we hope you are convinced that cloud backups are the smart move to make to protect your business, your employees and your customers. But how do you go about it?
Figuring out your requirements and finding the ideal solution can often be the most challenging part. That is where leveraging the extensive experience of an expert Managed IT Support and security provider like Managed IT Experts can help.
Need to talk backup and IT security? Then please get in touch for an informal, no obligation discussion with one of our IT experts around your needs.
