Essential Small Business Tools: Cloud Backup

December 10th, 2012 / Blogs

When juggling the daily responsibilities of managing your small business, it can be easy to overlook your networking and IT needs. But what would happen to your business if you lost your important data? Your client data, important files, invoices, tax information, resources, and small business website are all dependent upon regular backups to remain safe and secure.

The Benefits of Cloud Backup

Added Security

There are several types of backup services available, but cloud backups are the most popular- and for good reason. Cloud backup services allow you store your important data offsite, which also protects your business in case of fire, theft, or other natural disaster. Think of cloud backup as storing your valuables in a safety deposit box instead of keeping at your home. This provides a secondary layer of protection for your information and files.

Instant Availability

Cloud backups also increase accessibility of your data. For the majority of cloud back up services, you can access your information securely from any computer or mobile device, at any time. Forgot a file at the office? Need to gain access to a client’s contact phone number to handle a problem after hours? No problem. With the ease of cloud backups, your information is updated regularly and available online. With cloud back up, you may never need to go into the office to handle an after-hours problem again!

Multiple User Access

When you set up your cloud back account, you can choose to set up your account to restrict or grant access to your information within your network. While the cleaning lady may have access to company email to keep up to date on important company happenings and dates, she probably doesn’t need access to your important business data or your client information. Cloud back up services allow you to provide username and password permissions for specific employees or departments within your small business.

Hardware Failure Protection

If your office would suffer an intense power surge or massive hardware failure unexpectedly, what would happen to all your crucial data that makes business possible on a daily basis? Backing up to an in-house server may be convenient, but cloud back ups protect against massive hardware failures, limiting your loss to hardware only, instead of including software and data into the loss estimate.

Set It and Forget It

Online back up services and applications are easy to install and set up, and are often nearly effortless to maintain. It truly is almost a set it and forget it system. The information is held securely until you need it. In fact, once you have an online back up system in place, you may never even remember to check in on your data storage. This is another reason why cloud backups are convenient, since most services will email you a regular report and notify you when you are approaching your storage capacity.

When it comes to protecting your small business data, cloud backup services are a great investment in protecting your business from a variety of IT disasters. For most small businesses, secure back ups are an essential business tool that keeps your business running.

CONTACT

Call 916-817-8877
to schedule a free assessment of your data backup needs with a GroupOne IT Consulting small business networking consultant.

Image courtesy of Graeme Weatherston/ FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Written by Chris Wiegman