Data loss has the potential to devastate your small business. Without the information your business relies on to function daily, your customers won’t receive the service they expect, and your employees will be unable to perform their daily duties. To prevent data loss from interrupting your productivity, cloud backup solutions can offer small businesses like yours peace of mind and stand as an essential part of your IT plan to keep operations running smoothly. Many of these services include disaster recovery, ransomware protection and server security. While there are many companies available to provide this service, here are the five best cloud backup solutions for small businesses to start your search.
Five Best Cloud Backup Services
IDrive
With continuous data protection that backs up files as they are altered rather than during scheduled updates, IDrive ensures your most current data is protected in any scenario, and costs are based on storage space used. The company supports multiple devices, including Android and iOS, and maintains the security of your data by using 256-bit AES encryption. IDrive offers tiered backup plans for its business customers, starting at 250 GB and going up to 12.5 TB for larger operations. Data backups can be run from MS Exchange, MS SQL, Linux, VMware, MS SharePoint Servers, Oracle and user PCs. The IDrive Express service offers a physical recovery option, sending you a 3 TB encrypted hard drive within a week if you experience a data loss event.
BackBlaze
Unlimited storage services and an easy-to-use interface make BackBlaze a smart choice for many small businesses. Its manual and automatic backup options let users exclude files and folders, allowing you to reduce wasting space with unnecessary data. Backblaze is budget-friendly and offers encryption for your stored data, although decryption requires contact with the company. The company also offers services to help clients locate lost or stolen computers and will ship a hard drive with your recovered data if requested.
CrashPlan
This cloud backup solution supports Windows, Linux and Mac OS and offers several customizable features, such as individualized data set features, file retention and versioning and protection for deleted files. Backup communication is protected with 28-bit encryption, while backup data is secured with 256-bit AES encryption. Subscriptions are reasonably priced, but the cloud backup service does have some limitations, including an inability to share files and a lack of mobile device and server backups.
Carbonite
Carbonite provides comprehensive protection for your data center and is simple to use. This cloud data service includes backup software, offers unlimited storage and can be set up to run automatically in the background. With the ability to set up its continuous backup option, Carbonite will only back up new files or files that have been altered to reduce the bandwidth needed. The company manages encryption but allows an encryption key to be set, giving you full access and the ability to restore files with just one click.
Acronis
Acronis offers a full range of online data backup options, including incremental backups, multi-level data compression and file filtering. Data can be pulled from Linux and Windows servers, from VMware and directly from PCs with the ability to utilize local disk backup, network storage, and cloud storage options. Acronis also uses a 256-bit AES encryption to maintain the security of your business data and offers Bare Metal disk imaging for full system state storage. It’s important to note that working with Acronis requires a commitment to a perpetual or three-year license.
EIRE Systems is a leading IT services company dedicated to enhancing your data security and business efficiency. If you have questions about improving your cloud backup solution, contact EIRE Systems today for more information.
About the Author: EIRE Systems
EIRE Systems is a leading independent provider of professional IT, AV and Access Security services to the financial, insurance, manufacturing, health care, retail, construction, hospitality, commercial real estate, legal, educational and multinational sectors in Japan and throughout the Asia Pacific region. EIRE Systems has expertise across a wide spectrum of Information Technologies, with a track record for successfully completing hundreds of assignments since its establishment in 1996.