You can’t see it, but the cloud is essentially a network of hardware and software services that exist online. Whenever you store something in Dropbox or create a document in Google Docs, you are storing and accessing data and programs over the cloud.
In the old days, we simply stored all our files and data and programs directly on our PC’s or laptops, hard drives and servers but today, as the world’s data consumption continues to grow exponentially and the internet becomes integrated with all aspects of our lives, it makes more sense to have everything accessible in the cloud.
You can pay a cloud service provider to rent access to anything from applications to storage. This means companies no longer have to worry about buying large servers, updating applications and operating systems or even paying a host of IT support professionals to manage it all in-house.
One major benefit of handing over your IT infrastructure to a cloud services provider is that companies can save on the upfront cost and complexity of owning and maintaining their own systems, and can pay for only what they use, when they use it.
Backing up data has become one of the top IT problems faces by business today and the cloud is becoming the standard for most businesses with a recent TrustRadius survey estimating that 46% of data center backup users already back up to the cloud, and an additional 31% plan to do so.
Backing up to the cloud comes with some inherent security risks but can also include more security features. Most cloud backup vendors offer additional data management features, around-the-clock monitoring, and reporting, data encryption and even things like threat detection that can help put your mind at ease.
Accessibility is another great reason to backup on the cloud. Since data is stored online, it can be easily accessed from anywhere. Teams can access files from anywhere and on any device and even access remote IT support services, which can make remote working a breeze.
There are definitely arguments against using the cloud. The fact that you need internet access at all times can be prohibitive. There’s the potential for things like crashes and security breaches and there are reports that the cloud is having a serious impact on the environment. Whatever the concerns, the cloud looks set to become our primary data infrastructure and so we need to be continually assessing what our needs are and how they can be better met by suppliers to ensure our data is secure and easily accessible at all times.
Speak to a Supportwave IT support professional about setting up cloud backup for you or your business.
