Four Best Practices To Safeguard Your Cloud-Based Data

When you rely on a cloud-based platform to store your business data, you need it to be secure. However, many popular platforms like Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, and Salesforce fall short in the backup department, so these companies recommend having an additional backup solution for peace of mind. Here are four best practices to safeguard your cloud-based data.

Microsoft has gone so far as to state that they do not offer data backup. Microsoft’s Trust Center says that you are responsible for your data. Be sure to implement your disaster recovery and backup solution before you lose essential data. Protect your cloud-based information using a reliable backup and recovery system, and get more value for your money by following best practices. Follow these four steps to make sure your backup journey goes smoothly: 

Make Sure You Know What To Expect

Although most cloud-based platforms offer some backup and recovery, it is essential to check the vendor’s terms and conditions (T&Cs) to see how comprehensive their services are. For example, depending on how often you need to access or change your data, you may want a provider that offers real-time backup instead of one that only backs up once daily.

If you’re looking for a cloud-based backup solution, it’s essential to do your research first. Then, ensure you know what to expect from the platform regarding backup and recovery. 

Match Your Backup To Your Recovery Needs

Because every individual and business has unique backup needs, it is crucial to find a solution that you can customize to your specific requirements. Otherwise, you risk not being able to recover files or facing significant downtime.

Consider multiple factors to find the best backup solution for you. For example, how frequently data changes is one crucial factor- if it changes often, you’ll need to back it up more regularly. Other considerations include how much data there is, what type of data it is, and how crucial that information is. 

Test! Test! Test!

Backing up your data is not enough—you must also routinely test it to ensure that the backup is working and accessible. Years ago, I had a client whose server went down. The business owner claimed their internal IT guy regularly changed their backups. However, upon further investigation, we found that the backups had not run in 30 days.

Consistent testing is essential to catch any problems early on so they don’t have a chance to escalate into something worse. Depending on your backup system and how important your data is will determine how frequently you should test it. Ideally, your backup solution would have an automated mechanism for testing backups and reporting failures to you.

Security And Your Backup

As the digital world becomes increasingly complex, so does the security risks landscape. With more devices and applications we use daily, it’s crucial to be constantly aware of different ways your data could be compromised and have multiple strategies to prevent them. 

Recovering from a security issue or disaster is critical for your business’s survival and competition. If you’re ready to deal with any threat that may arise, not only do your chances of survival increase significantly, but this strategy will give you an advantage over less prepared competitors. 

Conclusion

As cloud-based platforms become more popular, it is vital to know the available backup and recovery options. While many platforms offer some backup service, it is important to check the vendor’s terms and conditions to ensure that the service meets your needs. Additionally, it is crucial to test the backup regularly to ensure it is working correctly.

Security is also an important concern when it comes to backups. Again, it is essential to have multiple strategies in place to protect your data from being compromised. 

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