In the event of a disaster or hardware failure, cloud backups, also known as online backups or remote backups, provide a means of saving a copy of a file or database to an external server. Typically, a third-party service provider hosts a secondary server and data storage system, and the backup customer is charged a fee based on the amount of storage space or capacity used, the amount of data transmission bandwidth used, the number of users, the number of servers, or the number of times the data is accessed.
Advantages of Cloud Protection
The use of cloud protection offers a wide range of advantages including:
- Additional Protection: To begin with, cloud computing offers off-site data protection in the event of a calamity. Businesses must have a backup strategy in place to protect against the loss of sensitive information in the event of a disaster. A cloud backup is a copy of an organization's data stored in a remote location that can be accessed from any location with an internet connection. This type of security is incredibly dependable and secure. Data is copied across several servers after being transferred to the cloud to protect it from any potential hardware faults. To keep hackers out, the top cloud backup services use military-grade encryption. Furthermore, the cloud server provides automated backups and snapshots to protect your data further.
- Lower Cost: Cloud backup storage is also quite inexpensive. Many businesses are turning to cloud storage as a more cost-effective option to keep their data safe rather than investing in a dedicated server and the workforce to keep it running. The cost of storing anything will vary depending on the customer's requirements. You may relax knowing that your server is in a prime location because the host uses cutting-edge data center infrastructure and other modern technology. Furthermore, the service providers manage all server monitoring, maintenance, and upgrades, so you don't have to. You can reduce your annual operational and bandwidth costs by transferring your data storage needs to the cloud. You can save even more money because remote data storage and maintenance do not require the use of in-house electricity and resources. For archival and real-time data backups, the cloud is the most dependable and cost-effective choice.
- Reliability: You and your client will not have to put in any extra effort to use cloud backup successfully. When you are connected to the internet, your data is automatically and continuously backed up to the cloud. Customers can access their data stored in the cloud from any location with an internet connection. Users can use cloud storage with simple drag-and-drop, and no extra training is required. Cloud backup systems enable backups to be restored from any location at the push of a button.
- Automation: Cloud computing solves this issue by allowing you to back up your data and applications at times that do not interfere with ordinary company operations. You no longer must need to conduct the time-consuming task of backing up your data every day using cloud storage. While you focus on what and when to back up, the cloud backup solution manages your backups.
While cloud computing offers considerable protection and many advantages, there are problems that even cloud computing cannot solve. The perception that cloud computing is perfect is not necessarily true.
Primarily, cloud backups do not protect against time-bombed malware or Attack-LoopsTM, where malware-infected recovered data reinfects your data with the ransomware. However, the bidirectional malware scanning that Asigra provides can solve this. Secondly, one huge problem is that cloud backups are vulnerable to larger attacks. If an attacker can get access to the managed service provider that offers cloud backup services to many clients, all these clients would be in trouble. Asigra offers solutions such as Deep Multiple Factor Authentication (Deep MFA), soft deletes, file name obfuscation and more, which can be useful in protecting cloud backups.
It is also important to note that there are situations where cloud backups might be slow to recover. Furthermore, many companies find that they might need an onsite backup for faster restores. In such a case, cloud backups might either be unreliable, or the need for onsite backups might put the data at risk. Cloud backups, though a strong solution, cannot by itself offer the only solution to ransomware, at least not a foolproof one.
The kind of cloud backup protection offered by Asigra is a better, more advanced option.
Contact us today to learn more!
