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Cloud Backup vs Cloud Storage – Are Your Cloud Platforms Included in Your Backup & Disaster Recovery Plan? (They Should Be!)

Could Backup vs Cloud Storage: Are Your Cloud Platforms Included in Your Backup & Disaster Recovery Plan? (They Should Be!)

One of the main benefits of using cloud platforms is that your data is there whenever and wherever you need it. Continue reading to find out what’s what in the cloud backup vs cloud storage scheme.

No trying to email large files back and forth between users or devices, and no more dealing with multiple versions of the same file. The cloud allows multiple users to work on the same file and keeps a copy stored safely online.

However, one big misconception that may business owners in Brisbane and other parts of the world have is that cloud data is safely backed up by virtue of using the cloud platform.

That’s not the case at all. Just having your data in a cloud storage or other type of cloud app does not mean that it’s being properly backed up and it won’t prevent data loss should something happen.

Microsoft’s Services Agreement states, “We recommend that you regularly backup Your Content and Data that you store on the Services or store using Third-Party Apps and Services.” 

For proper business continuity and to reduce the risk of costly data loss, you should be including your cloud data in your backup and disaster recovery strategy.

Cloud Backup vs Cloud Storage: The Difference Between Cloud Storage and Cloud Backup

The false sense of security that many companies have about data being stored in cloud platforms stems from a confusion between cloud storage and cloud backup.

Cloud Storage:

  • Saves files in the cloud
  • Syncs data between devices
  • Is designed to make file sharing easy
  • Files can be deleted or overwritten

Cloud Backup:

  • Saves files in the cloud
  • Keeps incremental copies of all data
  • Files cannot be deleted or overwritten
  • Is designed to secure files in case they need to be restored
  • Can restore all backed up files to a computer, server, or cloud platform

How Can Files be Lost in a Cloud Platform?

There a several ways that data can be lost or unavailable when you’re working with a cloud platform.

Accidental Deletion

Say you have a new employee that is working on a file stored in your company Dropbox account. While they are working, they unknowingly delete an important folder. This goes unnoticed for a couple of months. 

Once discovered, it’s past the cloud platform’s retention date for deleted files, and so the folder can’t be recovered.

A cloud backup and recovery system on the other hand is designed to capture a snapshot of all data on a device according the time increments that are set. This data can’t be later deleted or overwritten. When needed, a full or partial file backup can be done from the cloud recovery process.

Overwriting of a File

Cloud systems have limited ability to keep different version copies of the same file and are actually designed to ensure the most currently updated copy of information is always available. 

This leaves files susceptible to being overwritten and having the original file lost if it’s not backed up in a third-party solution.

Server Hard Drive Crash

Cloud platforms are using real servers to store your data. Those servers just happen to be hundreds or thousands of miles away in a large data center.

Those servers can also suffer hard drive crashes just like an on-premises server, which can result in data loss.

Cloud Platform Outage

Another section of the Microsoft Services Agreement states, “…all online services suffer occasional disruptions and outages, and Microsoft is not liable for any disruption or loss you may suffer as a result. In the event of an outage, you may not be able to retrieve Your Content or Data that you’ve stored.”

This is no surprise to users of multiple cloud platforms that have experienced unexpected and frustrating outages.

Major platform outages last year that left companies without access to data include:

  • Salesforce
  • G Suite
  • Microsoft Office
  • Cloudflare (whose outage impacted multiple cloud services)

Data Breach

There are over 300 million fraudulent sign-in attempts on Microsoft cloud platforms each day. Credential theft and password stuffing happen on a variety of cloud services as hackers look to get their hands on sensitive data or use company resources like email.

Once a hacker gets into your cloud service, they can delete all the files, infect them with ransomware, or unleash a virus that then syncs to your devices.

Data stored in the cloud is just as vulnerable to a data breach and malware infection as data stored anywhere else.

To ensure your cloud data is properly protected and retrievable when you need it, all your cloud services should be included in your IT disaster and recovery plan. This includes having data backed up properly in a third-party solution.

Work with Connected Platforms to Protect Your Cloud Data

We can help you put an effective cloud backup and recovery system in place that captures ALL your data, whether it’s located on devices or in cloud solutions.

Contact us today for a free consultation, if you have any further points you’d like to clarify around cloud backup vs cloud storage, or to find out more about other IT solutions we can help you with. Call (07) 3062 6932 or book a coffee meeting online.

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