Should You Back Up Your Data Even if It’s Stored in the Cloud?
Do you have a false sense of security that your cloud data is safe and sound? You wouldn’t be alone. Many businesses think that if they use a platform like Salesforce or Microsoft 365 that it doubles as a data backup.
But cloud storage and cloud backup are two very different things. When you’re syncing with a cloud platform like OneDrive, files are “live,” meaning they can be edited or deleted.
Cloud backup, on the other hand, takes a snapshot of all your files and securely stores them by backup date. This allows you to restore files as they were on a specific moment in time.
51% of companies have reported they’ve lost data in the cloud in 2019.
Data loss can mean thousands of dollars in losses and lost productivity trying to recreate data that you didn’t save. In the case of cloud data, companies can feel even more of an impact these days because most have migrated a majority of their data to the cloud.
It’s vital that you don’t leave cloud data out of your company’s backup and recovery strategy, or you cloud be left with a major loss that could impact your business for years to come.
Why It’s Critical to Back Up Your Cloud Platform Data
Cloud Providers Recommend You Back Up Data
Cloud providers aren’t impervious to outages or server crashes, which means you could be without your data if they’re having a problem. Even large cloud application providers recommend that users back up data that is stored in their platforms.
For example, the Microsoft Services Agreement states, “In the event of an outage, you may not be able to retrieve Your Content or Data that you’ve stored. We recommend that you regularly backup Your Content and Data that you store on the Services or store using Third-Party Apps and Services.”
Ransomware Can Attack Cloud Data
Ransomware is one of the costliest forms of malware for businesses because it can bring operations to a standstill, and if a company doesn’t have an easily retrievable copy of all their data, one phishing attack can cost them dearly.
And this isn’t only an on-premises problem. Ransomware often attacks cloud networks, either through direct injection or through a syncing computer that is infected.
The costs of ransomware are high, and just about double when a company has to pay the ransom:
- Average cost in 2019 when ransom was not paid: $732,520
- Average cost in 2019 when ransom was paid: $1,448,458
If you don’t have a separate copy of your cloud data to restore, you may have no choice but to pay or lose everything.
Cloud Data Breaches are a Big Concern
Credential theft has been on the rise as hackers go after where data is now being stored, which is largely in cloud accounts.
70% of companies have suffered a public cloud data breach within the past 12 months, which illustrates just how vulnerable cloud files can be if they’re not properly secured or backed up.
One breached employee login with the right privileges can allow a hacker to delete all your files and empty the recycle bin after they do. If you don’t have a way to restore those files from a backup, you could be left with a negative impact for months or years later.
Your Files May Be Deleted Due to Retention Policies
Cloud platforms can have multiple retention policies that can be confusing for users to understand. For example, in Microsoft 365, there are different retention policies for things like deleted emails, deleted accounts, and OneDrive and SharePoint files.
If you don’t understand those retention dates, you could end up with a problem with files lost for good. Such as in the case of a deleted user that doesn’t have file ownership immediately transferred. Those files could be purged from the system as soon as 30 days later.
Users Make Mistakes
If a user accidentally overwrites or deletes an important file in your cloud storage account, you could end up losing the original file for good if it’s not been backed up in a separate backup and recovery system.
User errors inevitably happen, and this could lead to major data loss due to one wrong click on a folder containing hundreds of files.
Because those cloud storage files are “live,” they’re susceptible to editing or being removed. You eliminate the threat of user error-caused data loss by ensuring all files are backed up safely.
Need Help With Cloud Platform Backup Solutions?
Don’t leave your Central Florida business unprotected! C Solutions offers several backup solutions for both on-premises and cloud platform data.
Schedule a free consultation today! Call 407-536-8381 or reach us online.