Why Your Business Needs Off-Premises Data Backups

Data is the lifeblood of modern businesses. The digital age has enabled organizations to collect, store, and process vast amounts of data, which can be used to make critical business decisions, develop new products and services, and help your organization gain a competitive edge. However, this valuable data is also vulnerable to a range of threats, from cyber-attacks to natural disasters.  

This is why off-premises backups are crucial for organizations of all sizes. You may be wondering what an off-premises backup is.

Off-premises backups refer to the practice of backing up data to a remote location, outside of your organization’s primary data center or office. This is often done through a cloud-based backup service or a secondary data center. By backing up data to a secure off-site location, your business can protect against data loss, speed up recovery times, and ensure regulatory compliance.  

Protection against data loss  

One of the primary reasons organizations should use off-premises backups is to protect against data loss. Organizations can lose data in many ways. Natural disasters such as floods, fires, and earthquakes can wipe out entire data centers, as can hardware failures, human errors, and cyber-attacks. By storing backup data off-premises, you can ensure your data is safe in case of a disaster.

Faster recovery times 

In case of data loss, organizations need to be able to recover data as quickly as possible to minimize downtime and avoid lost revenue. Off-premises backups can help speed up the recovery process by supplying an added copy of data that can be quickly restored to a new location. Much like how cell phone data is saved in the cloud, your organization can also save, or backup data to the cloud, making it easy to access data from anywhere.

Scalability and flexibility 

Depending on your organization's needs, off-premises backups can be easily scaled up or down. Cloud-based backup services offer the flexibility to increase or decrease backup capacity as needed, without the added hardware or infrastructure. You can also set it up to automatically back up data on a regular basis, which means that your organization won't have to worry about manually backing up its data.

Regulatory compliance 

Many industries have strict regulations governing the storage and protection of sensitive data. Off-premises backups can help businesses ensure that they are complying with these regulations, by supplying a secure, off-site location for data backup and storage.

Cost-effectiveness 

Off-premises backups can be a cost-effective solution for businesses of all sizes. Cloud-based backup services offer a pay-as-you-go model, allowing businesses to only pay for the backup storage they need. We also suggest organizations use a local backup. Companies can save money by restoring their local backups within hours, compared to cloud-based backups that can take days, if not weeks to restore the data. By considering the specific needs and priorities of your organization, you can develop a comprehensive backup strategy that incorporates the strengths of both approaches.  

Off-premises backups are an essential part of any business's data protection and disaster recovery strategy. By storing backup data in a secure, off-prem location, your business can protect against data loss, speed up recovery times, and ensure regulatory compliance. Whether you're using a cloud-based backup service or a secondary data center, your organization should prioritize off-premises backups to ensure the safety and availability of your valuable data.

• Some questions to consider when choosing your organization's backup solution are: 
• What does the recovery or restoration process look like? 
• How long will the restoration process take to recover all data? 
• Has the cloud-based storage for your data been backed up? 
• Have you tested your backup?

If you need help answering these questions or if you need help setting your organization up for success with our variety of services, including cybersecurity and backup solutions, reach out today: 616-235-6860 x 105 or contact us online!

Keep an eye out for future blogs that may address some of the different questions to consider when choosing your organization's backup solutions.