Cloud Data Backup Advantages
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With Software as a Service (SaaS), companies are essentially “renting” a software application with ongoing monthly payments, which can add up. Having to pay to access your data can become costly, especially as rates increase.
For a smaller company, there is a lower initial cost threshold to use a SaaS ERP application, but long-term monthly payments can eventually outweigh the cost of on-premise solutions that charge a one-time licensing fee.
Recently, there has been a growing awareness of data control, and many businesses are returning to on-premise due to cost savings and having ownership of business-critical data.
With on-premise software, you control your server and access to your software, and it is crucial to back up your data regularly. Data theft or loss can have a dire impact on your business.
For those using on-premise software, utilizing cloud backup services has several advantages over local data backup on an external drive.
Cloud Backup
All companies, including small businesses, are vulnerable to attack by cybercriminals. These criminals want to extract money from you for the promise that they will return your encrypted accounting and business data intact. Or, your organization could experience a system crash, fire, flood, or another event that compromises your business data.
Not having a backup can significantly impact your operation, and it’s common for companies to spend $20-50K for data restoration and a reformatted server/software implementation. In some cases, cloud-based backup may seem like an expensive option, however there may be high ROI for cloud-based backup due to the cost of data loss and recovery.
Like SaaS, cloud backup stores your data on remote servers hosted by a third-party. Your data is copied from your local device by the cloud backup service at regular intervals. Incremental backup stores data changes since the last backup was performed. Full backup uploads a complete copy of selected data, and continuous data protection means data is backed up continuously or nearly continuously.
Cloud backups enable quick data recovery should you need it, minimizing downtime and potential revenue loss. And, cloud backup can restore data from a pre-infection backup. It’s important to estimate the potential financial loss of critical business data and weigh it against the cost of a cloud backup service.
Security
It’s crucial to choose a cloud provider with robust security measures to minimize data breach risks. Understanding these protection features helps with assessing backup options:
– Zero-trust architecture (ZTA) is a security approach that requires continuous authentication of devices, users, and applications. ZTA focuses on identity and access management.
– Privileged Access Management (PAM) adds additional authentication protection by monitoring your highest administrative credentials for privileged accounts. Cloud backup does not directly use PAM but utilizes this protection to ensure only authorized users can manage the backup infrastructure.
– Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) is a security system that manages user access to cloud backup data by assigning specific roles to users. RBAC ensures that only authorized users with specific roles can initiate backups and restore operations.
Work with your IT consultant to design a backup plan and ensure the security of your cloud backup provider.
Passport Software
Passport Business Solutions™ (PBS™) is on-premise, professional-level software with a one-time licensing fee and a nominal fee for annual updates.
With PBS™, you manage your own server and have more complete control of access and security measures. Your company is responsible for setting user access policies, installing firewalls, antivirus software, and installing security patches promptly. A security patch is a software update that resolves a bug or security vulnerability in your software.
In addition to controlling security measures, companies are returning to on-premise software to minimize costs and secure critical data ownership.
Cloud backup provides various advantages, such as the ability to scale to increasing data requirements, automated backup processes, and rapid data restoration in the event of loss. Cloud providers manage backup operations, which reduces management costs for IT personnel.
Call 800-969-7900 to learn more about how PBS™ Accounting, PBS™ Manufacturing, PBS™ Distribution, and other business solutions can help your company streamline and grow. Or, contact us – we are here to help.