When it comes to small business, you have limited resources to work with. This is the reason why you can’t be careless with your time. Data has become the most fundamental and critical resource for any business in 2020. There are various ways through which you can manage data in a company. But your data needs protection and insurance and it needs to be your top priority today if its not already in place. Cloud backup solutions for small business deliver exactly this.
The most common way to protect your data is by backing it up somewhere. Acccording to the recently published Deloitte report into the value of Cloud Services in Australia – 40% of businesses in Australia are using premium cloud storage services. We do it all the time to protect our personal data as well. We backup our laptops, phones to protect our private data. Imagine if suddenly, all your data on which your small business operations depends upon, vanishes into thin air. Some small businesses won’t be able to function without their valuable data – they will quite simply become unviable. Scary right?
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Traditional Backup Vs Cloud Backup
But there are two ways to backup your data. You can either backup your data in a traditional hard drive or you could backup your data via online cloud storage. Cloud Backup has a lot of benefits over traditional backup such as –
- Cost Savings – Physical Hard Drives are quite expensive and since Cloud Backup works on economies of scale, it’s a quite cheaper alternative.
- Security – Cloud Backup offers better security and encryption to protect your data from hacking.
- Data Segmentation – Cloud Backup offers better data segmentation features which help you utilise more space while reducing data redundancy.
- Adjustable Storage – Since small businesses are always subject to rapid growth, you can alter your storage requirement in Cloud Backup solutions.
- Productivity – More than 80% Australian small business owners reported an increase in productivity by using cloud storage for their business according to the aforementioned Deloitte report.
- Reduced IT Staff – 30% Australian small businesses have reported that introducing cloud has helped them cut down their IT staff requirements the Deloitte Cloud Services report also stated.
Top 5 Cloud Backup Services for 2021
Let’s take a look at some top rated backup solutions for small business available in the Australian marketplace.
1) Acronis True Image 2021
Features – Acronis True Image 2021 satisfies more than 4 million consumers and 5000 small businesses in more than 145 countries worldwide. It delivers online backup service for small businesses, corporations, individuals and service providers. It’s one of the best cloud backup solutions for small business. It also proposes several other backup solutions and services. It has bagged multiple awards and gets very excellent reviews from various analysts and users.
Benefits
- Acronis True Image 2021 has the capability to backup your data from any type of atmosphere — physical, virtual, cloud, or mobile.
- Acronis True Image 2021 offers cybersecurity technology; it can combine some security features into its online backup solutions, including hacking and ransomware protection based on AI and machine learning.
- Due to it’s easy to use interface and design, you can use Acronis True Image 2021 in merely three clicks, and the company pledges that you will be able to restore data within seconds after a disturbance.
- Acronis True Image 2021 also integrates AI and blockchain features formulated to prevent attacks on archived data and files.
Pricing – starts at AU$ 79 per year
Link to Site – Acronis Official Australian Website
2) Carbonite
Features – Popular among small business owners, Carbonite also offers a spectrum of best cloud backup solutions for small businesses. These incorporate Carbonite Safe which is suitable for offices with up to 25 computers, Carbonite Server for your office servers, and Carbonite Endpoint 365 which is the best choice for server and Office 365 data. The solution proposes low-cost pricing for small business plans with a free 30-day trial. Carbonite has a broad consumer base and provides peace of mind from knowing that this cloud service protects more than 1 million customers.
Benefits
- Carbonite provides award-winning assistance that is available 24/7.
- It can protect data which is encrypted via 128-bit or 256-bit encryption.
- Furthermore Carbonite provides various solutions such as Database, application, image, and bare-metal storage solutions that are available for customers with a server plan.
Pricing – starts at AU$ 59.99 per year.
Link to Site – Carbonite Official Website
3) CrashPlan
Features – If you are looking for a cost effective cloud backup service that supports servers and individual PCs. They have exclusive features like simplified management, automatic reports, dedicated 24/7 support, and competitive pricing which are a good fit for small businesses. They have won numerous awards. Crashplan featured on several “best of” lists, and it also offers a free one-month trial.
Benefits
- Crashplan’s starting plans cost $10 per month per computer or file server, with unlimited storage and benefits.
- They let you transfer data to a local external drive without any extra cost.
- It protects your valuable data with 256-bit AES data encryption configurable security settings, and also possess tools to achieve HIPAA compliance.
- You can opt to backup data in realtime or on a schedule that you customize as per your convenience.
Pricing – starts at AU$ 10 per Device per User Monthly.
Link to Site – Crashplan Official Website
4) OpenDrive
Features – OpenDrive is a good value for money. It uploads files quickly, but the options available for restoring backed-up files are slower than its competitors.Even its mobile app need improvement. Considering these disadvantages aside, it offers better value for money than its competitors. It also offers free plans to support small businesses in Australia.
Benefits
- Upload, Edit, Replace, or Preview Files.
- Automated Backup with Sync and Backup Scheduling.
- Send Files and Folders by Email.
- Audio Player and Video Player File Versioning.
- File Encryption and Deduplication Redundant Back Up.
Pricing – Free Plans Available & Custom plans start at AU$ 5 per month.
Link to Site – Open Drive Official Website
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5) Backblaze
Features – If you are looking for cheaper backup protection, Backblaze might be the right choice for your small business. It is considered the most cost effective and one of the best cloud backup solutions for small business. It has a huge customer base that includes both consumers and small businesses, and it also offers cost effective cloud storage. It has more than 700+ PB (1 PB is equal to 1 Million GB) of data stored on its servers.Backblaze has won multiple awards. However, this solution is best suited for individual computers. It does not work well for data servers or data stored in the cloud.
Benefits
- Backblaze is very transparent about its simplified pricing model, which starts at just $50 per year for small business users, with no throttling or pricing tiers. However, pricing is different if you prefer to pay by the months in advance.
- To protect against hacking and ransomware, Backblaze comes with 30-day rollback capabilities, which should restore systems to a proper stable older state.
- This solution supports sign-on through G Suite or Microsoft Office 365 for seamless integration.
Pricing – Price starts at AU$ 50 per Year.
Link to Site – Backblaze Cloud Backup Website
FAQs
1. What is a cloud-based backup device?
Cloud backup Device (also known as online backup device) is a type of data backup device whereby a copy of the data is sent over a secure proprietary or public network to a cloud-based server and not stored in a physical hard disk. Cloud computing services are usually provided by a third-party vendor who sets the service fee based on scalability, bandwidth, or several users. Cloud data backup can run on demand, thus ensuring minimal data loss.
2. What is the distinction between cloud storage and cloud backup?
- Cloud storage is designed to supplement your hard drive space and make it easier to access and edit files from different devices. You must manually select files you want to store in the cloud with cloud storage. Cloud backup providers are serious about keeping your data secure – your files are usually encrypted both on transfer and storage.
- Cloud backup are created in a way that you can restore files in the event of data loss. They work automatically to save and sync files stored on your computer. But, in a cloud backup service, data can only be encrypted on the server-side, rendering the data transfer process slightly less secure.
3. How do I back up to the cloud for free?
There are many cloud backup tools like Blomp, Degoo, Mega, Google Drive, Dropbox, where you can access cloud backup for free.
4. What is the most secure way to store data?
The most secure way to store data is to use authenticated encryption for protection. This technique stores an encrypted file and additional metadata that lets users detect if it’s modified or not.
Conclusion
Do not underestimate the value a good cloud backup service can provide for your small business. Consider the right data backup solution, like an insurance for your valuable data. This is the reason why you shouldn’t think about choosing the best cloud backup service for small business lightly. Although cheaper cloud solutions may be tempting, whenever you select a cloud solution, make sure that they have all the necessary features which you require for your small business account. However, you shouldn’t get involved with complicated cloud services with unnecessary features that are not practical.
Another thing to keep in mind whenever you’re choosing a cloud backup service is your data storage location. Make sure they comply with the regulatory requirements for data storage in Australia. Finally, you need to realize that your cloud storage for small business is your last line of defence, so you need to ensure that your data is secure with the highest level of encryption, antivirus, and multi-level security.
