Backup: what are the storage options for backing up data?

In this blog post, we present the backup storage options available for businesses. When thinking about your backup strategy, you should consider which data you need to back up and how you can keep this backup safe – this determines backup storage needs and costs. You should also look for a solution that can grow affordably with your business.

Let’s recap, so what is backup?

Backup refers to the process of making copies of data to use in the event of the original data being lost or destroyed. The process of backing up data is pivotal to a successful disaster recovery plan, and this kind of preparation is by no means novel. We have been backing up data since the beginning of the computer age. There have however been many changes in the methods and storage technology used in this process. Those who have been working in the IT industry for a while will be able to recall the evolution in storage technology – from tapes, to hard drives, and then finally to cloud storage.

If you are still unsure whether it’s worth investing in disaster recovery, give this blog post a read as we explain why investing upfront in the mitigation of potential disasters will save your company and network in the long run.

What are the best storage options for backing up data?

Here are the most popular options and the sorts of businesses they are appropriate for:

External Hard Drive (on-premise)

An external hard drive is a small-scale solution for an on-premise server environment. These are traditional and widely used forms of backup. The main benefits are they are portable and comparatively less expensive. There are physical risks to hard drives as they can fail just like internal drives, and also a fire or flood that wipes out your computer will also destroy the external hard drive unless you take it home every night as a disaster recovery measure.

Network Attached Storage (on-premise and off-premise)

Network Attached Storage (NAS) is created by adding a NAS device or a dedicated storage server which connects to your server network to store files. NAS offers a slightly larger scale solution and is more suitable for businesses with multiple servers. This solution is more disaster-proof as you can set up multiple NAS devices (on-site and off-site) and even sync them online.

Cloud Storage (off-premise)

Cloud backup solutions are suitable for businesses of any size. You and your employees can back up your data to the cloud from any server or device, anywhere with an Internet connection. Cloud backup solutions are easy to manage, and providers offer customer support, so it’s a popular solution for its convenience. Since data is stored on the provider’s premises, it won’t be affected by a disaster at your locality. The main concern about using cloud backup solutions is privacy and security. Make sure to select a cloud backup service that takes adequate security measures.

Preparing for the worst is the best approach

To truly disaster-proof your systems, it is best practice to combine local and cloud backup, following the 3-2-1 rule. This is the recommended way to keep your data safe in all circumstances:

Stay tuned for our next backup blog post, where we’ll discuss specific backup solutions, such as Acronis and Veeam.