Data can be defined as sensitive files and important information, at least for the purposes of this article. Assuming you are a business owner (for whom this post has been authored) then it’s very likely that you handle data on a daily basis. If you do not use this data securely or nobody ever taught you how to handle it, the chances are you do not have a cloud account. Without a cloud account, it’s very unlikely that you will be able to back your data up as securely as you could if you did.
Cloud accounts are online databases, infinite in size. These databases enable business owners like yourself and even private individuals to store huge amounts of data, safely and securely. When one uses a cloud account there is no longer a need for physical storage devices like hard drives. Something else that is great about them is that they are highly secure, almost impenetrable. You would have to be an extremely skilled hacker to be able to crack even the most basic cloud account, let alone one with things like two-factor authentication enabled.
This post will explore the importance of data backups on the cloud and explain why you need to be doing them on a regular basis.
Protecting Your Data
Data is the lifeblood of most modern businesses. Without it, they would not know who their customers are or what their spending habits are. If you are the owner of a business which by virtue of finding this guide you most likely are, now’s the time to start protecting your data. If anything were to happen to it then it could be very damaging to your reputation and get you into trouble with your regulator, something that will be covered in the next topic. More than anything else, according to Backblaze, backing your data up gives you the peace of mind of knowing that it is safe and nothing can happen to it. When you consider the importance of data in modern business it’s not hard to see why one might want such peace of mind. Using the cloud also protects your data from criminals who’re out to steal it and then use it for fraud, not just from accidental file deletion or corruption.
Following Regulations
As briefly touched upon in the previous section, backing up your data can help you to prevent incurring the wrath of your industry’s regulators. Industry regulators do not take kindly to business owners who are not diligent in protecting their data. Data leaks that occur due to negligence can get business owners into lots of trouble. If you are found to have allowed customer information and data to fall into the hands of criminal gangs, regulators will levy huge penalties against you and may even force you to close until the vulnerabilities that led to the leaks are fixed.
Building Consumer Trust
Consumers want to know that you have them covered. Nobody wants to have their data fall into the hands of criminal gangs. Most people today know how important it is to protect themselves and as a consequence do everything they can to keep themselves safe when they are using the internet. If you are the owner of a business and you have not protected people’s data, they will likely stop doing business with you. If on the other hand, you make it clear to them that you protect it and back it up, they will thank you and will continue to shop with you for many years to come.
Preventing Corruption
Data corruption is not as much of a problem today as it used to be. If your files become corrupted then it can prevent you from being able to use them. By backing them up on the cloud, however, corruption no longer has to be a problem. When you back your files up, they are stored online in the condition that they were the day you uploaded them forever. In other words, if you ever lose files or they become corrupted on your actual device or computer, you can restore them to the way they were when they were first created, prior to corruption.
Restoring Important Files
Some files are more important than others. If you run a business, you know this. A customer’s personal information is far more important than a transaction ID, for example. If the former is lost, corrupted, or stolen, it could ruin your relationship with them and more than that, could hinder your marketing efforts moving forward. When you have a cloud account to which your files are backed up, you can restore them immediately. Any corruption that occurs can be mended immediately. The restoration of important files is one of the benefits of using the cloud.
Remote Access from Anywhere
When you use the cloud, you can access files from anywhere in the world. It doesn’t matter where you are or who you are with, you can access them. Being able to access one’s files from anywhere makes it easier to be a digital nomad. Digital nomads are people who live their lives somewhat unconventionally, traveling around the world and working from anywhere. If you are interested in becoming one then you’ll be pleased to know that by using the cloud (and assuming your business is purely an online one), you can get started traveling right away.
International Client Collaboration
Something else that is great about the cloud (although that doesn’t have much to do with this post’s main focus, data backups) is an international collaboration. When you use the cloud you can send files to and collaborate with people from all over the world. It really doesn’t matter where a person is, as long as you are using the cloud (and they are too) then files can be sent to them. Most cloud services use content delivery networks to reduce latency when sending files to international collaborators, increasing the efficiency of doing so.
Running a business is by no means easy. Knowing what to do with data can be particularly challenging. If you are running a business then now’s the time to invest in a cloud account. Doing so will mean you can enjoy the benefits outlined here.
