Cloud backups vs local backups – which is better?

All businesses need to have a data backup plan. Having a copy of your data somewhere other than on your internal systems is crucial to ensure it is not lost forever if the worst happens. There are two places you can keep your backups – in the cloud, or locally (on-premise) and choosing between the two will depend on what works best for your business.

What is cloud backup?

As you might already know, cloud storage refers to data that is stored on remote Internet servers. Cloud backup means this data is copied and stored on a cloud server. This would typically be managed by a third party or your IT provider, but you can access it any time you need to.

What are the benefits of cloud backup?

It is cost-effective

One of the main reasons businesses use the cloud to backup data is the cost. As a business owner, all you have to do is pay a monthly subscription to the cloud provider. It involves no extra investment or management cost, and you don’t need to worry about paying more down the line as your business grows.

Scalability

Your business may also choose cloud backup because this storage system is very scalable. You can backup your data according to your requirements – and quickly. Depending on the needs of your business, you can increase or decrease the amount of storage space with a simple call to your provider.

Accessibility

Since the data backed up in the cloud is stored through the internet, you can easily access your data from any device and from anywhere. This is important today where teams might be working remotely, from home or the office and have laptops, mobiles and tablets from which they work from.

Disaster recovery

The main reason for data backup is to ensure you can get it back in the event of data loss, theft or natural disaster. Cloud backups keep your data safe from any on-site catastrophe by offering a remote back up solution. This is quick and easy to do and does not involve any additional hardware. You can have your business back up and running in minutes, not days or weeks.

We offer a free disaster recovery health check to see how long it would take to recover your data. We’ll look at your existing system and provide you with a detailed report of the most suitable backup solution for your business.

Backing up your data to the cloud means you can also take advantage of tough security measures. Cloud service providers use end to end encryption, real-time monitoring and physical security of data centres.

What is local backup?

A local backup means data backup on storage that you can keep close to you. Usually, you plug in a local storage device directly to the source server or computer and create a backup copy. It is also possible to run a local backup through a local area network (LAN) connection. What are the benefits of local backups?

On-site accessibility

When a backup is stored locally, it is on-premise – you don’t have to go very far to access your data should you need it. And while cloud backup might become unavailable due to internet outage, the local option always stays available.

Whether you will go for local backup over cloud backup will depend on your internet speed and the amount of data you back up. If you’re unfortunate to have low internet speed, choosing local may be a better option – so you can backup and restore data whenever you need it.

Data control

You as a business have more control over your data if it is backed up locally and can ensure it doesn’t fall into the wrong hands. This type of backup protects your data against any cyber threat on third-party servers, however, it is your responsibility to manage and keep it secure.

If your business is looking at cloud vs local backup, a mixture of both will be of benefit to your business. Cloud backup is growing in popularity for businesses of all sizes, particularly as some move other areas of business online. However, local backups are still evolving as well. If you need a certain size of hardware for your data centre, you can probably find it.

To enable rapid system recovery, we partner with industry-leading hybrid cloud backup specialist Datto. In the event of a disaster, your business operation can be restored using local, cloud (or a hybrid) based virtualisation technology. Learn more about our total data protection solution.

If you have any questions about a backup solution from Aura Technology, email info@auratechnology.com or chat with one of our team at 03333 208 601.