Using Online Backup: Pro’s and Con’s

Backing up into the cloud seems like such a good idea but surely there are some drawbacks? Like anything there are always going to be some flies in the ointment but if you do a little research then you can find out what those are but luckily we have already done it for you.

Here is an overview of the Pros and Cons of using an Online Backup Service as we see it….

The Pros

• Cost reduction - Not having to buy an expensive server to have everything backed up to.
• It’s scalable - Like electricity and water, some online backup services allow businesses to only pay for what they use. And as your business grows, you can accommodate by adding more server space meaning that you are not restricted by your servers hard drive space.
• Automated Systems – Human error is always going  your biggest threat, knowing that the backup will be done regardless of that someone is not physically there to make sure it has been done at a certain time every day gives most business owners peace of mind.
• Multiple Locations – Even if one site goes down (See Japanese Tsunami and New Zealand Earthquakes) there are other locations that your data has been stored at meaning that you can retrieve a backup snapshot from at least one of them.

The Cons

• Availability- Will your cloud service go down unexpectedly, leaving you without important information for hours or more?
• Data mobility and ownership - Once you decide to stop the cloud service, can you get all your data back? How can you be certain that the service provider will destroy your data once you’ve canceled the service?
• Privacy - How much data are cloud companies collecting and how might that information be used?
• Dependency – The company you are backing up to goes out of business.
• Slow Systems – Some initial backups can take up to 4 days vs just using a FireWire connection and going it in 30 mins.