Which Data Backup Solution Provides the Most Secure Data Storage?

We’ve been talking about data backup lately, and for good reason. Your information is your lifeline. Modern businesses rely on the quality, security, and accessibility of their data to do what they do, to continue innovating, and to provide customers and clients with the best possible products and services. 

When your data gets stolen, lost, or damaged, it spells lost revenue, slowed or halted productivity, and an injured reputation. These events can trigger a cascade of negative consequences for customers and business owners alike. 

Protecting your data cannot be an afterthought. You can’t simply rely on older methods and hope for the best. The small investment required to ensure you have complete protection pays for itself multiple times over with the amount you’ll be saving by avoiding the kinds of data theft or damaging events that other businesses fall prey to. 

Today, we’re going to look at a few of the best data backup solutions available and narrow it down to a few choices. This should give you the initial information you need to find the right product that fits your organization’s needs, both now and as your business grows. Let’s dive in.

The Risk

Businesses, non-profit organizations, and various government agencies all rely on their data for just about every process. Our most traded commodity, so to speak, is information, and ensuring our access to our data is paramount to our success and our relationship to one another. 

Every day, organizations around the world fall victim to hackers, armed with various scams, malware, and ransomware. They experience disasters like earthquakes, fires, and floods that destroy computer systems, and more often than these, find themselves losing data because of basic human error. 

Making additional copies in-house by backing up your files on other systems and external hard drives is a great idea. But these are just as vulnerable to damage, breakdown or error as your primary systems. In addition to these, you absolutely need to partner with a secure and respected cloud provider, one who offers top of the line storage solutions, backup and disaster recovery, world class security for your files, and superb, ongoing support. 

Every Business is Unique

This is important to keep in mind. Every organization has their own goals, style, habits, ecosystem and needs. Some cloud solutions are perfect for some, but not for others. Some work well for just about everyone, but may be a bit more than what you need when you’re first starting out. You may find you don’t need as much storage capacity and could save money by purchasing one with a few limits. However, you may want an unlimited service to cover you no matter how fast you grow. 

Some key things to always keep in mind when choosing a data backup solution are storage space and recovery needs, unlimited devices, ease of use, range of features, coverage across your entire digital ecosystem, the strength of their security standards, additional cloud services, and of course cost. Let’s take a look at a few of today’s most secure data backup solutions.

Acronis

Founded in Singapore in 2003 and incorporated in Switzerland in 2003, Acronis has been working in technology and data security for nearly two decades, developing and implementing superior backup solutions, both in an on-premises capacity, and in the cloud backup arena. Acronis has some of the best standards for lock-tight security, comprehensive cloud backup and recovery, easy deployment, and end-to-end protection, readily adaptable to any growing organization. 

Acronis serves more than 750,000 businesses, millions of individuals, in more than 150 countries and 26 languages. Starting around $69.95 per year plus $99.00 per year for each individual product/service you add to your coverage, Acronis’s services may add up a bit but for most businesses, the range of features, excellent security, and individually tailored packages are well worth the money invested. Plus, they’ve been in the game for a long time, continually innovating to make sure individuals and businesses have access to the very best in cloud backup and recovery. 

SpiderOak

Developed and released in 2007 by Ethan Oberman and Alan Fairless, SpiderOak is unique in a few ways. The first being that it is an integrated cloud backup solution and a US-based collaboration and file hosting service, possibly replacing other file sharing products you may be currently using, such as Google Docs and Drive. It’s sort of a one-stop shop for data sharing, collaboration and data protection. 

Speaking of security, SpiderOak’s second unique feature is its powerful, proprietary encryption program.  Unlike many other companies, SpiderOak uses client-side encryption key creation. This means that SpiderOak employees, technicians, and managers have zero access to your files. Only you can access your data. This feature provides a great deal of relief for individuals and businesses worried about curious minds and peeking eyes. A lot of personal data gets mined and shared these days. 

As a service provider, who is always innovating, SpiderOak’ boasts security measures that make certain only you get to look at your data. Of course, this also means that it’s up to you to know your access key and not lose it. If you do, no one else can retrieve it for you, not even SpiderOak management. 

One Backup, or SpiderOak One is complete protection. You can back up, sync and share files across all devices and platforms, including Windows, Mac and Linux, without limits or restrictions, complete with access to all past versions and deleted files. Prices start at $6 per month or $69 per year, per user, for 150GB and up to $29 per month or $320 per year for 5TB of backup. SpiderOak is unlike any other service and one of the best cloud storage and recovery choices for individuals and businesses alike. 

iDrive

A trusted and reliable cloud backup, cloud storage and recovery service covering both PC and Mac, iDrive offers coverage for both businesses and home users. IDrive lets you sync every device, from PCs and Macs to tablets and other machines, instantly linking all files. 

Their Snapshots and Versioning service gives you historical, point-in-time recovery for up to 30 past versions of files, allowing you to locate exactly the file you need, no matter when it was changed or created. 

A great time and headache-saver, when you take advantage of iDrive Express, you’ll get fast backup and retrieval of your data in less than a week, via physical storage shipped to you, saving you tons of bandwidth and hassle. 

WIth Clone/Computer Backup, you can manage all your backups, restorations and devices online and even perform either sector-level or file-level backup to clone and restore a device and its data to an exact condition. 

You can gain access today with their free 10GB plan or get serious with their starter 5TB coverage for $59.62 for the first year. From there, the plans and coverage options (number of devices and users) go on and on. Simply choose the one that fits your needs and rest easy. 

Carbonite

With backup plans starting out covering servers and up to 25 devices for just $24 per month, Carbonite offers businesses another industry-leading choice for security. Backup is always automatic and continuous, so you never miss a thing and covers all physical, virtual and legacy systems. 

Carbonite Endpoint gives you secure data protection and flexibility in deployment for larger, distributed organizations. Also, take advantage of features like Carbonite Migrate to effortlessly transfer files between systems with no data loss and no disruption in service, while Carbonite Recovery lets you make a duplicate copy of a complete system/device so you can restore it precisely in the event of an outage. 

Carbonite offers a feature-rich program, end-to-end encryption, and countless satisfied customers, making it a strong choice for businesses of all sizes. 

In Closing

There are many more to choose from, great providers like Tresorit, Dropbox Business, Barracuda, CrashPlan and several others. The key is to decide what features are the most vital for your business and compare the history of each company’s security and customer satisfaction. Each of these companies boast some of the best and most trusted security in the industry, from end-to-end safety measures employing multiple access requirements to SpiderOak’s unique customer-created encryption key, you can rest assured knowing your data is safe every moment of the day or night. 

Data security and recovery is a fundamental cornerstone of your business and your future, allowing you to innovate, market, communicate, and grow while remaining confident that all your work will stay safe. Don’t forget, an excellent way to learn more about the best data backup solutions for your business is to ask your IT services provider to help you find the perfect plan. 

Tech Masters helps businesses succeed by implementing the very best security practices and individualized IT support. Contact us today to learn more and claim your free business IT assessment now. 

To learn more about data backup solutions, check out our frequently asked questions and answers below. 

FAQ

Why is data backup so important for my business? 

Today, for most businesses, data is the most valuable resource we have. We rely on the security and availability of our data to keep our business running, stay in communication with partners and customers, collaborate together, and continue innovating for our customers.

When we lose access to our data because of equipment damage, natural disaster, theft or human error, our productivity, income and reputation suffer, sometimes irreperably. 

What features should I look for when choosing a data backup solution

Every organization has different needs. Still, there are certain features every business owner should keep in mind. Look for services that don’t limit the number of devices covered. Also, look for high-level encryption and security features, end-to-end backup for all devices across multiple platforms, rapid restoration of all files and past versions, and the ability to expand your coverage as your business grows.

How do I know which service is right for me? 

You should decide with your team and with considerable research. However, one of the best options for narrowing down your choice quickly and confidently is by discussing your options with your IT department or by partnering with an experienced IT services provider. They have the experience and the industry knowledge to help guide you toward the right solution quickly.