With so many backup solutions available, it can be difficult to know which is the right solution for your business.  Every small business owner is different, and a "one size fits all" approach to your backups isn't always the best solution.  A recent study by IBM found that data loss has cost companies $3.92 million in 2019.  Finding the right backup system for your business can be daunting, but it can save you hundreds of thousands of dollars in preventing data loss.

Local Backup Solutions

There is a variety of local backup solutions that your business can take advantage of.  With newer OS's, it is easier than ever before to plug in a simple USB hard drive to your workstation or server and start backing up with a built-in app.  Both Windows 10 and OS X for Macs have built-in backup apps that can be used to schedule backups.

Plugging in a USB drive to backup a single device isn't enough if you have multiple workstations and servers, however.  Additionally, using multiple drives would only fragment your backups into multiple hard drives.  A more manageable solution to backing up all of your devices in one area would be through a Network Attached Storage device (NAS).

Using Network Attached Storage means you can backup multiple devices over your local network to a single device.  Both Windows and OS X also work natively in backing up to your NAS and many NAS' come with a built-in backup solution that your computers can utilize as well.  Many NAS' come with user authentication, also, making your data far more secure.

Some of the most popular NAS options in 2019 include:

  • QNAP - Offering multiple bays of storage, and a username/password authentication mode for more secure data. QNAP has a friendly interface that's easy to use and offers an easy to setup backup process.  QNAP also includes a variety of models from 4bays - 8 bays which give you a versatile backup system.
  • Synology - Includes 2-bay and 4-bay options which are perfect for small businesses that don't have a ton of storage.  Easy to set up and maintain.

Keeping your data onsite can also be a risk if there were an onsite disaster like fire or flood.  This is one of the reasons why keeping only one copy of your data in a local area is not advisable. Storing your data offsite via Cloud Backup solutions is another great option available to you as well.

Cloud Backup Solutions

Keeping your data only on-site is not recommended.  There are a variety of companies that offer small business solutions to helping you backup your data offsite in case of disaster or theft.  Natural Networks offers a cloud backup solution that can also backup individual computers and devices on your network.

A cloud backup means your data is stored safely in a Data Center.  This prevents data loss even in cases where your NAS may become compromised.  A cloud-based backup solution can also be scheduled on each computer so you have redundant sets of backups available.  Redundancy is key when it comes to backing up your data so that if one backup source fails, you don't lose any of it as it has been securely 100% stored elsewhere and a few times over.

A Cloud-based backup can run during off-hours and over the internet, which means little to no interruption of network use while these backups run.  If you are interested in learning more about setting up a robust backup for your company, we would love to assist you.