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The cloud has provided businesses with many benefits over recent years, and one of these has been the ability to back-up data in the cloud. This allows you to access your data from anywhere and to restore it effortlessly in the event of a problem like a hack.

But how should you go about backing up your data in the cloud? Here’s a guide to help you.

How Cloud Backups Work

Firstly, it’s important to understand how cloud backups work. You may think that your data is stored on the internet and not in a physical location, but in fact it is stored on a server. This server will be in a physical location, and you rent space from the physical server. This will often be in a secure area to ensure your data remains safe.

Choose a Suitable Cloud Backup Provider

Now you know a bit about how cloud backups work, you need to choose a suitable provider. There are many to choose from, so consider some of the main factors.

Find out how secure the data is. Where will it be stored? How is it backed up? Is there a chance it could be lost? What happens in this scenario? Do they use strong encryption?

A cloud provider will lose a lot of credibility if they do not protect your data, so they should take many steps to ensure it is secure. But always read reviews first and find out more about their reputation.

Also find out about their solutions, like whether they use a solution like IBM iSeries, which is one of the most secure options.

How accessible are your backups? This is another option to consider. Can you get to your data immediately when you need it? If not, how long do you have to wait

What about recovery? When it comes to effective backup and disaster recovery, you want to ensure you can get quick access to your data.

Choose Your Provider and Get Backed Up

Once you have considered all of the factors, the next stage is to choose your provider. Once you have done this, you will probably enter into a contract. This may be a rolling contract, but every company is different.

They will then provide you with the instructions you need for backing up your data. This may take a while, especially if you have a lot of data, but the process is usually quite simple to carry out.

Reduce the Risk to Your Data

As well as backing up your data and knowing that you can recover it in an emergency, you will also want to take steps to protect it in the first place.

This involves using strong passwords, and even using a password manager that you can use for business teams like LastPass.

Make sure you also use updated antivirus software to prevent and detect attacks, and have a disaster plan in place should the worst come to the worst.

These are all measures that you can take to keep your data secure. But also speak to your new cloud backup provider and ask them for their recommendations, and reduce the risks to your business.

Lily Miller is a business data specialist and consultant. Her articles mainly focus on business data issues and security.