If you’re reading this blog post, it means you’re considering or already planning to have your information backed up to the cloud. Good, because that’s exactly what this post is for. You’ve made a smart choice to safely secure all of your files in an off-site location. Before your cloud backup provider comes in to save all your information, there are a few things you should take care of to make the process go off without a hitch.
Organize
Cloud backup providers help you organize what information is stored where. However, making sure that information is accessible and available only to the authorized people is up to you. Hopefully, you already have things in order, but it will do some good to go through everything and make sure it’s up-to-date and organized. This will not only act as a sort of spring cleaning but will also give you the chance to get a good look at what is and isn’t important anymore. If the folder system you’re currently using is a bit hairy, do yourself a favor and change it up before your backup provider gets involved.
Know What You Want Backed Up
As you begin to prepare for cloud backup, it’s time to check your file system and figure out what is and isn’t necessary to have safeguarded. There’s a little more thought in this one than you might think. In most cases, backup providers charge based on the amount of data they are backing up. While you organize, figure out what is and isn’t important to be backed up as it’ll make a difference in the cost of the whole operation. Not every single document used by your business or company will need to be backed up. Sure, when you create a document, you find it necessary. But when reviewing which data to back up, consider what is actually the most necessary and what isn’t.
Know Your Budget
Keep your budget in mind through the whole process. You don’t want to get in too deep and realize you don’t have the funding to do all that you initially wanted to do. Have a clear cut budget, but do not be too stingy; you don’t want to skimp on the security of your business’ data. As you search for a cloud backup provider, keeping your budget in mind will help you find the best fit for your needs.
Have a Schedule
The initial backup may take a while, depending on how much data you’re storing, and you may not have access to a number of documents while they’re being backed up. Plan accordingly. If you need a weekend, start it Friday after everyone’s out of the office and let the backup run until they’re in again on Monday. Just be prepared for the amount of time the first backup may take. After that, depending on the frequency of your backups, they shouldn’t take much time at all. Also, keep in mind there are options to make the initial backup go much faster. If you are worried about the first backup taking to much time make sure you talk to your cloud backup provider about seeding the initial backup.