Part One – Cloud Backup
Would you take a backup copy of your data and store it in a bank vault for safekeeping in case of disaster? Maybe.
Why would you do this? What if you want to be able to recover data in the event of a total loss due to fire, flood or hurricane? You may backup your data nightly but you need to keep a copy in an off-site location just in case your building is destroyed or made unavailable to you for any number of reasons.
You would probably be OK with this from a security perspective, right? Bank vaults are generally very secure. They have security cameras, armed guards and very thick walls. It is a pretty safe bet that your data will not get hacked or stolen and the bank will hold up to most disasters pretty well.
What are the pitfalls of this scenario? Let’s take a look. You have to have someone physically deliver the data to the bank for safekeeping, EVERYDAY. On its way the data is at risk. What if the person loses it? What if they are involved in a crash or what if they are mugged? How can you be sure that your data gets safely to its destination without being damaged or stolen?
What if something happens and you need the data back? How do you know it will get delivered back to you safely and be in a useable state? What if your business hours are outside of the bank’s business hours? Will you wait until the next business day to get access to your vital data? Maybe banks are secure but perhaps not the best method of data storage for the highly available world we live in today.
What if you could have an armored escort driven by armed data security specialists who would deliver your data to the vault any number of times per day 24×7? And what if they would also return it to you the same way 24×7? What if once the data is in the vault there were data health specialists who watched your data and checked it regularly for errors to ensure that when it is needed by you, it will be uncorrupted and ready for you to use? I don’t think banks offer that service!
Enter cloud backup. Cloud backup is one of the earliest cloud uses. It is the perfect use case for the cloud and is one of the best reasons for using a cloud service.
If you select a good cloud backup vendor your data will be encrypted before it ever leaves your network and begins traveling across the internet. It will also travel via a secured and encrypted connection to the vault. Upon arrival your data will remain encrypted. So even if those nasty hackers manage to break down the vendor’s electronic door, they just end up with bunch of unreadable garbage.
Your data will also be tested continually while in the vault for damage. If damage is detected, a new copy will be immediately requested to replace the bad one.
The data will also be housed in a SAS 70 certified data facility that will stand up to disaster and is equipped with multiple security measures as well as cameras and other monitoring systems. There will also be backup power systems and even a secondary data center that your data gets replicated to just in case a sinkhole opens up and swallows the entire primary data center.
It is worth noting though that not all cloud backup vendors are created equally. You will need to ask questions and make sure that the one you select meets all of your requirements.