Are you currently using OneDrive, Dropbox or Google Drive as a backup solution?
Many small businesses prefer to opt for one or more of these free, online backup solutions for their business data. While these applications offer great features and functionality for users, they do not replace the need for a secure backup solution.
The level of security for files located on these apps fall short of a third-party backup in a few ways. The biggest issue we’ve found with these solutions include their susceptibility to ransomware and human error.
How do they make files susceptible to Ransomware?
Say one of your local computer files become corrupted with ransomware. Well, if the file is synched to OneDrive, Dropbox, or Google Drive, then ALL your files located on these online apps will become infected, encrypted, and inaccessible.
Essentially, when ransomware infects files on a computer, it will sync to the cloud backup and corruption will exist for all versions of that file. Ransomware can spread rapidly across everyone’s shared files and folders, escalating the issue quickly.
How are these apps vulnerable to Human Error?
These backups do not protect against accidental deletions. If a user were to delete a folder or file on the desktop or cloud, that change would be made across all environments. This means the data would be gone, and in some cases, not recoverable.
These are just a few of the most prominent reasons these free online backup solutions are NOT the best solutions. Other issues with these backup solutions include lack of encryption and retention, data breach vulnerability, and backup verification. More examples of why these backup solutions should not be used can be seen in the following article here.
With a proper backup solution, however, you can prevent both of these risks. We recommend a third-party backup solution called Infrascale.
Infrascale automatically backs up data throughout the day to an online, secure cloud storage. Each backup file is independent and secured, allowing for data to be restored to a specified date and version. Even if the data is deleted on your computer, it can still be restored!
Situations do arise where backups still do not run properly, even with Infrascale. Because of this, we encourage business owners to have a professional manage this program. If you are interested in learning more about a secure backup solution for your business, give our office a call. We can help discuss your business’s situation, and explain how you can protect your data.