The Advantages of One Vendor for Multiple Cloud-Based Data Protection Services

​Data backup and disaster recovery (DR) are essential tools for running any sized business in today’s hyper-connected world. Simply stated, data is a business owner’s most valuable asset. If you lose your data, you risk losing your business altogether.
According to an article by Clutch, a Washington, DC-based research firm, 60 percent of small businesses that suffer a data loss will close their doors permanently within six months. Yet, more than half (58 percent) of small business owners say they’re not adequately prepared for a data loss.
Adequate preparation includes regularly backing up your business-critical data to multiple locations and having a DR strategy to restore your data and put it back to work. Think of DR as an extension of your backup plan. Your backup won’t do you a bit of good if you can’t restore and access the data quickly.
Here’s the good news; cloud-based backup and disaster recovery services offer small business owners an easier, more secure way to protect their data. Let’s look at the benefits of cloud-based backup, DR, and the advantages of choosing a single vendor to handle multiple data protection services.
The Benefits of Cloud-Based Backup and Disaster Recovery
Keeping an on-premises backup is smart, and adding a cloud backup — along with disaster recovery capability — to the mix is even smarter. Here’s why:

• If your local system gets hacked, infected with ransomware, or damaged by a natural disaster, you’ll have a clean cloud backup ready to go
• Cloud-based DR lets you spin up virtual copies of your live servers in the cloud — with a push of a button — to get your business up and running again quickly
• You don’t have to make expensive, up-front IT investments for additional servers, storage, IT staffing, and maintenance

The Single-Vendor Advantage
Technology is complicated enough, and it makes sense to simplify your IT by choosing one vendor platform that provides both data backup and DR services. If disaster strikes and you need your data recovered, your provider has immediate access to the backup.
Cobbling together products from multiple vendors also increases complexity and creates compatibility issues. Choosing one vendor ensures that all your data-protection products work well together, and it reduces the number of calls you need to make if something goes wrong.
Small business IT budgets are notoriously tight, and it’s important to keep costs in line. Using multiple vendors makes it impossible to buy data-protection products in money-saving bundles.
Beyond Data Backup and Disaster Recovery
Here’s something else to consider when vetting cloud-based data protection companies. Look for a platform that incorporates file access, sync, and sharing capability while providing a higher level of secure encryption. Yes, you could use one of the many third-party file-sharing services, but they hold your data-encryption key —, which means they can decrypt and access your data.
Look for a platform that provides a high level of security and data transparency — one that alerts you whenever someone accesses your data; a company that tells you exactly where your data is physically located. A third-party file-sharing service can store your data anywhere without telling you.
Acronis Data Cloud
Let’s recap the important take-aways of secure cloud-based data backup and disaster recovery.

• A cloud-based data backup and disaster recovery platform complements on-premises backups and improves overall data security
• Contract with one vendor to provide multiple data protection services; it reduces complexity, improves efficiency, and saves money
• Maintain singular control over your data encryption key
• Know where your data is physically located at all times

The Acronis Data Cloud delivers on the data backup, DR, file-sharing, and data security criteria outlined above. Don’t take our word for it. Do your due diligence, and we think you’ll agree. When you’re ready to find an authorized Acronis reseller, click on the link for an extensive partner list.