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.