Cloud backupvs. local backup is acritical debate for many businesses. In this article, we will explore thepositive and negative sides of both approaches. Moreover, we will show you howto combine the two methods to keep your data safe, ensure unhindered dataaccess, and carry outdisaster recoveryif needed.
What is cloud backup?
Organizations use a cloud backupservice to back up their system, applications, and data to a cloud-based serverin a remote location. This server can either be private or public. Some largerenterprises have the resources and budget to maintain a private cloud backupinfrastructure, while smaller organizations typically use a public cloudstorage service, which supports multiple tenants. With a public cloud backupservice, the infrastructure is managed by the provider, and the organizationpays a monthly or annual subscription to use the service.
Advantages and disadvantages of cloud backup
The advantages of cloud backups faroutweigh any disadvantages, which is why many organizations back up their datato the cloud.
Cloud backup advantages
Let's go over the advantages ofcloud backup below.
Savemoney and resources
Using cloud backup is less expensivethan maintaining an on-premises backup system. Your organization does not needto purchase or maintain hardware and software, nor worry about getting approvalfor a capital purchase. Instead, you pay a subscription fee that is anoperational expense item.
Dataprotection in the event of a disaster
On-premises or local backups can bedestroyed in a localdisaster, such as a tornado, hurricane, flood, etc. While youroffices and systems may be destroyed, data backed up to the cloud will beisolated from that event, ensuring your organization can get up and runningagain.
Datais accessible from anywhere
If you have an internet connection,you can access your backed-up data from anywhere, anytime. While restoring afull backupfrom the cloud backup can take time, it is fast and easy todownload just a few files from the cloud.
Betterdata security
Some may argue that a public cloudbackup is not as secure as a local data backup. Yet, a seasoned cloud providercan provide better security for small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) thatmay not have acybersecurityexpert on staff.
Protectionfrom cyberattacks
Your data will be safe if acybercriminal attacks your on-premises systems. In addition to compromising ordestroying production data, attackers typically delete or tamper with localbackups. Having remote off-site backups in the cloud keeps that data protected.
Scalability
Your organization can scale cloudservices without purchasing more hardware or software. Instead, scaling cloudservices is easy and can be done on demand — although your subscription pricewill likely increase accordingly.
Cloud backup disadvantages
Takestime to download a full backup
Depending on your internet bandwidthand the data volume, it can take hours to days to download a full backup fromthe cloud.
Potentialfor data loss when the contract ends
Be careful and closely scrutinizethe cloud computing provider's policy about canceled contracts. You'll want tobe sure you can access and download your backup if you decide to cancel yourcontract. Be sure to confirm how long the cloud backup provider will keep yourdata upon contract cancellation.
Difficultto switch cloud providers
If you have yourdata backupwithone cloud provider and decide to move to another, it can be time consuming tomake the switch. While you can back up your systems to the new cloud provider,you will also want to migrate your older backups to the new cloudinfrastructure. Some tools help you perform cloud-to-cloud migrations, butthese tools work best if you only have smaller volumes of data.
If you have large volumes of databacked up with the original cloud provider, you will need to download thosefiles and then upload them to the new cloud provider's infrastructure.Uploading and downloading a large volume of data can take a significant amountof time, depending upon bandwidth.
Cloud storage backup types
There are three primary cloud backupapproaches — full, incremental anddifferential backups.
- Full backups
Full backups take every file on aspecific device (or a network) and copy it to cloud backup. If, for example, anatural disaster compromises your local backup, you can recover critical data fromthe full cloud backup.
- Incremental backups
If you opt for a full backup everytime you make data changes, you can quickly run out of storage space.Incremental backup checks for changed files since your last backup (incrementalor full) and only copies them to cloud storage.
- Differential backups
Similar to incremental, differentialbackup only focuses on changed data for a new online backup. However, databackup here takes into consideration only files changed since the last fullbackup.
At least one full backup is requiredto initiate incremental or differential data copies. While the first approachguarantees protection against local natural calamities and designatedcyberattacks, the second and third provide more control over your online backupprocess.
What is local backup?
Local backup, oron-premises backup, refers to the whole process ofbacking up your system, applications, and data to a local device, such as tape,disk, hard disk, flash drive, CD, external hard drive or other media that islocated on-site, close to the data source. While an organization is recommendedto perform a local backup, you will need a second data backup on a differentdevice (ideally stored off-site) to protect your data.
Local backup advantages and disadvantages
Local backup advantages
Fastrecovery of large volumes
Since alocal backupis not dependent upon an internet connection, it ismuch faster to recover large volumes of data from a local backup versus a cloudbackup.
Knowwhere your data is
A cloud provider can store yourbackups in different states (or even countries) if data compliance regulationsdo not apply. With a local backup, you know where your data resides and havedirect control over backup data.
Local backup disadvantages
Noprotection in the event of a local disaster
When local backups are located closeto the data source — on a local system or local data center — your data is atrisk in the event of a disaster. That is why having an offsite copy of yourbackup is always recommended.
Canbe attacked if your systems are attacked
Modern cyberattacks like ransomwaredon't just attack your systems and endpoints. Often, their first move is todelete local backups, preventing you from restoring infected systems andincreasing the chances you'll pay the demanded ransom.
Noteasily scalable
To scale your local backup system,you must invest in more hardware and software to support larger volumes ofbacked-up data.
Local backup options
The two primary choices for localdata backup are HDDs and SSDs.
HDDs are a more senior local storagedevice than SSDs, so they're less in demand and cheaper. They are also riskierwhen discussing physical data protection, as the read / write arms on a harddisk drive are liable to damage when moving them around. This is why you needto be extremely careful with HDDs to protect the data stored on them.
On the other hand, SSDs are faster,take less time to boot, and are more energy efficient for extended localbackup. SSDs are also quieter than HDDs as they don't have moving partsproducing sound all the time.
Cloud vs. local backup — Which to use and when?
Choosing how to backup data andensure its integrity is crucial to any business owner. When comparing cloudbackup vs. local, businesses may find it challenging to balance their backupapproach. This is why due diligence and sensible planning are a must.
Cloud backup solutions provide anadditional layer of protection for data backups, enable disaster recovery fromanywhere, and can backup data from multiple devices simultaneously.
Suppose your business relies onrapid scalability in a short space of time. In that case, a third-party serviceprovider can deny any storage issues without the need to hire dedicated staffon-site. Cloud computing can also be cost efficient for larger enterpriseshandling more data, as modern cloud servers offer virtually unlimited storagecapacities.
However, any cloud backup servicedemands a reliable, consistent internet connection globally to outweigh localbackup ultimately. If your business relies on on-site accessibility and quickdisaster recovery, local backup may still prove beneficial.
Keep in mind, local storage requiresend-to-end encryption, a dedicated data center, and a local backup specialistto handle all important tasks on-premises. All of those make it ahigh-maintenance project for many organizations.
Cloud backup vs local backup: Joining forces
Nonetheless, we can step aside fromthe cloud backup vs local backup duel for a moment.
Both approaches aim to fulfill thesame function. They focus on ensuring data safety and allowing you to restoredata effectively in a disaster or other downtime scenario.
To address any possible data loss,your organization needs a hybrid backup strategy where you use both local andcloud backup. The industry refers to this strategy as the3-2-1 backup rule,where you keep your data inthree places, across two media, with one backup stored off-site, such as in thecloud. There are a few reasons why a hybrid strategy makes sense.
Regardless of the security measuresyour IT team and cloud provider put in place, there is always a chance that acyberattack can compromise one of your backups. If your production systems areattacked, chances are good that your local backup will be compromised or deleted.However, if you have a cloud backup copy, you can restore your systems to apre-attack state. The same holds if your local backup systems fail for anyreason. You can recover using your cloud backup.
Alternatively, in that extremelyrare case where your public cloud backup copy is compromised or the data islost due to a disaster that affects the cloud provider's infrastructure, youcan recover your systems using your local backup copy.
Acronis data backup and cybersecurity solution
Acronis Cyber Protect is thefirst-of-its-kind solution that integrates data protection (e.g., backup and disasterrecovery) with cybersecurity and endpoint management in a single solution,administered through one console and installed using one agent. You can back upa full image of your systems, including operating systems, applications anddata, to the cloud and a local device and quickly recover it if needed.
Acronis Cyber Protect also protectsyour systems and data against malware – including ransomware and cryptominers —with full-stack, next-generation AI- and ML-based protection,automated patch management,vulnerability assessments, and URL filtering. The solution also provides remotework and anti-pandemic features to protect your systems and data, regardless oflocation.
Whether your IT department ormanaged service provider (MSP) delivers this uniquecyber protection solution, Acronis Cyber Protect provides themost cost-effective solution to help your organization avoid downtime,eliminate data loss, and mitigate security breaches, including zero-dayattacks.
