Office 365 Backup: Cloud vs On Premise
Nowadays, data backup is a top priority for any type of business. Most operations now depend on data, so it is better to make sure that everything important is safe. So, one of the main things you need to decide is where to keep backups? Should it be a cloud solution or physical storage? Both methods have their strengths and weaknesses.
We are going to review both pros and cons of Office 365 cloud backup vs on premise. In order to make it clear, let’s figure out what you need from the backup solution.
What do you need from backup
In most cases, you need to protect your data from potential ransomware. Accidental deletion or employee mistakes. So the perfect solution should be:
- Secure from any kind of unwanted intrusion
- Accessible, so you could get access and recover data fast and easy
- Fast: if some data was damaged, backup shouldn’t interrupt business process
- Easy to use. Ideally, it should be an automated solution with regular backup.
On Premise Office 365 backup
On premise backup means that your Office 365 content is stored locally without involving third parties. Usually, it is a different hardware like servers or hard drives with some special backup software on it. Such physical storages are administered, maintained and controlled by your company and its IT team.
Such a way of data storing has its own privileges. It allows you to customize your backup system and integrate applications, legacy systems etc. You can configure the data infrastructure the way your business requires it and have a full control over its maintenance, bug fixing and security. Also, the backup solution has a high recovery and backup speed since you do not need to rely on internet connections, encryption and secure network protocols.
Bad news is that set up, maintenance, low scalability and physical damage. First, you need to install, configure and deploy all the appropriate software and always provide regular maintenance to it. It may take a lot of time, money and people. Low scalability means that your ability to store more data depends on the amount of hard drives or servers you have. Such storages are exposed to physical damages and may be not comfortable to access during unforeseen situations like natural disasters or COVID-19.
Cloud Office 365 backup
Cloud backup does not require our own hardware and software solutions since all data is kept on third party’s remote data centers. Different cloud services can provide you with their security solutions, data encryption and full-time access to it, like Spinbackup for Microsoft 365.
The advantages of cloud backup are quite clear. There’s no need to install or configure anything since all infrastructure is already set up for you. There can’t be any overheads because everything for immediate backup and maintenance is included in the final price you pay. The amount of storing space usually is unlimited and depends only on your agreement with backup service. Also, the remote storing protects your data from physical damage and allows remote access for any authorized person.
At the same time, some of these advantages are debatable. Storing data on someone else’s space is not that customizable — you can not make significant changes to cloud policies settings.
Although most of the companies that provide cloud backup solutions are regulated by compliance from government agencies, you would still need to rely on third parties. In case of any troubles, you would have to address it to support teams. The quality and speed of support’s response may vary and depend on the service’s internal policies. Same applies for upload speed: if you have terabytes of data, it may take a week or more to backup everything. Good news, it is usually a one-time operation.
Security Threats
Let’s see how secure are both ways of backup. On premise solution relies strongly on people. The quality of protection depends on your IT team and all recovery questions should be asked way before anything bad like natural disaster may happen. Although it is difficult for intruders to get into the internal data storage, it is still open for administrative errors and employee mistakes which may lead to data exposure.
Cloud backup removes some burden of responsibility from your shoulders. Such giant cloud providers as Google, Amazon and Microsoft care about their security a lot, creating different security features like malware protection and reviews of risky applications. Due to the fact that your data is kept on many servers, the physical damage scenario is eliminated.
What is better?
Although there are many people who consider the classic on premise backup approach is best, it may not be that comfortable for small-to-medium business owners. So when it comes to making a decision, ask yourself what is best for business — expensive equipment behind a nearby wall or convenient remote access to all necessary info.
