When businesses think about backup and recovery, they generally envision a system of capturing data from computers, servers and other on-premises equipment.

Cloud data is often left out of the conversation. This is because many people mistake a cloud storage application for a backup, which it’s not. So, that data is not backed up, leaving it vulnerable.

Small businesses have a large majority of their data in cloud platforms like Microsoft 365, G Suite, Salesforce, and others. 84% of small business owners say that cloud services are essential to their operations.

So, with businesses relying more on cloud solutions but not realizing cloud data needs to be backed up, it’s a perfect storm for major data loss problems.

70% of companies have been victims of a public cloud data breach in the past 12 months.

Are you making a big backup mistake by leaving data that you have in cloud services like Microsoft 365 unprotected?

REASONS YOU NEED TO BACK UP YOUR MICROSOFT 365 & OTHER CLOUD PLATFORMS

Data loss often means downtime while businesses are scrambling to recover files that have been deleted, infected with ransomware, or lost in another way. Each hour spent trying to recover those files to get operations back up and running can cost a business $10,000+ per hour.

Here are several reasons it’s vital to include your cloud data in any backup and recovery strategy.

CLOUD DATA CAN BE OVERWRITTEN

Files in a cloud storage app like OneDrive are editable, which is by design so they can always reflect the most recent version. The problem with treating this as a backup copy is that it’s live data that users can overwrite. If someone overwrites a critical file, the original can be lost if it’s not backed up.

Cloud file backup systems take a snapshot of all files in the platform at a moment in time and those files inside a backup can’t be edited, so you have a recoverable copy when you need it.

CLOUD DATA IS MORE THAN JUST CLOUD STORAGE FILES

When you use a platform like Microsoft 365, you have more data than just the files stored in OneDrive. There are emails, Teams messages, and many other areas of the platform where mission-critical data is stored.

Using a backup and recovery solution designed to back up Microsoft 365 ensures that all your data in the account, no matter what app is stored in, is properly backed up and recoverable when you need it.

CLOUD SERVICES EXPERIENCE DOWNTIME

It’s not unusual to experience downtime of a cloud service, which can leave your office at a standstill and you without your data if you don’t have another copy.

Even large software providers like Microsoft recommend you back up the data in their services. Microsoft notes, “In the event of an outage, you may not be able to retrieve Your Content or Data that you’ve stored. We recommend that you regularly backup Your Content and Data that you store on the Services or store using Third-Party Apps and Services.”

FILES CAN BE DELETED FROM CLOUD ACCOUNTS

Whether through malicious or accidental deletion, files stored in cloud services can be deleted, and if the file retention period passes before you realize it, you can lose those files for good if they’re not backed up.

For example, if a Microsoft 365 user is deleted and their files are not transferred to another user, all their data is deleted in 30 days.

Again, cloud storage is not the same as a cloud backup. Files are live and can be edited and deleted, unlike when a proper backup is made of the account.

CLOUD FILES CAN GET INFECTED WITH RANSOMWARE

Ransomware doesn’t only hit on-premises files, it can also scramble files you have stored in the cloud and make them unreadable. 60% of successful ransomware attacks in 2019 that encrypted data happened in the public cloud.

Ransomware strains often look for syncing cloud platforms like Microsoft 365 when they infect a device, and they can infect the entire account. If you don’t have a recoverable copy of your cloud data, you could end up having to pay a ransom and hoping the attacker holds up their end of the deal.

SYNCING PROBLEMS CAN HAPPEN

Issues can happen when a computer is syncing with OneDrive in Microsoft 365 or another cloud storage service. Because the file on the device and the cloud file are connected, something like a hardware conflict or drive crash could cause files in the cloud to be deleted.

If those files aren’t backed up separately, you may not be able to recover them.

PUT A SOLID BACKUP & RECOVERY PLAN IN PLACE

Don’t leave your Microsoft 365 data unprotected! Unbound Digital can help your Johnson City, Tennessee business with resilient backup and recovery systems designed specifically for platforms like Microsoft 365

Contact us today to schedule a consultation. Call 423-335-2461 or reach us online.