With the rise in popularity of cloud-based applications and software taking the business world by storm, there is also a false sense of security among users that the cloud provider will protect their data.
The Cloud provider, in many cases, does not back up your data or your applications. And if they do, there could be a recovery mechanism for the account but with limited capabilities (such as a 30-day recovery window or limited archiving). Recovery time for the lost data could also take longer than anticipated, rather than the instant fix you’d expect. In cases of a disaster, all these limitations do not allow for the reliability you are looking for to get things up and running in the shortest possible time, and that could be a problem for many businesses.
An example of this can be found in Microsoft’s Service Level Agreement, which states:
“Microsoft does not protect you from data loss due to app outages. We strive to keep the services up and running; however, all online services suffer occasional disruptions and outages, and Microsoft is not liable for any disruptions or loss you may suffer as a result. In the event of an outage, you may not be able to retrieve your content or data that you have stored.
We recommend that you regularly back up your content and data that you store on the services or using Third-party Apps and Services.”
This statement mentions that they are not the data owner, and it is the data owner’s responsibility to make sure their data is backed up and protected according to your standard and requirements.
With the uncertainty of actual security, you must protect your cloud-based data in cases of disaster or mishaps. Some instances of this include:
- Saving over the existing data and not realizing it until the recovery period is passed (?)
- Ransomware attacks – This is malware that encrypts your data and holds it ransom until the hacker’s demands are met. You want to restore your latest data as soon as possible and get back to your business.
- Canceled or removed accounts – This is a situation we see regularly. Often, a subscription is not renewed or paid on time, or the account gets canceled accidentally, and data is erased.
- Rogue employees intentionally deleting your data or your employees deleting your data accidentally.
- Other factors, such as application compatibilities when another application program causes data loss. Cloud server outages when the provider’s server crashes, and any other cyber threats against the cloud’s provider system.
It is essential to talk to your cloud provider and find out what kinds of features they offer to protect your data, as well as any types of limitations. You may want to explore third-party backup options such as SkyKick and others to protect your data. Lastly, you may want to have a hybrid system that backs up a copy of your data as well as your emails into a local storage device.
We have solutions and expertise to assist you with your cloud needs and protect your data in the cloud. We also offer affordable solutions that can fit into your budget. Feel free to contact us today at 855-448-2178 or info@it21st.com to help you out with your IT needs.
IT21st is a trusted name in the local community and has gained that reputation by providing quality, dependability, and a robust IT support system. Our IT Services include remote IT support, Cloud Migration, Azure Migration, Cyber Security support, Backup, and Recovery.
