You already know that disaster recovery is critical for your business strategy. But not all disaster recovery plans are created equal. If you're still using the traditional method of keeping your backup servers in the same building as your primary servers, you're setting yourself up for failure in a disaster. 

All businesses are susceptible to disasters: Fires, floods, hurricanes, malware attacks... all can bring your company's operations to a screeching halt. By implementing cloud disaster recovery, you'll be able to minimize downtime, protect your assets, and maintain an easy recovery in case you experience the worst. 

With cloud disaster recovery services, you'll be able to get back up and run quickly and easily, regardless of what happens. For instance, your data is stored on multiple separate devices in remote locations so that if any device or location fails, it won't affect your backup system at all. 

And by storing your data in the cloud, instead of on physical media like hard disks or tapes that can be damaged or lost in any number of ways, you can increase the availability of your data and improve the speed with which it can be retrieved. That means less downtime for you—and more time to focus on what's important: Growing your business and serving your customers! 

You owe it to your organization to make sure you're prepared for disaster. 

What are cloud disaster recovery services? 

Cloud disaster recovery (CDR) services allow companies to back up their cloud-based data and applications, so they can recover quickly after a cyber attack or other business interruption. 

There are two components to cloud disaster recovery (CDR): Prevention and recovery. 

Prevention is any service that helps you avoid a disaster in the first place, such as automatic software updates and firewall maintenance, and security against unauthorized access. 

Recovery is what happens when there is a disaster, and how your company deals with it. This may include restoring important data to back up systems, or transferring some or all of your business to another system until the main system is fixed. 

Typically, CDR services offer a range of recovery time objectives (RTOs) and recovery point objectives (RPOs). RTOs are the maximum time it would take to restore service after an outage, and RPOs are the maximum amount of data that could be lost during an outage. Companies can pay more for shorter RTOs and RPOs. 

There are also two methods for backing up your data with cloud disaster recovery services: 

Cold backup: A cold backup method means you're backing up existing data to the cloud and storing it there in the event that your primary server goes down. This solution is more cost-effective, but it's not an ideal choice if you need quick access to that data in the event of an emergency. 

Hot backup: Hot backups mean you're backing up your data and storing it on both a local server and a cloud server at all times. That way, if your primary server goes down, you can still have access to the most recent version of your backed-up data. 

Because cloud disaster recovery services run from multiple data centers located in different geographic regions, they're less vulnerable to natural disasters than on-premises storage systems. 

Having the ability to access all of your data, programs and information no matter what part of the world you're in is a huge bonus 

One of the most significant advantages of switching to cloud backup is that you can access all of your data, programs, and information no matter where in the world you are. This is incredibly convenient for business owners who travel a lot or anyone who works remotely. 

And because it's always there for you, conveniently and securely, you're more likely to use it. You might plan to back up your essential information on an external hard drive once a week, but life gets busy, and suddenly it's been months since you've gotten around to it. 

With cloud backup, though, it's simple. Your files are stored automatically once they've been uploaded, so there's no need to remember to do it manually every week. 

There are many reasons to look into cloud disaster recovery services. 

Cloud-based solutions can help you quickly recover from a natural disaster, cyber attack, or other catastrophic loss. The cloud allows you to restore your data in minutes and resume operations in hours, instead of days or weeks. 

Cloud disaster recovery services are generally easier and more cost-effective to implement than traditional backup solutions, which often require on-premises hardware, software, and maintenance costs. 

The cloud offers greater flexibility than physical servers, allowing you to scale up or down as needed to meet normal or peak demand. 

Those who use the cloud enjoy increased security against threats such as power outages and environmental hazards. 

When running a business, it's essential to anticipate risks and be prepared for anything. That includes having a solid disaster recovery plan that can help you bounce back from anything quickly while minimizing damage to your business. 

That's where cloud disaster recovery services come in. It's a type of service that lets you store and back up your data in the cloud, so if something happens to your on-premises data center, you can still keep your business running with minimal disruptions. 

Cloud disaster recovery services generally come in two forms: High availability (HA) services and backup (BaaS). With high availability services, you can create a replica of your data center in the cloud, so the replica takes over when something goes wrong with your on-premises system. With backup as a service, you create backups of your data in the cloud and retrieve them if needed. 

Choosing the right service for your organization depends on several factors—including how often you need access to your data, how much downtime your business can tolerate, and what kind of budget you're working with. 

Another advantage of cloud disaster recovery services is that setting up a disaster recovery plan is easy and does not require much time and effort. Simply put, Cloud Disaster Recovery Services are always there when you need them without demanding too much attention. This makes it ideal for businesses with limited IT resources or those who do not wish to spend too much time on IT tasks. 

How does a data breach impact your business? 

The most common causes of data breaches are human error and cyberattacks. Like a person sending sensitive information to the wrong email address, human error is more likely to result in a breach of your customer data than any other cause. And cyberattacks are more likely to target your business data, but they can also expose customer information. 

A data breach puts your customers at risk of fraud, identity theft, and other damage to their credit score and reputation. A breach also hurts your business's reputation and can result in litigation costs. Cybersecurity experts at the Ponemon Institute estimate that the average cost of a data breach is $7 million per incident worldwide. However, it can be as low as $1 million or as high as $40 million in some industries. 

A data breach can be devastating for a business. Nearly two-thirds of consumers will cease all business with a company that experiences a data breach, and that's just the tip of the iceberg. Companies also need to contend with negative media coverage, regulatory fines, and a loss of reputation among their peers. It's simply not worth it to take the risk. 

Data breaches can happen at any time and in any place. Even if your employees are following best practices and you have top-of-the-line security software installed on your equipment, there's still the potential for a breach to occur. That's why we believe in the significance of cloud disaster recovery services. 

In addition, a data breach can impact your business in a number of ways and the damage it causes is not always easy to repair. Many businesses are under the impression that the only thing that gets compromised during a data breach is information, but this is far from being the case. The information stolen during a data breach can be used to do all sorts of things, such as stealing your customers’ credit card information to make payments on fraudulent accounts or even sell that information to other cybercriminals. 

Not only does this put you and any customers who have had their personal information stolen at risk, but it also puts your business at risk for losing money, reputation and goodwill. In many cases, those affected by a data breach will never use that company again because they no longer trust them with their personal information. 

Unfortunately, if you fall victim to a breach then there is little you can do about it. Once the information has been stolen there is no way for anyone besides yourself or your company to recover it. You will need to contact all of your customers immediately in order to inform them what happened and how they can protect themselves from identity theft or other types of fraud that may occur due to this incident 

In conclusion

Your business systems are integral to your company's operations. If these suffer an outage, you could lose vital information, miss out on opportunities, and even damage your reputation. 

A disaster recovery plan that incorporates cloud backup can ensure that all of your data is safe and secure. If your systems go down, you can access vital backups through the cloud, ensuring you're back up and running in no time. 

At SSI, we offer cloud disaster recovery services to protect your business against cyber threats or unexpected outages. We ensure all backups are stored securely in the cloud, ready for when you need them most. 

Contact us today for more information about how our cloud backup solutions can help your business thrive.