Forgoing Data Backup: A Common Pitfall of Small Businesses

Much like technology in general, data backup methods have changed immensely over the past decade. Now, the trend most small businesses are following is the switch from backing up data on hardware to backing up data by using cloud storage.

Cloud storage makes data backup fast and easy for small businesses. Data is backed up automatically and checked frequently, and in the case of a disaster, businesses can restore their data within minutes, unlike broken or destroyed hardware.

But even though cloud storage has made data backup simple, many small businesses are still holding off from it. A Cloud Tweaks infograph provides statistics about how common it is for small businesses to forgo data backup. The following statistics were compiled by several sources and surveys about data backup:

• 35% of computer owners have never backed up their computer.
• 10% of people back up their data daily.
• 93% of people still use local storage.
• 48% of businesses experience data loss in a year.
• 46% of people lose data every year.

So even though data backup is a small price to pay for securing future business operations, 35% of computer owners still are reluctant to practice it. And an even smaller amount of people regularly backup their data, as only 10% of people do so daily.

But even more shocking than the percentage of businesses that don’t back up their data is the percentage of businesses that use traditional data backup methods, or in this case: using local storage. Backing up data on local storage is better than not backing up data at all, but it’s still inferior to cloud storage. Using local storage is more expensive and is not scalable, so the only option for more storage is to buy more expensive hardware. Cloud storage is more cost-effective than local storage and is scalable. So if a business needs more storage, they just need to contact their cloud storage service provider and adjust their plan to fit their storage needs.

If you’re interested in cloud storage, contact us.