Comparing Cloud vs. On-Prem Backups

Data is the lifeblood of business today. And IT pros are, first and foremost, focused on keeping that data secure. After security, backup and disaster recovery is likely next on the IT priority list. Whether the cause is a natural disaster, malicious attack like ransomware, or accidental deletion of data, having a solid backup and disaster recovery plan in place is critical. Check out this blog post for a complete IT disaster recovery planning checklist. As you consider your options for where to store your backed up data, one of your first considerations will be whether to use a cloud or on-premises solution or some combination of the two. Both offer features and benefits that are valuable to most businesses, so let’s compare the two.

On-Prem: The Starting Point

Because on-prem backup solutions are usually simple, it’s where many companies start out storing their data backups. These solutions range from network-attached storage (NAS) to storage servers and disks. The problem with on-prem is, if your local infrastructure is hit by a natural or human-inflicted disaster and your backup hardware is damaged, destroyed, or for any reason unavailable, on-prem backups won’t be of much use. Even a backup copy kept offsite but nearby could be at risk in a regional disaster. Read this recent StorageCraft blog post to learn just how far away physical backups need to be. On-prem backups can also be costly, even if they may be a cheaper solution to start. Power, cooling, storage, and infrastructure costs add up over time. Upgrades and repairs require additional investments. On-prem backups also require IT teams to invest time in upgrades, repairs, and maintenance. Still, on-prem backup solutions like StorageCraft OneXafe Solo have an important role to play in your overall data protection, backup, and recovery planning. That brings us to cloud backups.

Cloud Backups: Simple, Scalable, Secure

While on-prem backups still have a place in many businesses—especially when it comes to financial services and healthcare where strict privacy laws may demand it— today most companies rely on the cloud for at least part of their backup solution. In fact, Statista found that 94 percent of small organizations surveyed worldwide used the cloud for data storage or backup. That high level of adoption came about because using a cloud solution for offsite backups offers flexibility and scalability while making both backup and recovery easier. Cloud solutions, like StorageCraft Cloud Services and StorageCraft's powerful backup software, give you the confidence your data is secure and always available because the StorageCraft Cloud is distributed, fault-tolerant, and built for disaster recovery.

Clouds Offer Options

Your cloud backup solution should be customizable, so it fits your specific needs. Whether your IT environment is small and simple or big and complex, you should be able to choose the service level that fits your needs. That way you can keep your costs under control with predictable monthly pricing as your needs grow. On-prem solutions simply don’t offer that level of flexibility, and forklift upgrades are almost always in your future at some point if you need to scale on-prem storage significantly. StorageCraft Cloud Services also ensures 99.999 percent uptime with instant, one-click failover available for total business continuity. You can also centrally control and monitor all of your cloud accounts, reducing the time IT teams spend on storage and backup management. And if a major data disaster does strike your infrastructure, StorageCraft Cloud Services even offers available advanced network-recovery options that let you run your network in the cloud, just as you’d run it onsite.

Both Have Their Place

On-prem backups, as we’ve noted, still make sense for most companies. In fact, a quick read of StorageCraft’s new take on the traditional 3-2-1 backup rule recommends that you keep backup copies of your data both on-prem, offsite, and in the cloud. To learn how StorageCraft solutions can help you take advantage of the benefits of both on-prem and cloud for backup and disaster recovery, schedule a demo with a StorageCraft engineer.