Although the idea of switching “to the cloud” is something that’s becoming ever more popular in today’s world of business, the question still looms when the distinction needs to be made between sync vs. storage vs. backup. Being that cloud-based applications and enhancements are still relatively new to many businesses, answers aren’t as readily available.
There’s a lot involved, backup up your files to an online platform. Many are unsure of exactly where their files are going, and are therefore skeptical of cloud-based applications themselves. But we’re here to ensure you of the value of utilizing the cloud, regardless of which you use—storage, sync, or backup.
Which one is the right fit for you? We’ll give you a breakdown of the differences here.
Cloud Storage
The most commonly-heard term when it comes to data on the cloud is cloud storage. And it’s basically exactly what it sounds like: backing up your data on a cloud. Companies can store their data on this cloud for a certain monthly fee, which is much smaller than the amount they’d have to pay in order to buy the physical backup datacenters. With cloud storage, they are also given the option to switch the sizes of their data usage month-by-month—with a physical datacenter, you can’t exactly return any unused.
Cloud Sync
Cloud synchronizing is similar to cloud storage in that it holds copies of files in on an offsite location. But with cloud synchronizing, the local files saved to your—or your company’s computer—are synced with the files held in the cloud, and if any local files are updated, the cloud-based files will be updated as well.
Plans for cloud syncing are usually based on size—the number of files. But beware, only files you’ve synced can be recovered in the event of data loss. So if you only sync half of your files to save on monthly fees, those will be the only files that can be recovered in the event of a local loss.
Cloud Backup
Cloud backup is essentially what it sounds like: you back up the files you have locally. Think of cloud backup as the external hard drive (or floppy disk, if you’re old enough to remember those). Cloud backup stores all of your files in the most current form. And in the event of a local data loss, all of your files are available to be recovered.
What Do We Suggest?
No one ever assumes a data loss. No one wants to think of them, either. But it happens. Every day. Companies lose their data every day, and unless you have your files backed up on some sort of cloud or hard drive, they could be gone forever.
So while all three of these options work hand-in-hand and are great options for file storage, we strongly advise you back up all of your files—better safe than sorry. But if you’re leery and want to discuss further, give us a call. We’ll discuss everything in greater detail and work together with you to find your best option.