Cloud backup for small business: A buyer’s guide
Your company relies on content to close deals, make informed decisions, plan for growth, and much more. So, when it comes to protecting contracts, budgets, and customer information from a natural disaster, malicious activity, or accidental deletion, you need a robust cloud backup solution that saves you from losing sleep. With so many options out there, finding the right one can prove challenging, especially when considering factors like security, pricing, and data migration.
Before diving into more reviews and solutions, check out this guide on cloud backup for small businesses. Discover features you should look for, explore types of services for growing companies, and learn how to find a cost-effective system that will give you peace of mind in the event of a security issue.
Advantages of cloud-based backup solutions for small businesses
You don’t want accidents, human errors, or cyber threats to compromise critical information, so a proactive approach is to assume that these incidents can happen. According to the Sophos 2024 Threat Report, more than 90% of attacks reported by small and medium businesses (SMBs) involve theft of data or credentials.
By adopting small business cloud backup solutions, you safeguard your content from these threats. Benefits include:
Data loss prevention
According to Proofpoint’s 2024 Data Loss Landscape report, 85% of surveyed companies experienced one or more data loss incidents in the past year. As just one example, if a team member at a healthcare facility were to delete patient records by mistake or intentionally modify them, these actions could lead to legal penalties, compliance violations, and reputational damage. Cloud services enable you to centralize sensitive files in a secure document management system and automate backups for easy file restoration in case of an incident.
Faster content recovery
In the event of a power outage, fire, flood, or other disaster that damages your physical infrastructure, cloud backup lets you recover important files or entire systems within minutes or hours, as long as you have an active internet connection. It reduces downtime and keeps your business running without long recovery delays.
Cost-effective data management
Online backup reduces the need for costly physical storage infrastructure and maintenance. By using cloud services, you avoid upfront hardware costs and pay only for the storage capacity you use. On top of that, solutions in the cloud typically come with easy-to-use interfaces, reducing the need for dedicated IT staff or complex infrastructure to manage the backups.
SMB cloud vs. on-prem backup: What you need to know
According to the US Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy, there are over 33M small businesses in the United States, accounting for 99.9% of all companies. Whether you’re a growing startup or running a well-established company — and SMBs can vary in size based on the industry — you should compare different methods for backing up your content to understand their distinctions.
Let’s review three key differences between SMB cloud backup vs. on-prem backup, two of the most popular choices for data storage and protection.
1. Accessibility
You can only access on-prem backups locally or through your network.The difference between these methods is that, in cloud backup, a third party provider stores data on remote servers, while on-prem services keep content on physical hardware within your business premises. If you have limited IT resources or a distributed workforce, the cloud is an option to simplify content management and allow easy access to files from any device.
2. Scalability
Cloud backup for small businesses is easier to scale. On-prem solutions require a significant upfront investment in storage devices, servers, and networking equipment and may involve complex, time-consuming configuration processes. With scalable cloud data storage, you only need to adjust your capacity to match your growing needs. This is beneficial for businesses experiencing rapid growth, such as e-commerce platforms and startups, or those that need to handle large files, like marketing agencies and photography studios.
3. Automation
Online backup solutions typically offer more robust automated backup schedules. Unlike on-prem systems, which may require manual configuration and regular monitoring, cloud services minimize the risk of data loss through automated digital workflows — such as daily scheduled tasks that run automatically at set times and incremental backups that capture only the changes made since the last version.
Types of cloud backup services for small businesses
Cloud storage providers vary in terms of pricing models, features, and storage capacity. Here’s a breakdown of the most common categories of cloud-based backup services for small businesses.
| Cloud backup services for small businesses | Definition | PROS | CONS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public cloud backup | A cloud computing environment where you share resources across multiple organizations, accessible via web interfaces or APIs | Cost-effective, maintenance-free, scalable, flexible, and easy to set up | Security is a shared responsibility between the provider and the customer |
| Private cloud backup | A dedicated cloud infrastructure allocated exclusively to a single organization | Greater control over data and security | Costly and has higher maintenance when compared to the public cloud |
| Hybrid cloud backup | A system that combines public and private clouds, allowing you to share data and applications between them | Flexible and cost-effective | Increased complexity, as integrating hybrid environments might involve some management tools or software |
| Backup-as-a-service (BaaS) | A service that provides comprehensive data recovery and requires installing an application on local machines or servers that need to be backed up | Simplified management and enhanced security | Ongoing subscription costs and potential data transfer costs |
Features to look for in a cloud backup solution for small business
You might be wondering how to choose the best cloud backup for small businesses. Get started by evaluating your content needs and focusing on the factors that matter most in a backup solution.
Look for these seven features in a backup software solution in the cloud.
1. Ease of use
Let’s say your sales team isn’t particularly tech-savvy but needs to access backed-up files every day to check client information and retrieve sales performance data. An easy-to-use interface lets you quickly manage retrieved documents, reducing the learning curve and minimizing errors during operation.
When looking for customer stories and reviews, seek comments on the setup process to ensure it’s simple and make sure the service offers pre-configured options for easy integration with existing systems.
2. Data migration
According to Pluralsight’s State of Cloud 2023, 70% of organizations say more than half of their infrastructure exists in the cloud, while 49% report they’re actively moving more of their data to a cloud-based system. Without data migration tools, manually transferring information to the cloud can be time-consuming and error-prone, making it difficult to maintain robust security controls for data privacy, protection, and compliance.
Consider features like connectors to migrate data from other tools, permission management to give access to the content, and post-migration reporting to audit results.
3. Support
You might have an IT team to save the day when you need help troubleshooting a backup issue. But if your business depends heavily on collaboration and document sharing, you need efficient customer support to solve everyday problems — for instance, if teams have difficulty accessing content or downloading large files.
Before opting for a cloud-based backup for small businesses, make sure the service offers 24/7 customer support to address any questions or issues promptly. Look for phone lines, live chat, and self-service options like FAQs, community forums, and training resources. Reliable assistance is available whenever you need it, minimizing operational disruptions.
4. Unlimited storage
Software development companies, architecture firms, and retail businesses deal with a significant amount of bulky assets every day — such as sending large video files, images, and other digital assets. With an on-prem backup solution, as their data grows in volume, they need to continuously invest in extra servers or hard drives, which takes up space and increases maintenance costs.
In the cloud, unlimited storage means you can back up as much data as you need without being restricted by quotas or file size limits. When conducting research, consider whether the services on your shortlist offer scalable options that let you expand your cloud storage capacity without limitations.
5. Data security and compliance
The idea that only large organizations are targets of cyberattacks is a myth. Per Verizon’s 2024 Data Breach Investigations Report, there’s little difference between large (55%) and small organizations (47%) in the percentage of attacks on basic web applications. SMBs often lack robust security systems, leaving them especially vulnerable to threats and breaches.
To handle the complex cloud security threat landscape and protect your content against attacks, data loss, and compliance violations, consider SMB online backup services with features like:
- Data loss preventioncontrols like granular permissions, data identification and quarantine, and automatic notifications for potentially malicious behavior
- Disaster recovery capabilities such as point-in-time restoration and customizable recovery plans in case of system failures, attacks, or natural disasters
- Encrypted document-sharing to protect files on storage (at rest) and during transfers (in transit)
- Verification methods like multi-factor authentication (MFA) and single sign-on (SSO)
- Password protection to enhance the security of sensitive content like financial records, customer information, and more
- Credentials that certify the system meet cloud compliance laws, standards, or regulations like GDPR, HIPAA, CCPA, and FedRAMP
6. Integration and compatibility
Small and medium businesses often use multiple tools to manage their content, and the SMB software market size is forecast to increase by $65.7B between 2023 and 2028, according to Technavio. But you don’t want just another tool in your tech stack, so go for all-in-one solutions that integrate with your cloud storage, document management software, and existing applications like communication platforms, CRM solutions, and more.
Remember that your backup service must also be compatible with different devices, allowing consistent data protection regardless of where you work or access your files.
7. Flexible pricing
Online backup solutions for small businesses offer different pricing models, from pay-as-you-go plans, where you pay for the storage and bandwidth you use, to subscription-based models with fixed monthly or annual fees.
Look for cost-effective options that allow you to adjust your plan as your data storage needs evolve. Check for a transparent pricing structure with no hidden fees for additional features, data retrieval, or exceeding storage limits.
Get the best small business cloud backup solution with Box
Box is an all-in-one solution for storing, sharing, and backing up your files with enhanced security. The Intelligent Content Cloud empowers more than 100,000 businesses of all sizes with document management tools, collaboration features, and AI capabilities to simplify every stage of your content lifecycle, from creating a new document to automating its backups with ease.
Box for small business centralizes your files in a single platform, enhances your backup strategies, and boosts your productivity with:
- Secure cloud backup that saves your documents automatically on Box Drive
- Unlimited storage capacity where you can add files of any format or size and easily scale as your business grows
- Streamlined content migration from anywhere with Box Shuttle
- File sharing that empowers teamwork with secure links and access from any device
- Security and compliance features like AES 256-bit encryption, advanced authentication, password controls, data loss prevention, ransomware detection, and much more
- Workflow automation with Box Relay — get easy templates and no code required
- Unlimited native e-signature capabilities to send and request unlimited documents for signing
- Box AI to make your content management more efficient and intelligent with data insights and automation with the power of artificial intelligence
Let’s connect and discuss all the advantages of cloud backups for small businesses.
While we maintain our steadfast commitment to offering products and services with best-in-class privacy, security, and compliance, the information provided in this blog post is not intended to constitute legal advice. We strongly encourage prospective and current customers to perform their own due diligence when assessing compliance with applicable laws.