We often get asked about backup best practices. Backup has evolved from tapes to online, but that’s when your data still resides and a desktop, laptop or server within your control. What if your data is already in the cloud? In the case of Google Apps for Business, your email, calendar and docs all reside in the cloud and are protected by Google. How does Google protect my data? Here are just a few examples of the ways your data is protected:
- Via physical and personnel security (24/7 guard coverage, biometric and electronic key access, mantraps, closed circuit televisions and backup generators to name but a few).
- Via data security using a multi-tenant distributed environment. In layman’s terms, your data is spread out and shared across servers. It’s also obfuscated (difficult for humans to understand). There are dozens of data centers for redundancy.
- Via operational security. Security reports and blog posts are monitored, there is a robust change management system and a 24/7 security team as examples.
So if Google isn’t going to lose my company’s data, why on earth would I need to back it up?
The answer is simple: YOU or YOUR USERS (blame them). 75% of data loss is due to user error. If an email is accidentally deleted, it will hang out in the trash for 30 days to be restored but then it’s gone forever. With all the mobile ways to work with your Gmail, it’s easy to have fat thumb disease and delete your email. It’s a little different for docs. Docs that are deleted will hang out in the trash until you empty the trash. However, since most of us like to keep things tidy and empty the trash, there’s a good chance we’ll throw out something important. Also, if you’re using the sync client for Google Drive and your move a file out of the Google Drive folder on your desktop, the counterpart will be moved to the trash.
Is there a solution to user error? The solution is found in an inexpensive cloud backup solution called Backupify. Features of Backupify include the following:
- Secure backup and recovery of Google Apps Gmail, Contacts, Calendar, Drive & Sites
- Full Account Export
- Automated Daily Backups
- Centralized Management
- One-Click Restore
- Local Downloads
- Search
- Try it out free for 15 days. No credit card or contract required.
httpv://youtu.be/DFRidti0ifc