What is Cloud Backup and How Does it Work?

Cloud backup is another name for online backup or remote backup. The service is one of the measures that help counter equipment failure.

In the event of equipment failure, cloud backup sends a copy of the virtual or the physical file to a different database. This database is located at an offsite location, and the data is correspondingly preserved. For a vast number of companies, cloud backup comes by as a supplementary form of backup.

It is a third-party service provider that typically hosts the storage systems and the secondary server alike. The backup customer is charged a fee. The fee is very frequently subject to parameters such as the number of servers or the number of times that the data is assessed. Similarly, it may be subject to the capacity used, storage space, numbers of users, or data transmission bandwidth.

Importance of cloud data backup

With the implementation of cloud data backup, an organization’s data protection strategy strengthens. This takes place even while the workload of the IT staff does not enhance.

As the strategy saves man-hours, they very frequently overshadow the various additional costs associated with cloud data backup. These costs include data transmission charges.

Defining the cloud

Cloud computing is the hosted services over the internet. Unlike web hosting, services provided over the cloud are sold on demand. This allows a customer to use as much or as little of the service as required. The service provider comprehensively manages the services.

Public Cloud

A public cloud sells services to anyone who may be present over the internet. An example of the same is Amazon Web Services (AWS).

Private Cloud

A private cloud makes hosted services available for a limited number of users.

How does cloud backup work?

Off-site backup characteristically comes in numerous formats. Cloud backup is amongst the most popular among them.

The data is first copied. A backup application then stores the data over different media. This happens at an organization’s data center.

Necessary steps involved with cloud backup:

• Files for backup are designated. They are most frequently the ones that have new or updated data.
• Backed up files are encrypted.
• They are sent off-site to the cloud.
• Public cloud, Private cloud, or cloud-to-cloud (C2C) backup methods are available.
• The files are easily accessible. In the event of recovery, they are readily available.

Cloud backup characteristically has different approaches. They are chosen based upon their feasibility to fit into an organization’s current data protection processes.

Let us take a look at the different approaches associated with cloud backup:

Directly backing up to the cloud

Making a copy of the resources in the public cloud is one way of storing organizational supplies. The data is written directly to cloud providers, like Microsoft Azure or Amazon Web Services (AWS).

To create a copy of the data, an organization uses its own backup software. The cloud storage service then receives the data.

The backup software must necessarily be able to interface with cloud storage. The cloud storage does not provide backup software in this case.

Backing up to a cloud service provider

Backup services are provided in a managed data center. Backup software is a part of the service, or the service supports backup applications.

Cloud-to-cloud (C2C) backup

C2C backup services are relatively new. They copy data from cloud to cloud and host the software to handle the processes. Data is already in the cloud. Alternately Software as a Service (SaaS) hosts the data.

Online cloud backup systems

They are the hardware alternatives to backup data to a cloud backup service. Backup machines include backup software, disc capacity, and backup servers as an all-in-one service. A few of the vendors providing such services are Dell EMC, Unitrends and Quantum.