In aiming for growth and longevity, business leaders find ways to arm their organizations with tools that get things done smarter and faster. Luckily, there are two resources that you can use to achieve both — data and technology.
But what if your data gets compromised by a breach, an outage, or a natural disaster? Do you have safeguards to minimize these interruptions and restore your operations? Do you have a business continuity plan in place?
According to research by IDG, business continuity planning is one of the top reasons many investors are turning to the cloud. That’s because companies can achieve a greater level of resilience, as their critical data resides in a cloud service provider’s (CSP’s) systems.
Here are more reasons you need the cloud’s business continuity capabilities.
Faster recovery
Chief among the cloud’s advantages for business continuity is the ability to back up your entire server in real time. That’s because cloud-based business continuity involves grouping all your data, systems, and applications into one software block or virtual server. This allows for easier recovery compared with traditional methods and software.
Moreover, if a disaster or an outage hits your IT infrastructure, recovery of your entire server can be done in a matter of minutes. According to a survey by ActualTech Media, 11% of IT professionals in the United States said they were able to restore business applications within 15 minutes of a critical application outage because of cloud business continuity.
Lower costs and scalability
Compared to traditional backup methods, cloud-based business continuity measures are more cost-efficient to implement. This is because traditional backup requires setting up servers in a separate or remote location. This entails spending on rent or construction of a facility, hardware, and security personnel and IT management.
On the other hand, the cloud is more cost-efficient as you’re essentially outsourcing hardware and software resources managed by a CSP and paying for them on a pay-as-you-go model.
CSPs offer this payment model because of their ability to scale solutions and resources to match your needs and budget. As your business grows, you can easily add additional storage, security, bandwidth, and other solutions. And if you no longer need them, your CSP can easily scale down for you.
At SpectrumWise, we don’t only offer the on-demand computing resources the cloud is known for, but complete cloud management and access to cloud specialists, all at a fixed monthly fee.
Redundancy
Having a remote facility as a backup data center does not guarantee safety. When it comes to business continuity or disaster recovery, it’s best practice to have multiple backup sites or methods to ensure that if one goes down, data can still be recovered. Many CSPs practice redundancy by having backups of backups or copies of your data in multiple servers in separate locations.
By using a CSP’s storage, you are able to take advantage of its facility’s physical security measures and its backup and disaster recovery plan. If a breach or data loss occurs at your own servers, you can be assured that copies are safely stored away for easy restoration.
Protection of fixed assets
Business continuity does not only involve data but other critical non-IT components as well. These are fixed assets, such as desks, chairs, and other equipment — basically all insured items.
The cloud is a valuable tool in protecting records of purchasing costs and depreciation. It will store these records safely so you can hand it over to your insurance provider who can then immediately start the recovery process for those assets right away. With the cloud, you can securely access your insurance information from any device to file a claim and receive recovery assistance.
Ensure your business survives disasters with business continuity planning. At SpectrumWise, every business continuity plan starts with an in-depth assessment of your daily processes so our experts can devise a step-by-step guide to properly restoring operations after a catastrophe. Protect your business from disaster. Call our experts today for a service your business deserves.
