Choosing the right way to back up your business data is a crucial decision that affects how quickly you can recover from unexpected events like hardware failures, cyberattacks, or accidental deletions. In simple terms, data backup options usually fall into two categories: local backups, which store copies of your data on physical devices like external hard drives or on-site servers, and cloud backups, which save your data on remote servers accessed over the internet.
Why Backup Strategy Matters for Canadian SMBs
For small and mid-sized businesses in Canada, data loss can lead to costly downtime, lost productivity, and damage to customer trust. For example, if your business experiences a ransomware attack and your backups are only local and connected to the same network, those backups might also be encrypted or destroyed. On the other hand, relying solely on cloud backups without local copies may slow down recovery times if internet connectivity is poor or disrupted.
Compliance is another important factor. Canadian privacy regulations and industry standards often require secure, reliable data retention and quick access to records. Your backup solution must support these requirements, ensuring data integrity and availability.
A Typical Scenario
Consider a Canadian mid-sized accounting firm with about 50 employees. They initially used local backups stored on-site. When a flood damaged their office, including servers and backup drives, they lost access to critical client data for days. After this incident, their IT partner recommended a hybrid backup approach: local backups for fast recovery during minor issues and encrypted cloud backups stored in Canadian data centres for disaster recovery. This setup improved their resilience and compliance posture.
Checklist: What to Do When Evaluating Backup Options
- Ask your IT provider: Where are backups physically stored? Are cloud servers located in Canada to meet data sovereignty requirements?
- Check backup frequency and retention: How often is data backed up? How long are backups kept?
- Verify backup security: Is data encrypted both in transit and at rest?
- Test recovery procedures: How quickly can data be restored? Are recovery drills performed regularly?
- Review access controls: Who can access backups? Are multi-factor authentication and strong password policies enforced?
- Compare costs and SLAs: What guarantees are provided regarding uptime and data availability?
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
Relying solely on one backup method can increase risk. Local backups alone are vulnerable to physical damage or theft, while cloud backups depend on internet access and the provider's reliability. Not testing backups regularly can lead to unpleasant surprises during recovery. Also, neglecting encryption or proper access controls can expose sensitive data.
Ultimately, many Canadian SMBs benefit from a layered backup strategy combining both local and cloud backups. This approach balances quick recovery with robust protection against a wide range of risks.
If you're unsure whether your current backup setup meets your business needs and compliance obligations, consider discussing your situation with a trusted managed IT provider or IT advisor. They can help tailor a backup strategy that fits your risk profile, budget, and operational requirements.