In this BackupAssist 10 feature article, we’ll be talking about Cloud Independence. Specifically, what it is, how it benefits you, and how this compares to other cloud backup software models.
BackupAssist 10 Feature Series
- Full Feature List / Release Post
- The Cloud Backup Job
- Data Deduplication
- Cloud Independence
- Insulated Encryption
- Resilient Transfers
So What is Cloud Independence?
Far too often, SMBs are forced to buy their cloud backup software and cloud storage from the same company. This is because the backup software only provides them with only one vendor option, and they’re the one who is selling the storage space.
There are a number of reasons this isn’t beneficial for a company:
• If they have an existing cloud storage provider, they’re not allowed to use it to store their backups. That’s twice as much hassle and more expenditure, because you’re making two separate purchases for cloud storage rather than buying in bulk.
• They’re not able to shop around for the best deal. Even if the cloud storage that’s offered is cheap, if a competitor starts offering it cheaper, the company can’t switch over because it’s the only storage provider the software works with.
• There’s a conflict of interest in the vendor selling you both a compression tool and storage space. Top-tier backup software will highly compress your backups so they take up minimal space in the cloud, costing you less in storage. But if the software company also makes money off you buying cloud storage, there’s a conflict between providing a customer with a high-grade compression tool and also wanting them to buy lots of storage space.
• The company typically has no knowledge of or say in where the data is stored. Business data could be stored anywhere in the world, where the data is purchased or stored at the cheapest rate by the software company. This can make it hard or impossible to meet guidelines regarding data security.
• You usually pay for space you won’t use. With dual backup software / cloud storage providers, you normally have to buy your storage space in chunks. If you use less than this amount of space, you still pay the same amount. E.g. You have to buy a 100 GB block, and if you only use 2 GB, you still pay as if you used the full amount. This is different from how dedicated cloud storage vendors operate, where you can scale your storage to the exact space you’re using to save money.
• You can’t use different kinds of storage to achieve different types of redundancy. Typically, dual service vendors only offer one sort of cloud storage. This means you can’t scale or organize your storage to suit your risk tolerance and budget.
With BackupAssist 10, we decided to provide our customers with Cloud Independence. We don’t tie you down to a singular cloud provider, so you can shop around for the best deal, or use your existing provider.
Because we’re not the ones selling you cloud storage, you can trust us to focus entirely on compressing and minimizing the size of your data, so you can save as much money as possible (Read about BackupAssist 10’s impressive compression rates).
With Cloud Independence, since you can fine-tune your storage with your cloud provider, this means you can choose the level of redundancy you want and the one that suits your budget (E.g. Choosing between hot or cold data storage) and the exact amount of data you’re using. (If you’re only going to store 50 GB of data, don’t pay for a 100 GB chunk—just scale down or up as needed.)
You can also select which data center you want your data to be stored at, so you’re never in doubt as to where it is. This gives you both peace of mind and the ability to meet any compliance requirements.
What Public Cloud Providers Can I Use?
With BackupAssist 10’s release, we offer support for two of the world’s most popular cloud storage providers, Microsoft Azure and Amazon (AWS S3), with additional storage options coming soon.
Both of these popular services have excellent guides on how to set up storage – and free account options to get you started. Read about free Amazon and Azure accounts.
If you already have an Amazon or Azure cloud storage account, then setting up a cloud backup job in BackupAssist 10 takes seconds. Backing up your data to the cloud has never been easier.
