Hybrid Backup Strategy Versus Cloud-Only: Why Dual Destination is Better for Your Business

When I think about backing up data, I don’t think about the features of a particular product. Instead, I think about the problem I am trying to solve and the right solution to do the job. When thinking about backups and eliminating a single point of failure, or creating a ‘Plan B’ disaster recovery location, the cloud comes to mind as the solution. 

Cloud is a broad term, so I will dive into the problem I am trying to solve:

The problem: I need a second location for my backups to know that if anything happens, I can go to an off-site location to recover my data. I know that I want to use a destination in the cloud for such storage. At the same time, I don’t want to invest money in a new location and I certainly don’t want to have the conversation with my CFO on CAPEX budget. So I look for a solution to add off-site backup to my existing strategy. 

But the problem continues: I know my primary solution needs to give me the ability to do three things:

1.       Backup locally 

2.       Restore quickly from a local destination 

3.       Comply with my primary backup strategy

The solution:  Hybrid backup destinations! In particular, I want one tool to manage my local backups, and from the same backup application, I want the ability to back up to the second destination to support my ‘Plan B’ to eliminate a single point of failure. 

Hybrid can mean many things, but the main point I want to stress is to think about what the problem is for your organization and what you are trying to solve. For example: If you don’t need to have any local availability of data, or if recovery times are not your issue, then a cloud-only strategy might be the best option. But if you think about it, cloud-only would work for a particular workstation or a small business without a lot of local systems/applications. I strongly believe that any business with at least two to three servers will want to employ a hybrid cloud backup strategy. 

We all buy insurance: Why risk data loss for your organization?  Hybrid backup will automatically copy your primary backup to the cloud with little-to-no intervention, basically solving the problem you would have if you used tape. 

An integrated hybrid backup application gives you the freedom to eliminate legacy technology, like tape, and simplifies the logistics of storing data off-site.

Join the debate! What’s your backup strategy: hybrid or cloud-only?