Data security is a consistent theme in the top tech trends we predicted for 2019.

It's not hard to see why. Securing effective data backups has become incredibly important in this age of cyber-crime. According to a 2018 ‘State of Cyber-security Report’, 88 digital records were lost or stolen every second in 2017. 

Data breaches, DDoS attacks, ransomware and the newest strains of malware are a consistent threat to your organisation, from the data you store, your intellectual property, capital and reputation. Businesses of all sizes are having a moment of truth with their cyber-security strategy and wondering...are we truly prepared for a cyber-attack?

In 2019, businesses will increasingly turn to cloud backups in order to strengthen their overall cyber-security strategy. 

In fact, according to the Spiceworks 2019 State of IT report, backup and disaster recovery represent 15% of overall cloud spending—the largest segment of the pie!

Here are 5 ways that cloud backups can improve your data security strategy:

• Cloud backup keeps your files in a secure location. 

If your backup hard drives are in the same location as your primary storage and servers, then in a crisis situation, they'll probably both be lost or damaged! BaaS replicates your files to a secure, off-site cloud location where they'll be protected & easily accessible..

• Cloud backup offers flexible costs and overall savings.

Purchasing the hardware necessary to replicate IT infrastructures is expensive & often an unplanned need. Many organisations encounter savings once moved to the cloud for backup & DR. Fortunately, the cloud has frequent monitoring and is scalable, so you only pay for what you use.

• Cloud backup easily restores your files and apps. 

Cloud backup makes data recovery a simple process with a few clicks, which means that your operations can return to normal as quickly as possible. In a world where downtime can be deadly for businesses, BaaS helps you meet strict RPO and RTO objectives.

• Cloud backup solutions update continuously. 

Traditional backups rely on snapshots of data that are at least 24 hrs old. In case of data loss, restored files will be at least 1 day old. In certain sectors, like healthcare, this is unacceptable. Cloud-based backup & disaster recovery offers continuous replication, so data will always be accurate.

• Cloud backup plans can be tested and improved. 

With cloud-powered BaaS, it is easy to test how fast data can be restored & improve upon that speed or make changes. You can also minimise interruptions for your team and customers by testing your backup plan in a cloud environment, so it is always up-to-date should disaster strike.