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Backup software is an important tool for your small business. Why? Because research tells us well over half of the small businesses that lose their data close down after six months.
Importance of Backup Software for Small Businesses
Backup software offers numerous benefits for small businesses, ensuring the continuity and security of their operations. In today’s digital age, where data is a critical asset, the importance of backup solutions cannot be overstated.
- Data Protection: Backup software provides a safeguard against data loss due to hardware failures, cyber-attacks, or accidental deletions, ensuring that all critical business information is securely stored and retrievable.
- Disaster Recovery: In the event of disasters like fires, floods, or cyberattacks, having backup software enables quick recovery of data, minimizing downtime and business disruption.
- Improved Productivity: With data safely backed up, employees can work confidently without the fear of losing their progress, leading to increased efficiency and productivity.
- Cost-Effectiveness: Backup software can be more cost-effective compared to the potential losses from data breaches or system failures. It eliminates the need for significant investments in physical storage infrastructures.
- Regulatory Compliance: Many industries have regulations requiring data protection and retention. Backup software helps in complying with these legal requirements, avoiding penalties and legal issues.
- Easy Access and Management: Modern backup solutions offer easy access and management of data, allowing businesses to quickly retrieve specific files or datasets as needed.
- Scalability: Backup software can grow with the business, offering scalable solutions that can accommodate increasing amounts of data as the business expands.
Choosing the Best Backup Software for Small Business Users: Our Methodology
In today’s digital age, having reliable backup software is essential for small business owners and entrepreneurs. The right backup solution can safeguard your critical data against loss due to hardware failure, cyber-attacks, or natural disasters. We have identified several key factors to consider when choosing the best backup software:
- Ease of Use and User Interface (High Importance)
- Intuitive and user-friendly interface
- Simple setup and maintenance procedures
- Clear instructions and help resources
- Backup and Restore Capabilities (Very High Importance)
- Comprehensive backup options (full, incremental, differential)
- Fast and reliable restore process
- Ability to restore to different hardware or locations
- Security and Encryption (Very High Importance)
- Strong encryption methods for data in transit and at rest
- Secure storage options, both locally and in the cloud
- Compliance with industry security standards
- Automation and Scheduling (High Importance)
- Automatic backup scheduling options
- Real-time backup capabilities
- Customizable backup policies
- Support for Multiple Platforms and Devices (Moderate Importance)
- Compatibility with various operating systems (Windows, macOS, Linux)
- Ability to back up servers, desktops, and mobile devices
- Support for physical and virtual environments
- Cloud Integration and Off-site Storage (High Importance)
- Options for cloud storage integration
- Flexibility in choosing cloud storage providers
- Reliable off-site storage for disaster recovery
- Cost and Licensing (Moderate Importance)
- Transparent pricing structure
- Scalability of licensing based on business size
- Value for money in terms of features offered
- Customer Support and Documentation (High Importance)
- Access to knowledgeable and responsive support
- Comprehensive documentation and user guides
- Community support or forums for additional assistance
- Reputation and Reliability (High Importance)
- Positive reviews and testimonials from users
- Proven track record in the industry
- Regular updates and active development
These criteria are designed to help you find a backup solution that is not only effective and secure but also user-friendly and cost-effective. Ensuring your data is backed up reliably should be a top priority, and the right software can make this process seamless and worry-free.
Best Backup Software List
Here’s a list of some of the best choices for your company.
IDrive
This product allows you to manage dashboards on remote computers. That’s a big bonus if your small business is planning to expand or already has subsidiary locations. All you need is one IDrive account to backup all of your business data. This industry leader even backs up your servers and databases in real time.
The basic account is free but you only get 5G of storage. IDrive Business is $74.52 a year for the first year with unlimited users and 250G. There’s a personal option as well.
Acronis
This software offers business continuity features where some of the others don’t. Different administrators can be assigned different roles and your backups can be stored in several different locations.
A one year subscription starts at $69 with a perpetual license for $89 dollars.
Box
Box Business features unlimited storage and an integration with MS Office 365. This one includes international regulatory standards like ISO 27001, ISO 27018 and HIPAA for those small businesses with international clients.
For anywhere from 3 users up to 10, Box Business is reasonable at about $9 per month to start.
Backblaze
This product offers external drive backups and the ability to restore files via external drive. Just be aware, Backblaze doesn’t offer any options for server backups like some of the more expensive products.
This subscription-based online backup costs $50 yearly for unlimited storage.
CrashPlan
Here’s another straightforward addition to the list to entice a small business owner with free upgrades if he or she is looking to keep costs down. CrashPlan PRO has an account allowing administrators to manage multiple user accounts, change permissions for employees and see real-time report numbers on account activity and storage use.
One of the drawbacks is the lack of server backups, but CrashPlan PRO is compatible with Windows, Linux and Mac. Subscriptions are reasonable at $9.99 a computer per month, but you need to buy three licenses.
ADrive
This company has just added a new mobile app so you can get files from any Android or Apple iOS device. This is great for sales teams and travelling small business owners. Your ADrive account even allows you to edit and save documents with Zoho technology.
Large files are no problem with a 16GB transfer ability.
ADrive offers a free trial with a business account and a monthly price starting at $7 dollars.
Arcserve
Arcserve’s Cloud promises features like managing restores, tracking cloud usage and scheduling backups from one console. This software offers Office 365 backup. It also has a tool to reduce data duplication so you don’t wind up being buried with repetition.
Small businesses are offered a free 30 day trial.
| Feature | IDrive | Acronis | Box | Backblaze | CrashPlan | ADrive | Arcserve |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dashboard Management | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | No | Yes |
| Server Backup | Yes | Not specified | Not specified | No | No | Not specified | Not specified |
| Real-Time Backup | Yes | Not specified | Not specified | Not specified | Not specified | Not specified | Not specified |
| Storage Capacity | 5GB free, 250GB paid | Varies | Unlimited | Unlimited | Varies | 16GB transfer ability | Not specified |
| Regulatory Compliance | No | No | Yes (ISO 27001, ISO 27018, HIPAA) | No | No | No | Not specified |
| Subscription Cost | $74.52/year for Business | $69/year or $89 perpetual | $9/user/month | $50/year | $9.99/computer/month | $7/month | Free 30-day trial |
| Special Features | Remote computer management | Different admin roles, multiple backup locations | Integration with MS Office 365 | External drive backups and file restoration | Free upgrades, real-time reports | Mobile app, Zoho document editing | Office 365 backup, data deduplication tool |
Photo via Shutterstock
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