Despite the growing popularity of cloud backup, many organizations are still relying on on-premise backup when it comes to protecting their most critical information. Even worse, some organizations believe they have on-premise storage, only to realize they don’t after a malicious cyberattack. Before choosing to make the leap to cloud storage, companies should understand the key differences between each system and choose which suits their needs best.

On-Premise Backup

For years, on-premise storage, which is where a company keeps data stored on its local servers behind its firewall, was the only option companies had. And some on-premise storage systems continue to serve those companies adequately – there haven’t been any major issues, and if it isn’t broken, why spend the time, energy, and money to fix it?

These systems are practical and well known, and thanks to their familiarity, they’re also thought of as being generally safe.

When looking at the cons of on-premise backup, initial cost is one of the first points to keep in mind. It can incur hefty up-front costs due to the large volume of disk space a business needs to store all of its information.

Local backups are also rarely disaster-proof, and can be compromised from a natural disaster or human error, making them extremely vulnerable and not as safe as many assume. Even further, continued maintenance, personnel, and support costs will be an additional and unpredictable cost.

Cloud Backup

Cloud backup covers a wide range of services today, but almost all newer backup technologies can be bundled together in the cloud. Cloud backup allows an organization to upload all of their data to a secure replication center in a deposit location outside of the organization for a monthly fixed cost.

As with any service that is outsourced, if something goes wrong, there is a team of professionals working fast to fix it, reducing downtime in the event of a loss. The cloud also offers users greater scalability since they can choose to increase their storage at any time, and unlike an on-premise system, with cloud backup, you only pay for the data you use.

While a significant step up from an on-premise backup solution, using the cloud comes with its own share of risks. There are no up-front costs to use the cloud, but there will be a standard, monthly fee that can get pricey if you have a lot of data that need to be stored. Also, there is usually a fee related with data requests or transfers.

Cloud storage is generally safe, but with the growing ecosystem of cyberhackers, is still susceptible to attacks.

Hybrid Cloud Storage Strategies

There are pros to both an on-premise and cloud backup system, and some companies are choosing to combine the best of both worlds to create a custom, hybrid solution for their data. For example, storing all data on-premise may not be feasible or cost effective for companies with large amounts of data, but it also might not make sense to store all the data in the cloud if there are privacy and security concerns.

A hybrid solution stores sensitive data on-premise, and mass amounts of data in the cloud. This ensures that the most important data can be secured and accessed immediately, while still allowing accessibility to the rest of their data portfolio.