5 Best Cloud Backup Solutions for UK Small Business

Getting the best cloud backup solutions for business is critical for all types of companies.

Even if you only have a few employees, keeping files and documents secure is important. We know and we’ve heard about far too many businesses that have lost work in progress or completed work because it was not backed up regularly or off-site in the cloud.

When it comes to online backup, UK users have the same requirements as everyone else in the world.

The one improvement is having servers in the UK itself being a huge benefit in terms of speed, privacy and compliance (GDPR or other).

In this article, we'll go over our top five picks for the best cloud backup solutions for UK users and explain why they're the best.

What exactly is cloud backup?

Cloud backups involve sending copies of critical data (files or databases) via an encrypted connection to an off-site location in order to preserve data in the event of system failures or equipment damage. Files that have been lost can be easily recovered and restored independently on location(s).

Secondary server and data storage solutions are typically hosted by a third-party backup specialist. The backup customer will be charged a fee based on system resources (e.g., storage capacity), number of users and level of access required. The cost of storage varies depending on the provider, location, technology, speed and capacity required.

Because all files are synced to the cloud, cloud backup is generally regarded as a safer backup method than local backup to a server, NAS or individual drives. Thanks to the cloud's scalability, there is generally no limit on the backup capacity or number of files that can be stored.

The best online backup services are extremely secure, employing file encryption and multi-factor authentication to safeguard all of your important files off-site.

The backup process can run in the background or be initiated manually through a desktop or mobile app.

Multiple computers can be backed up simultaneously. If you need to restore your files, you can do so securely using a private encryption key and streamline the logging in process.

Let’s take a look at the list of cloud backups UK SMBs can use.

iDrive

IDrive - a cloud storage veteran, offers a massive amount of online storage for a very low cost. The offer of 10TB for £3.17 for the first year is unrivalled, as is the support for unlimited devices and the extensive file versioning system available.

IDrive is a versatile cloud backup service that meets almost every possible need, starting with very generous 10TB of storage space.

You're covered on PCs running Windows 2000 and later. There is support for Windows and Mac, Linux backup scripts, iOS and Android mobile clients, and backup support for Windows Server, Microsoft SQL, Exchange, SharePoint, and Oracle.

The default storage of 250GB may not be enough for everyone (except for business users), but hybrid backup support – the ability to save some files locally – allows you to be more selective about which files go to the cloud and which stay close at hand.

Cons:

• No two-factor authentication
• No small capacities available

Backblaze

BackBlaze is one of the best cloud backup solutions providing unlimited bandwidth, storage capacity, and file size. There's no need to sift through multiple service levels to find what's best for you: Backblaze Business is a single plan that provides unlimited backup space for one computer at a flat annual rate.

Backblaze has been providing simple, low-cost backup services to consumers for years, so it's no surprise that its business products follow suit.

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Cons:

• Flawed zero-knowledge encryption

Acronis

Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office is one of the best backup solutions for UK small businesses. Their infrastructure is optimised for the UK market and majority of the backup server are directly connected to LINX (London Internet Exchange) for improved performance and accessiblity.

Aside from its British data centres, Acronis is brimming with backup features and is one of the fastest online backup services. It has a nice client that gives you access to all sorts of backup customization options, including but not limited to scheduling, file versioning, throttling, block-level file copying, and any backup type you can think of.

Cons:

• Interfaces can be slow.
• Expensive

Carbonite

Carbonite is a cloud backup solution that is similar to Backblaze in many ways, including the price and the backup process itself. Unfortunately, it lacks EU and UK-based servers. But because of its important factors, we included them on the list.

Carbonite, like Backblaze, takes a streamlined approach to online backup. The client is quick and easy to set up, and once you get going, it requires little to no maintenance from the user. However, the interface is quite unappealing. If that is important to you, you should probably look elsewhere.

Carbonite's pricing strategy is similar to Backblaze's approach to the actual backup process. The Basic plan costs £4.77 per month and allows you to backup everything to a single device. Carbonite, on the other hand, arbitrarily locks certain minor features behind its more expensive plans, which is inconvenient.

Cons:

• Poor download speed
• Unattractive interface

How to choose the best cloud backup solution for business

When looking for the best cloud storage provider for business, you should carefully consider your requirements to determine which features you require.

For example, end-to-end encryption protects all your files and communications from eavesdropping, while two-factor authentication adds security by requiring you to enter a code sent to your smartphone or other device every time you log into your cloud storage interface.

Another critical factor to consider when selecting a cloud backup provider is where your backups will be stored. Many businesses must comply with regulatory requirements regarding data retention in the country, so ensure that your vendor can meet your data sovereignty requirements.

Finally, it's critical to understand that security is an important component of backup, and that backup is an essential component of your overall security strategy.

Demand secure data transfer to and from the cloud storage location, data encryption, and role-based access to ensure that only authorized personnel can access or restore data.

The best cloud backup solution for your industry

To select the most adequate cloud backup solution, you have first to consider the characteristics related to your business. You must choose the most fitting solution for you to reach the desired results while minimizing the cost. In other words, there is no single best solution for all types of industries. A wise choice should always be led by the parameters that give a clear scope of your specific status and business needs. For instance, the size of your business is the starting point that will lead you to the right decision.

For example, if your business is very small you should not be using, at this point, sophisticated features intended for multiple users and groups with a large variety of policies. In this same context, if the volume of data that you want to backup is not huge and it is not intended to grow dramatically, you can take advantage of backup services that cater for personal users.

However, if your business is a medium or large size, it requires a consistent cloud Backup solution with a sufficient set of privileges. CloudAlly is a significant example of a solution in which you can have several business critical products (Microsoft 365 Backup, SharePoint Backup, Google Workspace Backup, etc ). It can be a great fit for you.

CloudAlly leads the market and pioneered the first commercially available Microsoft Office 365 cloud backup in 2014. It was founded in 2011 as one of the world's first cloud-to-cloud backup services for Google Apps and Salesforce. In the year 2021, CloudAlly joined the OpenText family. It dedicated time and effort to expanding its cloud capabilities while maintaining its leadership in backup and recovery. This is why you can trust CloudAlly as a greatly performing cloud backup solution for your medium to large size business. In fact, its products have been recognized as a prominent SaaS backup solution by Gartner, Capterra, and Newsweek.

CloudAlly provides an unlimited storage capacity (with an unlimited secure Amazon S3 storage and unlimited retention days), a regional data center (Archiving can be done in any AWS region amongst the U.S, Canada, Australia and the EU) and a secured Cloud Backup that encrypts data with AES-256 advanced algorithm.

Cloud backup solution are usually a double-edged sword. Technologies always come with advantages and disadvantages at the same time. This is why you have to take your time to look for the solution that meets the most critical needs of your business.

It is imperative to make the right decision about your data backup solution in the very beginning to avoid the many pitfalls of incorrectly stored or backed up data, power cuts, faulty drives, malicious attacks from viruses or disgruntled ex-employees. For small and growing businesses, keeping the reliability and security of the storage infrastructure is on of the cornerstones of a successful business plan.

How HelpDesk Heroes can help you with cloud backup solutions for your business

Our engineers are certified Amazon AWS, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud specialists. Having full understanding of the latest storage trends and technologies, we are able to provide an insightful, unbiased recommendation that reflects the actual needs of your business rather than just a blanket rate card that doesn't take your true business requirements into account.