Cloud backup system use to be built around client software applications, these applications use to run after fixed interval of time. This time period depend on the service for which customer is paying to service provider. For instance if backup use to be done on daily basis then this application will collect, compress, encrypts and transfer the data regularly everyday. Once at the time of initial backup, service provider uses to transfer all the files for backup and then every time when backup use to be done then just incremental backup is provided by the service provider. Third party cloud backup is most popular among small business and home users because of convince that it use to provide. It use to be done without any manual intervention and no additional hardware is needed in cloud backup as well so the cost of this backup system is less than any other kind of backup. Cloud backup provides a solution for non critical data types only. For critical data backup, traditional methods are more feasible than this. Traditional methods use to provide recovery at a much faster rate than cloud backup and with that using those methods you are always aware about the limit of data that can be moved over network in fixed amount of time. For large amount of data recovery portable storage mediums are used.
Advantages of Cloud Backup: There are many advantages of using cloud backup. Some of
them as followed.
- Efficiency and reliability: Cloud backup provides facility of disk based backup, compression, duplications, server and storage virtualization, data protection and SAS 70-certified data centers. With this 24/7 monitoring and management is provided.
- Scalability with capital savings: Third party cloud providers use to handle the backup problems of different organizations. And this reduces the cost of backup handling to those organizations. Pas-as-you-go facility as well reduces the headache and operational cost of backup for organizations.
- Improves recovery time for small data sets: File recovery system from cloud backup is much faster than traditional backup systems. No physical transport is needed in cloud backup recovery. Files which have to be recovered are located and then transferred over WAN connection which save time and omit the need of storage mediums.
- Accessibility: Cloud backup is more attractive for its cost effective reasons. But with this another attractive feature offered by this backup system is that data can be accessed form any of the internet connected device.
Disadvantages of Cloud Backup: There are some disadvantages of using cloud backup. Which are as followed.
- Seeding data and full recovery: If the size of data is large at the time of initial backup, then it can be time consuming and can affect the performance of production on the system.
- Size limitations: In cloud backup the bandwidth that use to be purchased by organizations use to be limited. But organizations have to maintain the backup of data regularly. Limit of bandwidth impact badly on the backup strategy.
- Discontinuation of the service: Exist strategy is very important feature of cloud backup. Termination, cancellation notifications and data extraction are also important factors to be considered.
- Nonexistent service-level agreements (SLAs): There is always a risk about complete and successful backup because it is not always in the hands of service providers. So there can be a risk about loss of data.