Cloud sync is many things, but it’s not a backup
There are distinctions between cloud phrases such as cloud sync and cloud backup. To put it simply, cloud sync services do not offer the same level of security as cloud backup services.
Cloud sync services such as Dropbox and OneDrive are ideal for transferring information, images, and videos from a device to a single location in the cloud. In addition, you can access your files from any device and share them with clients, colleagues, consultants with ease, thanks to the synchronising feature. Great! But - it needs manual handling to ensure all files are included in the cloud sync requiring time and management from users.
Cloud/hosted backup services work in the background automatically. The user does not need to take any action like setting up specific folders. Backup services typically back up any new or changed data on your computer or server to another location. This means that if data gets corrupted, deleted, or changed in your storage environment, it is still safely intact in the cloud/hosted backup.
So, cloud sync solutions keep your data in the cloud in sync with the data on your local hard drive. This means that a local disaster, such as ransomware or an unintended change to a file, is quickly synchronised to the cloud. This is a far cry from a data protection solution.
Other things to consider when it comes to the Cloud
Backups
Cloud sync is not the place to back up business-critical data. You'll lose the files that weren't manually transferred if your data is lost — for example, if your computer crashes or is stolen — and you haven't been regularly uploading your updated files to your cloud storage. Even if file sync is enabled, when a file on a laptop is destroyed or infected with malware, data is lost or infected on both sides. There is no guarantee, no monitoring and reporting, no assistance, and you may never see those files again.
Disaster Recovery (DR)
What about accessing your data in the event of a business disaster? If you've got terabytes of data and need to access it in a usable format, you could spend days downloading it onto new hardware. This may mean you have some serious downtime. There are services that enable you to access the data directly within minutes of a DR scenario striking. This means, even if your onsite server is no longer available due to a major disaster, you and your team can continue to work.
Data Protection
If data gets deleted or corrupted locally, then it will disappear from the cloud sync. Some of these services have a rollback feature, of course, only files that are in the synced folders are available to be recovered. With a hosted offsite backup, this is not the case. You protect your data regardless of the situation going on that may be out of your control. Your cloud backup is insurance for business continuity.
Time Management
Cloud sync requires manual handling of files and folders as they are syncing. Manual handling can mean errors occur and things are missed. A comprehensive automated backup system reduces these errors. There might be a cost, but it removes the headache and time of manually handling information.