Why Your Business Needs a Cloud Backup (And Why IT's Not the Same as OneDrive)

One of the most common conversations we have with businesses across Essex is about backup. Specifically, businesses that think they are backed up — but are not.

The Three Things People Confuse With Backup

File Sync (OneDrive, Dropbox, Google Drive)

File sync services like OneDrive keep a copy of your files in the cloud. But they are not backup. If you delete a file, it is deleted from the cloud too. If ransomware encrypts your files, the encrypted versions sync to the cloud, overwriting the originals. Sync services have some versioning and recycle bin features, but these are not a substitute for proper backup.

Microsoft 365 Retention Policies

Microsoft 365 includes retention policies that can preserve deleted items for a period. But these are compliance features, not backup. They have complex interactions with user actions, are not designed for rapid disaster recovery, and do not protect against all data loss scenarios.

RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks)

RAID protects against hard drive failure by writing data to multiple disks. But RAID is not backup. If ransomware encrypts your files, the encrypted versions are on every disk in the RAID array. If the server room floods, all disks are lost together.

What Real Backup Looks Like

A proper backup solution has these characteristics:

Automated: Backups run automatically without manual intervention. Backup strategies that depend on humans remembering to do something eventually fail.

Multiple copies: Following the 3-2-1 rule — 3 copies of data, on 2 different media types, with 1 copy offsite. Local backup enables fast restores; offsite backup protects against site-wide disasters.

Immutable: Modern ransomware targets backup systems. Immutable backup storage cannot be encrypted or deleted by ransomware, even if it gains access to your network.

Tested: Untested backups regularly fail at the worst possible moment. Regular test restores confirm your backup is working and that you can actually recover your data.

Monitored: You should know if a backup fails before you need to restore from it, not when you are trying to recover from a disaster.

The Cost of Not Having Proper Backup

The average cost of a ransomware attack on a small business, including downtime, recovery costs, and reputational damage, runs into tens of thousands of pounds. Many small businesses do not survive. The cost of proper backup is a fraction of this.

If you would like us to assess your backup situation and make sure you are genuinely protected, call Colchester Computer Medics on 01206 688598. We offer free backup assessments for Essex and Suffolk businesses.