Cloud Backups: The Insurance Policy Most Businesses Forget
You insure your office, your van, your stock. But what about your data? Here's why cloud backups matter and what a good setup looks like.
Quick question: if your laptop died right now — hard drive failure, ransomware, stolen from the car at Supermacs — how much work would you lose? A day? A week? Everything?
Most Irish businesses I work with don’t think about backups until they need one. And by then it’s too late.
Here’s the thing a lot of people don’t realise: Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace are not backup solutions. Yes, your files are “in the cloud.” But if you accidentally delete something, or ransomware encrypts your OneDrive, or someone leaves the company and wipes their account — that data can be gone for good. Microsoft’s own terms of service recommend third-party backups.
What should you back up?
Your email — including sent items and contacts. Your cloud storage — OneDrive, SharePoint, Google Drive. Any files on local computers or servers. Basically, if it would hurt to lose it, back it up.
How often?
Daily, minimum. Good backup solutions run automatically in the background — you set it up once and forget about it until you need it.
The 3-2-1 rule
Three copies of your data, on two different types of storage, with one copy offsite. Sounds complicated, but a decent cloud backup service handles all of this for you automatically.
What does it cost?
Typically three to five euro per user per month. That’s less than a cup of coffee a day to protect everything your business runs on. Compare that to the cost of losing your client database, your accounts, six years of Revenue records, or a decade of emails.
I set up cloud backups for businesses across Ireland every week. Takes about 30 minutes, then it just runs quietly. If you’re not sure whether your data is properly backed up, drop me a WhatsApp and I’ll check for you. Free of charge.
Backups are one of the biggest IT mistakes small businesses make. Combined with MFA and proper IT support, it’s the foundation of keeping your business safe. I set up cloud backups for businesses in Tuam, Claremorris, Claregalway, and Athenry.