Recently, Perfect Practice, along with many other companies and firms in the Southeast had to face an impending disaster. Hurricane Irma struck the state of Florida and caused wide spread physical damage to homes and businesses and millions of power outages. What happened to the businesses who kept their data in an onsite server? Did they lose all of their data? Possibly. If they did not have a cloud based backup, it is very possible that they will now face the daunting task of rebuilding not only their physical location (or finding another place to go), but also trying to recover all of the data lost through the destruction of their server.
How could they have been better prepared for this monster of a storm? They boarded up their windows, bought water by the case, and did the best they could to protect themselves should they take a direct hit, but did they also prepare by protecting their data? And what about resuming business once the storm had passed? Cloud based computing is a solution to these problems should a disaster strike.
The simplest definition of cloud computing is computing based on the internet. Where in the past, people would run programs from software downloaded on a physical computer or server in their building, cloud computing allows people access to the same kinds of applications through the internet.
Businesses of all sizes should have a disaster plan in place. For smaller businesses that lack the cash or expertise to implement such a plan, cloud based technology may be the way to go. Should a business be impacted by a disaster that could potentially cause the loss of data, having your backup “in the cloud” can be a game changer. If your in-office server is damaged or destroyed, there is no need to worry about what has happened to all of your data as it is safely housed in another location for quick recovery.
Cloud based computing also allows you to work from anywhere. If you’ve got the internet, you can work saving possibly thousands of dollars in lost opportunity. Should your physical location become damaged, you can work remotely, thus lessening the blow to your business.
Another benefit to cloud based computing is enhanced security. During and after storms, theft and looting are real concerns. It is an unfortunate reality. Potentially greater than the loss of the equipment itself is the loss of the sensitive data inside it. Cloud computing gives you greater security if this happens. Because your data is stored in the cloud, you can access it no matter what happens to your machine. And you can even remotely wipe data from lost or stolen laptops so it doesn’t end up in the wrong hands.
Bottom line… please prepare. Your life is the most important thing to protect. Once you are safe, have a plan in place to ensure the survival of your business. Consider cloud computing. Perfect Practice has a browser based application that can help you recover quickly after a storm…or any disaster for that matter. Please contact us and we will be happy to discuss how to secure your data in the event of a disaster.