Cloud backup and business continuity

Business data, meaning contracts, billing, technical specifications, and relationships with customers and suppliers, are now the very heart of small and medium-sized businesses' operations. The sudden loss of these assets, whether due to hardware failure, ransomware or human error, can cripple business with economic and reputational impacts far beyond the size of the company. Precisely why, Equipping yourself with a cloud backup system is essential to safeguard resources, daily operations and credibility with stakeholders.

According to An analysis published by Eurostat, in 2023 the 45.2 % of European enterprises have purchased at least one cloud service, including sophisticated solutions such as storage, database, or SaaS platforms, with an increase of 4.2 percentage points compared to 2021. It is therefore clear that SMEs are adopting the cloud in a structured way, finally moving away from a traditional approach based on local backups and on-premises storage.

For companies most concerned with cybersecurity and data protection, having a cloud backup plan means automating, encrypting, replicating and making data instantly available, dramatically strengthening the Business continuity even in case of major attacks or malfunctions caused by IT infrastructure problems or human errors. Thanks to high-level solutions for digital security, Lanpartners takes SMEs from design to full adoption of the latest forms of backup, with design support, audits and integration with ISO 27001 protocols and transparent SLAs.

Overview of cloud backup adoption among SMEs

The adoption of cloud backup solutions among European SMEs is a growing reality to date. These include more advanced services such as Backup platforms, databases, and development environments are increasingly in demand even by smaller companies that cannot rely on the budgets of multinational corporations.

In Italy, this increase has been particularly noticeable and steady: in 2018 only 23 % of SMEs were using cloud solutions, vs. over 60 % in 2023 (61.39%): this reflects a cultural and technological maturation of domestic enterprises, but also the need to reduce operational risk and make the IT infrastructure more flexible and resilient.

Lanpartners fits into this scenario as a strategic partner for SMEs who want to adopt cloud solutions in a professional, structured way that complies with current European regulations. Cloud backup, in particular, is the gateway to a more secure, manageable and continuity-oriented IT model.

Cloud backup and business continuity

Cloud backup offers a set of operational, economic and strategic benefits that concretely strengthen the robustness of the entire enterprise IT infrastructure.

With the latest automation software, cloud backups are performed consistently and regularly, without the need for manual intervention: This eliminates the risk of forgetfulness or misconfiguration, which is still a major cause of data loss. Professional cloud-managed backup systems also provide for the file deduplication, the end-to-end encryption and the possibility of granular restoration even on individual files.

Another key point is the geographical redundancy: Data is not stored on a single remote server, but replicated across multiple physically distant data centers. This preserves availability even in the event of a natural disaster, blackout or localized incident.

On the other hand, from a business continuity point of view, cloud backup guarantees the following recovery time (RTO) much faster than traditional systems, as well as a recovery point (RPO) closer to the last save, thereby reducing the volume of data that could potentially be lost during an outage.

Finally, all processes are tracked and comply with major security and privacy standards. In fact, the solutions proposed by Lanpartners are fully compatible with the regulations governed by the ISO 27001 and from the GDPR, integrating best practices in authentication, encryption and data governance.

Strategies and best practices: 3-2-1, RTO, RPO and disaster recovery

Truly effective cloud backup strategies often rely on a 360-degree strategy structured on several levels. The first element is the so-called 3-2-1 rule, one of the cornerstone principles in data management: Have at least three copies of the data, on two different media, one of which is off-site. This scheme, simple only in appearance, is one of the most effective defenses against outages because it minimizes the risk of a single failure compromising the entire corporate information asset.

But archiving is only one aspect of cloud backup. Once archived, it is obviously essential to be able to retrieve data in a time frame compatible with business operations. Two key indicators come into play here: the’RTO (Recovery Time Objective) and the’RPO (Recovery Point Objective). The first indicates how long can elapse between an outage and full restoration of functionality; the second defines how “old” the recovered data can be compared to the time of the outage. A well-designed cloud backup reduces both: data can be restored within minutes, and, even with a little luck, the last backup can be as old as seconds before the outage.

Fundamental finally, as we had made clear in this article, integration with a disaster recovery plan, or a documented and proven roadmap that defines how an organization reacts to critical events such as malfunctions and hacker attacks. This plan is indispensable and must be implemented in any corporate digital security strategy, tested regularly with simulations, updated as the infrastructure evolves, and managed in accordance with current regulations (such as ISO 22301 on business continuity). 

Cloud backup deployment models: on-premises, cloud-only and hybrid

Wanting to adopt a cloud backup system should not automatically lead to abandoning everything locally. On the contrary, many SMEs find hybrid models the most flexible and effective solution. Understanding the differences between the various approaches is therefore crucial to choosing the best path for your business.

An architecture on-premises, for example, provides that Data are saved locally on NAS, external disks or internal servers. It is a classic solution that offers high performance in local restores, but suffers from obvious limitations such as some vulnerability to hardware failure, physical disasters, lack of geographic redundancy, and infrastructure management costs that could become significant over time.

The model cloud-only, on the contrary, provides that All backups are made directly to remote servers. The cost of hardware management is thus eliminated, complexity is reduced, and greater elasticity in data management is achieved. At the same time, however, this choice may be more exposed in the event of connectivity problems and may result in longer recovery times for large files.

Finally, the hybrid combines the best of both worlds: backups occur both locally (for speed of recovery) and in the cloud (for redundancy and off-site security). It is the most recommended choice for SMBs that want to maintain some onsite control but also want to protect against critical scenarios.

Lanpartners proposes configurable high-end hybrid solutions, remotely managed and compatible with leading enterprise backup software. With centralized management, customers can monitor backups in real time and receive periodic reporting without having to manage technical complexity on their own.

Key components of effective cloud backup 

A truly robust and risk-proof cloud backup infrastructure only works if it is built on reliable and integrated components: tools, environments and processes are needed to ensure continuity, security and operational flexibility in every situation, from the most mundane to the most complex and critical:

• Reliable backup software: must support incremental and differential backups, AES-256 encryption, compression, deduplication, versioning, and centralized management. Professional solutions allow scheduling, granular recovery and control from dashboards, with automated alerts and reports.
• Cloud Infrastructure (IaaS): Data must reside in certified data centers, possibly Tier III or IV, equipped with physical security, redundant climate control, continuous power supply, and H24 surveillance teams. Data access must be protected by firewalls, VPNs and IDS/IPS systems.
• IT Governance: An effective cloud backup solution must integrate with corporate governance policies. Strong authentication (MFA), single sign-on, differentiated roles for users and administrators, comprehensive audit logs, and traceability of operations are key elements for security and accountability.
• Certified Partners: Lanpartners, as an ISO 27001-certified vendor, provides support in the configuration, management and ongoing monitoring of the backup environment, while also offering audit services and periodic updating of corporate policies.

Adoption checklist: the roadmap for SMEs

Implementing a cloud backup system requires a strategic vision, a clear operational plan, and tools suited to business needs. Therefore, Lanpartners proposes a structured approach built on well-defined steps from initial assessment to the definition of restoration parameters, from the creation of a shared strategy to the implementation and monitoring phases. 

Initial assessment and definition of RTO/RPO parameters

The application of a backup plan, whether in the cloud or on physical devices, must always start with identification of critical data, mapping of existing infrastructure, and workflow analysis. This phase provides an understanding of recovery priorities and constraints, and also influences both the disaster recovery plan and corporate business continuity. Some key parameters are then established such as. the maximum tolerable downtime (RTO) and The frequency with which data should be saved (RPO), according to operational needs.

Strategy selection, testing and monitoring

Whatever the final choice of backup is, on-premises, cloud or hybrid, tools and services must be selected based on the acceptable level of risk, the budget made available, and the internal capacity to manage the IT infrastructure.

The next step, in most cases, involves installing the agents, the policy configuration and process automation. They should then be performed simulations of periodic rehabilitation to verify the effectiveness of the strategy.

Finally comes the post-final deployment monitoring phase, where every backup must be tracked, logs verified, and policies updated. Lanpartners also provides real-time monitoring and alerting tools, as well as technical assistance and periodic review of configurations.

Professionally designed cloud backup is a true insurance for safeguarding business continuity. In addition to reducing the impact of critical events and optimizing data governance, SMEs that invest in this direction build agile and regulatory-compliant IT infrastructures.

With more than 20 years of experience in the digital security, Lanpartners offers experience, certified expertise, secure infrastructure and ongoing technical support. The digital transition is also through the implementation of these cloud strategies, which will increasingly become the standard norm not only for cybersecurity, but for managing the entire IT infrastructure. 

Contact us for a consultation where you will be given all the information you need.