Cloud backup services have become a great addition to data protection for small and medium-sized businesses as well as a supplemental part of larger businesses’ backup strategies. In this final part of our three-part series, we will look at how you can get the best price and service possible. In Part 1 we discussed what cloud backup services are. In Part 2, we discussed why your business needs cloud backup services. If you are looking for a reliable cloud backup services provider that has a reputation for excellence, contact DSC today.
Storage Size Affects Pricing the Most
The largest single factor in determining what price you will pay for cloud backup services is the amount of storage space that you need. The higher the storage requirements, the higher the cost.
Free Cloud Storage Options Are Usually Suited For Individuals, Not Businesses
Companies that offer free storage will offer only minimal storage space without requiring users to pay. Free online storage amounts will range from 2 GB (such as Dropbox) to 15 GB (such as Google Drive). If you are a student you can get an amazing 1 TB from OneDrive. These free options are usually only suitable for an individual’s storage needs. Your business will most likely require more storage space than that.
Students can get the most free storage space available
You Should Choose a Plan that Suits Your Storage Needs
Cloud backup service providers usually offer a range of plans to suit each company’s particular storage requirements. A common sized business plan would provide 500 GB of storage space to start with. Higher tiered plans would offer 1 TB or more of storage. Often, companies will set an upper limit to their plans. However, if you require more, you can usually adjust that amount to accommodate your growing needs.
Choose from Monthly or Annual Payments
Some companies will feature month-to-month payment plans, while others will have you pay a yearly fee. Some companies offer you a choice of either monthly or yearly.
More users will probably increase your cost
The Number of Users and Services Required Will also Affect the Price
Businesses with lots of employees can expect to pay more for cloud backup services than those that are smaller with only a handful of users. If you require additional admin control accounts or other special business type features, you will also need to pay more. If you choose to give several employees administrative rights, they will need special accounts, which will probably cost extra. The size of your business is another factor that will help determine how much you will pay.
How Much Will You Pay for Cloud Backup Services
It’s difficult to put an exact price on what you can expect to pay for cloud back up services because the cost will depend on a number of factors, such as the amount of storage you require and the number of users you have. According to Business.com, on average you can expect to pay a few hundred dollars per year for business cloud backup services. But remember, if you are using cloud backup services, that means that you will be saving money on purchasing your own expensive servers and software licenses and on maintaining and staffing an IT department to look after your backups.
Find out if your plan can be adjusted if your need increases
Tips for Getting the Right Plan for the Best Price
Choose a Plan that Meets Your Needs
Look for a plan that best suits your storage needs. Make sure you aren’t paying for extra storage that you don’t actually need, but that the provider is able to adjust your amount easily if required. Make sure you ask about overage charges if you go over the amount of storage that you originally agreed on, and how much that would cost. Find out if your plan can be adjusted without a penalty if you find that the storage amount you signed up for is too large or too small.
Pay Annually to Save More Money
Companies will often offer a discount if you pay for an entire year instead of paying a monthly fee. If they don’t advertise a yearly price, ask if they will give you one if you are willing to pay for a year upfront.
Ask lots of question before you sign an agreement
Ask about Termination or Cancellation Fees
Find out if there are termination or cancellation fees charged if you need to stop your service ahead of the scheduled time.
See if Their Interface Is Easy to Use
Have them show you their SaaS interface to determine if your employees will find it easy to use and navigate. Some interfaces can be quite complicated and require technical knowledge to use. You probably want to choose one that will be quite straightforward for someone with limited computer skills to be able to set up a backup schedule and recover any lost data easily. Ask if they can let you have a free trial to test it out.
Make sure they offer encryption
Find Out What Security Features They Offer
You want to be sure that your data is going to be safe and easy to recover if disaster strikes. Making sure that your cloud backup services provider uses encryption to transfer and store your files is vital. Encryption scrambles your data so that it can’t be deciphered and stolen in transit or while it is being stored.
Find Out How Much Bandwidth Is Included
Different packages may offer different file transfer speeds. If you lose your data and need to get it recovered in as little time as possible, make sure you are getting a package that has a high bandwidth and will give you really fast recovery speeds. It is also a good idea to find out when your backups will occur so that your Internet speeds won’t be slowed down during regular business hours as your data is backing up.
Ask for more bandwidth if you need fast recovery times
Why Choose DSC for Your Cloud Backup Services
Digital Service Consultants has been in business for more than 33 years so we’ve established strategic partnerships that have grandfathered us in at below industry rates. This means that we can and do pass along those savings to our customers. This is why DSC has the best and most flexible pricing in Georgia.
Digital Services Consultants is a premier data center located just outside of Atlanta, Georgia in Buford, that offers you the best server colocation possible. Along with our top-notch server colocation, we provide a full range of internet- related and cloud services including cloud backup, system monitoring, software hosting, dedicated email, website development and implementation, web hosting, e-commerce, security, and a variety of related products and services. We also provide network support for Linus, Microsoft server and workstation platforms, Fortinet firewalls, and Cisco Systems. DSC has been a trusted name in the IT industry in Atlanta for more than 30 years. Contact us today for all of your internet-related requirements.
“DSC has been fantastic, responsive and knowledgeable about any issues that come up. I first had contact with them when they informed me our backup internet was out, before I even knew it was down. Pro-active and very quick in resolving the issue. They’ve also been instrumental in stabilizing our network, and assisting with a backup solution. Both of which we were in dire need of. Really great group!”
– Thomas Berg
Read more customer reviews
DSC has been a trusted name in the IT industry in Atlanta for more than 33 years
DSC Gives Back to the Georgia Community
DSC is proud to be part of a thriving Georgia community and we care enough about our community to want to give something back. That is why we started the “Next Generation” training days. During the training, our students learned about the history of CPUs and GPUs. The training focused on the performance and success of different models and brands and which ones excelled during their various time periods. You can access an audio recording of the training on the DSC website for free. Click here to listen to this informative podcast.