An offsite backup is essential to data safety. If something bad happens to your data center, it can take out a local backup at the same time. Cloud services are a convenient and cost-effective way to back up to a remote location. To find a service that will meet your present and future needs, you just have to exercise a certain amount of diligence.
Make sure the security is good. Your data needs to be encrypted both in transit and on the server. Consider only providers that offer this. Look into the physical security of their servers, if possible.
Cover all essential data. Are you backing up every volume that holds data that your operations require? You want to know this when you set up the backup, not when you’re recovering from a disaster.
Estimate costs realistically. Your needs will grow over time. Figure your costs not just for your current volume of data, but for projected future amounts.
Have sufficient bandwidth. Backing everything up to a remote server will put an additional burden on your server, particularly when doing the initial backup. Allow for some disruption during the initial stage, and make sure your Internet data rate is high enough to deal comfortably with backups afterward. Upgrade your Internet connection if necessary.
Be able to restore your data. You’re using encryption, so don’t lose the password. Keep a copy in a secure location offsite, so you’ll have it in case a disaster wrecks the whole office. Run a recovery test occasionally.
Choose a reliable provider with little downtime. One with geographically separated redundant servers is best. You want your data available when you need to get it back.
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