Secure Mac Cloud Backup Solutions for Business

Despite the continuously growing popularity of Macs, there remains a relative scarcity of suitable business-grade Mac cloud backup solutions. It’s a long time since Macs were mostly exclusive to the creative industries – and even longer since backups were only for large businesses with specialist IT teams.

Backups are now an integral part of protecting files and data, for any type and size of business. And with more and more businesses adopting Mac, you’d expect a correspondent availability of business Mac cloud backup options… but there isn’t. And while Mac backup options such as Time Machine are great for photos, music libraries and personal documents, finding a solution that’s properly geared to business requirements is currently trickier than you might think. What’s more, with GDPR (the General Data Protection Regulation) now in full effect, Mac-using businesses need to secure a robust online backup set up, and a fully Mac-savvy support service to go with it.

If your business uses Macs, and is struggling to find the right backup set-up, here’s your short and simple guide to the key considerations…

1. Find a provider that covers both Mac backup and PC backup

A backup provider worth its salt will fully understand the parameters and limitations of the backup options available for Mac and PC. Mac backup software options tend to be consumer-grade, not business-grade, and right now the majority of business backup providers don’t extend the same level of expertise from PC to Mac requirements.

That said, there are a growing number of providers that offer Mac cloud backup solutions and BackupVault is one of them. With many Mac-only businesses tending to be smaller, creative-industry businesses, BackupVault has ensured it can cater for their specific needs, with small-business backup solutions for Mac.

A key consideration here is to make sure a Mac external backup provider understands how directories, files and file components are organised differently, and therefore backed up and accessed differently, on PC and Mac operating systems.

2. Adopt reliable software

Okay, so you wouldn’t knowingly adopt unreliable backup software. What we mean is, scrutinise it. Ask questions. Be clear about the volume and nature of the data and files you need to protect. And look into how you can restore your files and data most effectively from your Mac backup software, as part of your disaster recovery plan. You have one of those, right? If not, perhaps check out our 7-point disaster recovery checklist.

3. Choose a UK datacentre for your backups

With as many as 90% of cloud backup providers based in the US, where many don’t even know what GDPR is (and where many large third-party cloud providers don’t even encrypt backups), you should consider a backup provider that uses UK datacentres. This will help protect your data and files in line with EU legislation – and the UK legislation that will effectively mirror the EU’s post-Brexit.

A UK datacentre also means faster backups – and faster data recovery if you ever need it – which can ensure better business continuity and reduce potential reputational issues. Plus, with a UK provider using UK datacentres, you enjoy support from experts that fully understand the domestic data security landscape from both technical and legal standpoints. BackupVault offers 24-hour technical support by phone or email, so you can ask questions when you have them, and tackle any issues faster.

4. Secure online backup

Firstly, let’s nail the important distinction between cloud storage and cloud backup. They’re similar in that both involve placing your data on an off-site server accessible via an internet connection. Cloud backup, however, is designed and provided as a specific service that isolates and protects data and files in ways cloud storage doesn’t.

Factoring in that your business also has a duty to isolate and protect customer data, plus a responsibility for its own data and business continuity, placing your data in capable hands is essential. If you exclusively use Mac, sourcing a secure online backup for Mac will help you achieve additional peace of mind.

Note here, that if you use PCs for some aspects of your business, you should seek a backup provider that will ensure you can recover files to PC as well as Mac. Microsoft Office files being a prime example…

5. 24-hour support

You might keep sensible hours, but data loss doesn’t. So, finding a provider that offers the same round-the-clock backup support for Macs as it does PCs is important. You don’t want to have an issue that needs resolving before the next business day, only to discover that support for Mac backups isn’t as comprehensive as that for PC. Whatever the size or nature of your Mac-based business, check your ‘24-hour support’ is exactly that – as it is with BackupVault.

6. Why BackupVault is right for you

So, we offer 24-hour support. Why else should you choose BackupVault? Well for starters, we’re ‘OS-agnostic’, so we offer and apply the same level of knowledge and expertise to both Mac and PC backup requirements. In fact, we’ve developed specific small business and enterprise level backup solutions for Mac, so you know you’re in capable hands when it comes to all the technical stuff, as well as wider considerations such as GDPR and disaster recovery for business continuity.

BackupVault uses UK datacentres, so you know you’ll tick GDPR compliant backup boxes and be able to backup and access your data much faster. For some business sectors, using UK datacentres is a requirement under GDPR, so it’s worth looking into this, or asking us. We also provide advanced 256-bit encryption technology, which makes your data useless to anyone but you – adding further security and reassurance.

BackupVault takes pride in being ahead of the game and being able to provide service and expertise for the full range of data security requirements. And that means for Mac users as much as PC users, and for businesses that use both.

For more information on BackupVault’s cloud backup service, click here.