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How to choose the best online backup solution for your small business

2 min read

Feb 27, 2025

Why data backup is important for small businesses

Before we get to the “how,” let’s first recap the “why” of backup.

Thanks to a number of factors, having a backup system in place is quickly becoming essential for every small business.

Let’s start with one of the most prominent threats to your data—crime. As technology and digital systems continue to evolve, so do the bad actors that want to take advantage of them.

While a business may have preventative measures like defense software in place, it only takes one loophole—or software failure—to expose your business to an attack.

And if a cyberattack or a piece of malicious software is able to slip past your defenses, it exposes your company or customer data to theft. A breach like this could be devastating for a small business, putting its professional and commercial reputation at a huge risk. But there is a way to protect yourself. 

With a backup system in-place, you can restore your systems and data in a few clicks, putting your business in the best position to take any necessary security measures.

Keep your data safe with Dropbox

From multi-factor authentication to file encryption, Dropbox helps safeguard your digital files, folders, and data.

What to look for in an online backup solution

An online backup system is different to local backup to physical storage, like a hard drive, because the data is stored in the cloud. This can be useful for a few reasons:

  • You can back up from anywhere and from any device

  • Your backup is safe from fires and other disasters, which could have otherwise destroyed both your device and your backup drives

  • You can automate an online backup, without the need to connect any external storage

With this in mind, here’s what to look for when looking for an online backup solution:

  • Reliability—does the provider have a proven record of keeping systems stable and online?

  • Security—how is your data protected in the cloud?

  • Scalability—how easy is it to expand to multiple users and devices?

  • Long-term data retention and archiving—how much can you store?

  • Data recovery—how easy is it to get your data back?

  • Ease of use—will you be able to use it correctly without much training? 

  • Technical support—what happens when you need help?

  • Good cost-to-performance ratio—are you getting your money’s worth?

Online backup solutions for small businesses: what are your options?

Now that we’ve covered the basics of backup and the key things to look out for, let’s dig a little deeper into the options. While it’s easy to assume that all backup is the same, there are in fact a wide variety of types to choose from, many with specific functions and use cases in-mind.

An external hard drive plugged into a laptop.
Image showing a server rack, a file folder with a checkmark, and the Dropbox UI with folders like Desktop and Documents.

Backup your business today

While choosing cloud backup software for your small business can feel like a minefield at first, it doesn’t need to.

With Dropbox Backup, we make it easy to keep your digital life safe—so you can quickly and smoothly recover from whatever life throws your way.

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