11 Best Cloud Backup & Storage Providers For Small Businesses

Data loss is the worst nightmare of every business. In the digital age, every company has to worry about protecting critical information and files. As an online business consultant, I always ensure my clients are protected from this catastrophic event.

The cost of stolen or lost data is surpassing billions of dollars per year.  If you are confused with cloud backup services, you are not alone.

The best choice is a comprehensive approach to business continuity and plans against data loss.

Online cloud backup for small business is an essential investment.

This list was created by compiling the pros and cons of the best backup and cloud storage providers.

In this article, you will read about 11 companies that provide cloud storage and backup options.

A business cloud backup service allows a business to store their data on the Internet through a storage service provider. This is an alternative to backing up data on a physical disk, such as a hard drive or tapes, which were the industry standard years ago.

Through cloud backups, business owners are able to remotely access their service provider through a client log-in application. Through this access, the client can back up files from their computer or a data center to the storage server online with an encrypted connection.

If you are having difficulties coming up with the best approach towards planning against losing data, especially on a limited budget, then cloud backup could be the best choice for you and your business.

Maintaining high levels of physical storage to backup data in your own office can lead to several unforeseen complications. Not only that but as your business grows the difficulty of managing and maintaining that data grows along with it. When planning for the future, small business cloud backup services are often the best option for business owners.

All businesses are generating more data in their daily operations with multiple market stats claiming more data was created in 2016 than the entire history of human civilization.  In just a couple of short years, the amount of data across the globe could reach nearly 45 zettabytes, which equals 45 trillion gigabytes.  This is a lot to absorb, however; what it means for your business is you need to become aware of the growing need to get on board with the best cloud backup services for businesses before you lose out!

You may not think it now, but the cloud should be thought of as a requirement as part of your backup strategy.  For instance, cloud storage is not as expensive as it used to be and it is scalable.

Scalability means you only have to pay for the data you use when you use it. If your business expands exponentially this year, you will not have to pay for additional hard disk space. There are so many cloud storage and file sharing services available for small businesses; it is worth checking out. Many of these services offer backup features built-in or a separate service that allows for quick and easy automation of your business’ data backup procedures to cover your entire network or certain PCs and devices.

The most significant benefits of cloud backup include affordability, scalability, off-site storage, simplicity, and automation.  Organizations do not have to survive on tight IT budgets.

It is important to keep in mind you can find a cloud-based solution that offers everything your business needs that makes sense to your needs and will not require you to pass the cost onto your customers.  You can get started under a thousand a year, possibly as low as just a few hundred to get up and running on the cloud.

Many businesses are still struggling with data protection issues.  In fact, many companies still backup their data through their physical machines.  With data being the most critical company asset and with cloud computing so affordable, there is no reason not to switch to a cloud backup solution!

With a cloud solution, you can access your data anytime anywhere.  You and your customers can access their data anywhere they can access the Internet whether it is through a laptop, PC, or mobile device.  You do not need to tunnel into a VPN to get to your physical servers back at your office, your data follows you anywhere.

The days of having to set up a backup off-site recovery system are gone.  You no longer have to spend a lot of money keeping a copy of your most essential files offsite in the event of a natural disaster or data loss.  You can keep backups in the cloud to ensure your data is safe regardless of what happens to your main office.

The simplicity of cloud services is improving every day.  Cloud backup has created a fast and easy way for you to manage and restore your data.  You can easily find backup copies of your data to restore them in just a few minutes.

Another fantastic benefit is your data is backed up automatically.  Many cloud service providers backup their customer data automatically with no disruption.

Redundancy is the key, and you will find most cloud providers have a secure network of backup servers that backup and save your data automatically and switch over to a new server in case of failure for any reason.

An Improvement Over Tape Backups: Years ago, tape backups were the industry standard. Unfortunately, tape backups come with several issues, which include being incredibly expensive and existing for a short time before becoming obsolete. Worst of all is that because tape backups were physical devices, the odds of them being lost, damaged or stolen were high. All of these issues are either significantly mitigated or erased altogether with secure data recovery.

Greater Protection: Having data stored at an off-site location dramatically diminishes the risks of losing data during an unexpected event.  Physical storage devices, no matter how durable they may be, can be broken or stop working unexpectedly. Also, in the event of an emergency, your onsite location could lead to you losing all of your backup data in an instant. Having your data stored on the Internet gives you instant access to it at any given point and time. On top of this, you do not have to worry about encrypting your data as it will remain protected while being stored in a safe location.

Lower Cost Investment: Instead of dedicating any of your servers on the premises and real estate, you have everything located off-site, which reduces your infrastructure investment completely. You also have a lower investment in IT resources.  In addition to this, there’s the added benefit of choosing between several cloud backup providers. Not only can you choose the provider that best fits your budgetary and storage needs, but the overall investment is well worth the benefits.

Fast Recovery Time: If you lose valuable data or access to your digital assets, the backed up data can be restored in a short amount of time.

Carbonite is another good choice for business cloud backup solutions.

Carbonite offers the necessary tools to protect data from common types of data loss to include accidental deletions, hardware failures, natural disasters, and ransomware.  Carbonite ensures accessibility and survivability of data through a comprehensive protection plan for both physical and virtual server environments.

Carbonite offers protection for business data infrastructure in a combination of physical and virtual servers with comprehensive cloud or hybrid backup solutions.

Solutions can be tailored to fit your business’ environment and budget through AES 256-bit private key encryption and TS/SSL transport security to keep data secure while protecting your business’ competitive edge.  You can trust in Carbonite to provide the confidence of knowing your most critical data is protected from data disaster through speedy recovery and restoration times.  Data threats such as ransomware, hardware failures, human error, and power outages are common in businesses that depend on outdated backup technologies in their server environment.  Carbonite’s experts are always ready to discuss server backup requirements and recovery time objectives.

Carbonite offers up to 30 days of file versioning, which means you can not only restore individual files but restore specific versions based on the time of the day, which is incredibly helpful for automatic backups. You can also schedule automatic backups to run once per day and during whatever timeframe best suits your needs.

Features:  All of Carbonite’s pricing packages include:

• Automatic cloud backup
• Support 7 days/week
• Remote file access to computer files
• Encryption
• FERPA, GLBA, and HIPAA support
• Centralized management and admin controls
• Image Backup and Bare Metal Restore
• Backup for databases and applications

Cons: Carbonite only backs up certain file types by default. Changing this setting is essential. Carbonite has no support for MAC operating systems.

Pricing:  Carbonite offers three plans for business owners. The lowest-tier plan only costs $6 a month and is limited to a single computer. For larger enterprises, the $50 tier does not just offer backup services for multiple computers, but also servers. The highest tier also gets you 256-bit encryption, but the two lower tiers only 128-bit encryption.

phoenixNAP cloud backup offers cloud data backup for a variety of needs with multiple solutions.  With worldwide data center locations, your data is secure.

phoenixNAP’s packages are ranging from 50GB to over 5TB depending on your individual needs.  A self-service portal makes protecting your critical data a quick and easy process to manage.

Standard plans also offer help with configuring your data backup and restoration.  You also get direct integration with Microsoft Exchange and Active Directory to protect business applications.

Advanced is a backup and replication package entirely managed by phoenixNAP.  This service includes everything from the Cloud Backup Standard package plus support for off-premises installations and backup encryption.  You also get VIP access to the knowledgeable phoenixNAP technical staff who are ready and eager to answer your business data backup and recovery questions.

phoenixNAP uses Veeam Cloud Connect, which allows users to securely backup and restore their existing VMware or Hyper-V environment in the cloud without the need to invest in a secondary backup site.

Phoenix NAP also offers fast backups and the ability to manage backups of specific files and folders. The interface is simple to use and has a low learning curve for rapid implementation.  You can perform full restorations or choose particular folders and files to restore your business. This service provides five licenses for deployment, and it allows you full control of your server backups. With the standard services, Phoenix NAP offers you the ability to customize specific recovery points and retention.

You can also fully integrate your backup services with Microsoft Exchange and Active Directory to protect the applications used for your business and keep backups of your files up to date. With the pay-as-you-go feature, you can set your prices based on your small business requirements without being tied to a particular tier.

Additionally, they offer:

• Only pay for what you use
• Full set of network services to include
  • Virtual machines
  • Firewalls
  • Load Balancers
  • Cloud Storage
• Hourly and monthly billing models
• Remote backup
• Replication to multiple locations
• Replication to your primary environment

Pricing:  Pricing starts at just $28 a month for 50GB of storage and right around $900 for 5TB of storage monthly. Phoenix NAP offers several pricing tiers for data storage, which gives you the ability to find the right price point for storing data without paying too much for additional storage or too little and missing out on vital features.

Atlantech provides business communication services across the nation. Part of those services does involve backing up data in the cloud. Atlantech also provides hosted voice services, fiber-optic data connectivity, and much more.

Providing services for multiple aspects of businesses, Atlantech gives you a wide array of protection and expertise across several aspects of your business, not just backup cloud solutions. The backup solutions provided by Atlantech involve having data stored in 4 different locations, along with backing up data with virtual machines.

Cons: The various additional services provided by Atlantech may not be viewed as necessary for some business owners. The significant increase in price can be avoided if you just want a backup cloud service and none of the additional communication services that Atlantech provides. Atlantech only supports Windows and Unix based hosting, which limits the operating systems you can use for backing up data.

Pricing: Contact for Quote

Backblaze offers backup services for personal users and businesses.

Developers and IT professionals can build their own storage solutions online. With storage pods, users can create applications, host content, or develop their own custom backup service plan.

The philosophy of Backblaze is the protection of customer data that merits continuous investment in security systems and processes.  Backblaze strives to keep their customer’s data safe and secure with a system that is easy to use. Experts proactively monitor all systems and processes and hire third-party organizations to test the security of their systems continuously.

Backblaze comes with unlimited online backups, and it is easy to set up.

There are several strong security settings provided to help keep your data protected both when being uploaded and while it is stored. For an added level of protection, not only can you get your data restored through the cloud, but you can also have a drive mailed to you and restore data through a physical device. This service supports multiple operating systems, such as Windows, Mac, and several mobile systems.

Backblaze also adds another degree to data protection, which is computer tracking. In the event your computer is stolen, you can locate and track your laptop through the Backblaze website.

Features: 

• Ability to restore multiple older versions of a file
• Automatic or scheduled backup
• Continuous and complete backup of Mac, PC, laptop, or desktop
• Unlimited data backup for small business via native client
• Protection from Ransomware
• Centralized administration
• Free hard drive restore
• Add your own encryption keys

Cons: Backblaze, unfortunately, doesn’t offer server backups. The best you can do is tie together multiple accounts and manage them through a single administrative console.

Pricing:  Pricing starts at $50/year/computer. Pricing includes unlimited data backup. However; the pricing plans for businesses do not specify how much server storage is included.

MozyPro by Mozy allows businesses to schedule backups to run daily, weekly, or monthly. Cloud backup and storage service from Mozy offers automatic backup protection with the option to schedule backups continuously throughout the day.

Mozy Sync is Mozy’s mobile access feature. Just save files to your Mozy Sync folder and access it from any device. Files stored or backed up with Mozy Sync are backed up to the cloud and available for download on any iOS or Android.

MozyPro server backup includes BMR for disaster recovery and business continuity. Once you configure your settings for employees, Mozy automatically detects and backs up new and updated files after the initial file upload.  MozyPro also backs up open and locked files including Outlook PSTs.  Businesses can define the amount of bandwidth they need.  Files can be restored with the MozyPro client software by selecting the File Explorer.

MozyPro provides automatic online backup services, which can be set up to happen throughout the day or scheduled at your convenience. There are several administrative tools offered by MozyPro, which allows you to create and manage user groups, perform reporting and create storage pools. MozyPro also provides complete access to files, which can be restored at any time.

There are no file limits, and MozyPro supports various operating systems, such as Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS. An added level of protection is provided through MozyPro’s user-controlled encryption keys. There are also built-in options for restoring things such as Exchange and an SQL Server.

While MozyPro does keep different versions of your files, up to 90-days’ worth of versions, the different versions of the same file do not count towards your overall data usage.

Features:

• Automatic cloud backup
• Administrative tools
• World-class data management
• Mozy Data Shuttle
• US-based support
• 2xProtect local backup
• Data restores and file access
• Enterprise-grade security

Cons: MozyPro has a high price threshold for small businesses while still limiting your data amounts based on what you pay. A potential issue with MozyPro is that it only keeps your deleted files for up to 30 days before they are removed entirely. Some services will keep your deleted files forever, which makes this factor something to consider.

Pricing:  Mozy’s pricing plans are available on a monthly basis. MozyPro plan from $13.98 per month for 10GB to $409.98 per month for 1TB.  2TB and 4TB pricing are available upon request. Yearly pricing is also available.

IDrive cloud backup solutions offer services to businesses of all sizes. IDrive runs backups in the background without affecting productivity.

IDrive Express offers fast cloud backup and restoration of business data in under a week via physical storage shipment to ensure no bandwidth usage.

Incremental and compressed backup of files ensures high performance. IDrive allows you to remotely manage your computers by performing data backups, restores, and more via the web console. Data is encrypted using 256-bit AES encryption, with an optional private key throughout the process. You can also create multiple accounts with your storage space and monitor backups from a single administrator console.

Also, Onsite Bare-Metal Disaster Recovery through IDrive BMR offers a cloud replication solution for all size businesses.  IDrive backs up MS SQL Server, MS Exchange Server, VMware, Hyper-V, MS SharePoint Server, Oracle Server, System State, Office 365 Mailbox, and Linux Servers. You can also keep tabs on all significant updates; file modifications are instantly synced among the liked devices connected to your cloud account.  IDrive also offers free additional sync storge, equivalent to the IDrive account to manage synced files.

iDrive offers two data plans, which provides you with more than enough data for most businesses. IDrive offers continuous data protection, which backup files when they are changed and not just when it is scheduled to update. Another added benefit is that iDrive supports practically every type of device, which doesn’t only include Windows and Mac, but also Android, iOS, and even Windows Phone. You can also use snapshots to restore your computer to a specific point in time.

For those that still enjoy the reliability of physical hard drives, iDrive offers a ship-it-to-you restore policy. For free, you can have a 3 TB hard drive shipped to your business. Every subsequent shipment costs $60. IDrive creates a local backup of the data that you have copied onto their cloud service, which doesn’t just add an extra level of security, but makes restoring faster.

Features:

• Multiple Device Backup
• IDrive Snapshots
• Manage computers remotely through a web-based console
• Sync with bonus storage
• Real-time backup
• Facebook and Instagram backup
• True Archiving
• Hybrid backup
• Server backup
• Business compliance with regulations to include HIPAA, SOX, GLBA, and SEC/NASD

Pricing:  IDrive Business plans include unlimited users, computers, and servers.

Pricing starts at $74.62 for the first year for 250GB of storage, or $149.25 for 2 years.

At the 500GB storage level prices are $149.62 for the first year and $299.25 for 2 years.

The 1.5TB option is $374.62 for one year and $749.25 for 2 years.

Plans go up to 12.5TB for $2249.62 for one year and $4499.25 for 2 years.

Acronis backup helps keep your business running without risking lost data. Acronis Backup offers data protection that meets today’s demands.  You can protect your entire infrastructure with a touch-friendly, web-based console to manage backup and recovery of all workloads and data.

With Acronis Instant Restore, you can run any physical or virtual Windows or Linux system backup as a VMware or Hyper-V VM with a few clicks and without standby hardware.  Acronis Active Protection detects and proactively blocks unauthorized encryption files and backups.  Acronis also offers complete control over the location of your data, systems, and backups, improve regulatory compliance, and ensure data sovereignty.

Acronis supports an extensive range of operating systems to include Windows, Linux, Hypervisors, Applications, Mac OS X, and a host of web browsers and file systems.  All data is secured from ransomware attacks in a unique proactive technology that prevents system unavailability caused by 99.99% of ransomware.  All files impacted before an attack was deflected are automatically restored.

Acronis comes in at a high price, but it also offers some of the best features for business backup solutions on the market. Not only do you get incremental backup, but you can also sync your data directly to an application, such as SharePoint and MS Exchange. Acronis isn’t just limited to cloud storage either, but you will also have access to network storage and local disk backups. Regarding protection, your data will be protected through 256-bit AES encryption both when at rest and when your files are being transferred. Along with your subscription, you will get complimentary maintenance services with your license.

Features:

• Disk-imaging backup
• SAN Storage Snapshots
• Virtual server protection
• Acronis Universal and Instant Restore
• VMware ESXi and Hyper-V Host Bare Metal Recovery
• Remote and Automated Bare-Metal Recovery
• Variable Block-Size Deduplication
• Role-based Administrative Access

Cons: The only way to use Acronis is a 3-year license or a perpetual license. The overall costs are several times that of the competitor and the data storage is still limited depending on your backup plan. While Acronis does provide some of the best features, it does so at a significant cost that many small business owners may not be able to afford.

Pricing:  Acronis offers pricing models of $99/year for workstations, $839/year for servers, $929/year for virtual hosts, and $299/year for Office 365 mailboxes.  Additionally, you can purchase a perpetual license for $119, 1, 2, and 3-year subscriptions.  Cloud storage starts at 250GB for $299/year, 500GB for $499/year, and options up to 5TB for $4,299/year.

CloudBerry Lab offers cross-platform cloud backup for businesses.  CloudBerry Managed Backup Service (MBS) is built from the CloudBerry Backup technology designed to fit the needs of managed service providers and enterprise IT departments, which provides reliable backup with central management and monitoring.

CloudBerry Managed Backup is integrated with Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud Platform, and Microsoft Azure along with nearly every S3-capable or OpenStack-based cloud storage services.  CloudBerry Managed Backup is an excellent fit for internal use by any business because it allows to manage and monitor cloud backup clients across multiple machines, control billing, and licenses from a single web-based control panel.

CloudBerry Managed backup offers access to the most up-to-date cloud technologies.  CloudBerry Backup supports Windows, Ubuntu, Suse, Red Hat, CentOS, macOS, and Oracle Linux.  Getting started is easy as a wizard helps you get set up and ready within 15 minutes.  CloudBerry Backup integrates with your own applications or website.  You get full control through an online control panel with an intuitive interface that comes with tools to remotely assist your employees during an initial backup setup along with ongoing support.

CloudBerry offers multiple tiered support to include: a number of active licenses, business hours ticket support, phone and live chat support, ticket priority support, and initial ticket response time during business hours all at a primary, business, or premium package.

Features:

• Manage and monitor backup jobs
• Integrate with API 2.0
• Define your own pricing
• Web Interface
• Multiple admin accounts
• Multiple cloud storage options
• Manage Packages and plans
• PSA/RMM Systems Integration
• One Click Restore to Amazon EC2
• End-to-End Encryption

Pricing: Backup storage costs vary by the storage provider.

CloudBerry Lab does not offer the storage; they manage it based on which provider you purchase from which include Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud Platform, or Microsoft Azure.

Box business subscriptions feature unlimited storage and integration with Office 365.  With Box, you can prevent data leaks.  Box enables secure file access and collaboration while mitigating data loss with individual document watermarking, audit logs, and granular share permissions.  Box allows you to centrally manage your security and provisioning by allowing access only to devices that meet security standards and apply access controls on mobile devices.

In addition to standard backup features, you will also discover over a thousand different apps and add-ons to include Box KeySafe encryption key management, project management tools, and support for applications ton include Agile SCRUM, NetSuite, Oracle, and SalesForce.  Box Edit is another helpful tool that enables creating, sharing, and collaborating on files.

Box provides unlimited storage with a 5 GB file upload limit. There’s also no maximum on the number of users you can have. To make backing up files easier, Box can be integrated with MS Office 365. This cloud storage service is also compatible with Windows, Mac, and several mobile operating systems. For added ease of use, there’s 24-hour customer support.

What makes Box particularly user-friendly are the thousands of additional apps you can add to your service. For example, there are apps for encryption, support for applications such as Netsuite, Oracle, and SalesForce, and even a Box Edit application for work collaboratively on files. There’s no shortage of the number of applications you can add to help make Box your custom cloud storage resource.

Features:

• Secure File Sharing
• Granular Permissions
• App Use Management
• Mobile Security Controls
• Reporting and Usage logs
• Document watermarking
• Multi-layered encryption
• Continuous security operations
• Redundant data centers

Cons: There aren’t many cons to Box, but it does have a few issues. There’s no block-level sync, and there is no backup support for servers. The 5 GB, max upload issue, can also make the initial backing up of your files time-consuming. Pricing options come with their own limitations. Box only offers a month to month payment plan and no annual discounts, unlike most providers.

Pricing:  Box offers three simple business pricing models: Business, Business Plus, and Enterprise.  The standard Business plan begins at $15/month/user, Business Plus starts at $25/month/user, and Enterprise requires contacting Box for pricing information.

The Business plan comes with unlimited storage, 5GB file upload, minimum of 3 users with no maximum.  Business Plus includes all Business features plus Unlimited external collaborators, full content visibility and management, Full user activity tracking, and several other features.