Cloud backup vs external drive
Cloud backup vs external drive: where to keep your business data copies. The answer depends on safety from fire, theft and ransomware, and on how much effort you accept.
Cloud backup vs external drive is a choice between off-site and on-site copies. An external drive is cheap, fast and fully in your hands, but it sits in the same building as your computers. Cloud backup stores copies in a remote datacentre, automatically, so a fire, theft or flood at your office does not destroy them.
For a business, cloud backup is the safer main copy. An external drive is a useful extra for fast local restores. The best answer is both, following the 3-2-1 idea: three copies, two kinds of storage, one off-site.
Side by side
| Capability | Cloud backup | External drive |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Remote datacentre | In your office or home |
| Fire, flood or theft at the office | Copy survives | Drive can be lost with the computers |
| Automation | Runs on a schedule without anyone remembering | Often manual, easy to forget |
| Ransomware protection | Good with versioning and separate credentials | Poor if the drive stays plugged in and gets encrypted too |
| Restore speed for large data | Limited by internet speed | Fast, local transfer |
| Upfront cost | None | Low, one purchase |
| Ongoing cost | Monthly or yearly fee | None, until the drive fails |
| Lifespan | Provider replaces hardware | Drives wear out and fail, often without warning |
| Access from anywhere | Yes | Only where the drive is |
What each one is good at
Cloud backup
- Off-site, so it survives a disaster at your office
- Automatic and scheduled
- Keeps older versions, which helps against ransomware
- Capacity grows with your data
- Recurring fee
- Full restores of large data take time over the internet
- Needs correct setup and encryption choices
External drive
- Cheap with no subscription
- Very fast local restores
- Works without internet
- You hold the physical copy
- Lost in the same fire, flood or theft as the originals
- Easy to forget, so backups go stale
- Can be encrypted by ransomware while connected
Choose cloud backup when
- The data is important to the business and must survive a disaster at your office
- You want backups to run on their own, every day
- You need older versions to recover from ransomware or mistakes
- Several people or locations need protected data
- You cannot rely on someone remembering to plug in a drive
Choose an external drive when
- You need a quick local copy as a second layer
- The data is small, personal or low risk
- You have no budget for a subscription
- You can disconnect and store the drive off-site yourself
- Internet speed is too slow for large restores
Questions people ask
Is cloud backup better than an external drive?
Can I use both cloud backup and an external drive?
Will a cloud backup protect me from ransomware?
Is cloud backup vs external drive a big cost difference?
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