For the everyday user, the difference between true backup disaster recovery (BDR) and a simple file sync and share service gets murky. So, why can’t Google Drive and Dropbox replace a true BDR solution? They just store files. To understand the limitations of these services, think of Google Drive or Dropbox literally—they are virtual hard drives to drop your files into, nothing more, nothing less. A BDR solution will create an image of your computing environment, with which you are able to revert back to at a global or granular level, right down to individual files. File sync and share solutions aren’t perfect. These services are not perfect. Their services are connected to physical locations on earth, and the servers, drives, and other equipment fail as well. Furthermore, they are also susceptible to the same natural disasters as anywhere else on the planet. Should a Dropbox facility be subjected to a data loss event, they will need—you guessed it—a comprehensive backup and disaster recovery solution to restore business continuity. In case you were wondering, Google Drive went down on October 7, 2015, resulting in data loss for several hours until it was able to be restored. Backup and disaster recovery is about business continuity. When it comes down to it, businesses can appreciate the ease, flexibility, mobility and speed that a file sync and share service can provide, but it is entirely a different solution from backup and disaster recovery, the purpose of which is to provide and sustain business continuity at all times. That means data backups, data retention, backup verification, DR testing and more. A proper BDR solution should be able to minimize or prevent downtime utilizing virtual environments and fast recovery point objectives to make sure businesses are brought back online and operational as fast as possible. A data loss event or disaster could mean major financial losses—perhaps the loss of their entire business—making business continuity absolutely vital for every business. Above and beyond any file sync and share service that’s employed, businesses need BDR. Otherwise, you're simply rolling the dice, waiting for a data loss event to wreak havoc. Don't gamble with data!
