Cloud Storage & Backup Services

What Are Cloud Storage & Backup Services?

Cloud storage provides off-site data storage accessed over the internet, while backup services automatically copy and protect your data to prevent loss from equipment failure, theft, fire, or other disasters. Together, these services ensure your critical business information—herd records, financial data, photos, documents—survives any local incident.

Why Data Protection Matters for Dairy Farms

Years of herd records, breeding histories, financial information, and business documents represent irreplaceable value. A single hard drive failure, ransomware attack, or physical disaster could destroy this data if it's not properly backed up. Cloud backup provides protection that local backups alone cannot—geographic separation from the original data.

Key Benefits

• Disaster recovery: Recover data even if your entire farm office is destroyed
• Ransomware protection: Restore from clean backups without paying ransoms
• Automatic protection: Set-and-forget backup eliminates human error
• Version history: Recover previous versions of files if something is accidentally deleted or corrupted
• Remote access: Access your files from any device, anywhere
• Collaboration: Share files securely with accountants, consultants, and partners

Understanding the 3-2-1 Backup Rule

The gold standard for data protection:

• 3 copies of your data (original plus two backups)
• 2 different types of media (e.g., hard drive and cloud)
• 1 copy off-site (cloud storage or remote location)

This approach protects against any single point of failure—if your computer fails, you have a local backup; if a fire destroys your office, you have cloud backup.

Types of Cloud Backup Services

Consumer Cloud Storage

Services like Google Drive, Dropbox, iCloud, and OneDrive offer file synchronization and sharing. These are convenient for accessing files across devices but aren't true backup solutions—if you accidentally delete a file, it's deleted everywhere. However, they do offer version history and recovery options for limited periods.

Automated Backup Services

Services like Backblaze, Carbonite, IDrive, and Acronis continuously back up your computer in the background. They preserve file versions and deleted files for extended periods. Better suited for true data protection than sync services.

Business Cloud Backup

Enterprise solutions from Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Veeam, and others offer comprehensive backup for business data including email, documents, and databases. Include administrative controls, compliance features, and advanced recovery options.

Agricultural Software Cloud Backup

Many herd management and farm software vendors include cloud backup as part of their service. DairyComp, BoviSync, and similar platforms store your data in their cloud, providing automatic protection. Verify what's included and how recovery works.

What to Back Up

Critical Farm Data

• Herd management database and records
• Financial records and accounting data
• Breeding and genetic records
• Milk production and quality data
• Health and treatment records
• Employee records and payroll
• Contracts and legal documents
• Equipment records and maintenance logs
• Insurance policies and claims
• Photos and videos (calves, cattle for sale, incidents)

System Configuration

Consider backing up equipment settings and configurations that would be time-consuming to recreate—robot programming, feed mixing protocols, sorting gate settings, and similar operational data.

Do You Need Cloud Backup?

Cloud backup is essential if:

• Your business operations depend on digital records
• You don't have reliable off-site backup already in place
• You've experienced data loss or near-misses
• You want peace of mind that your data is protected
• You need to meet regulatory requirements for record retention

Local backup alone may be sufficient if:

• Your digital operations are minimal
• You already maintain off-site backup copies through other means
• Internet connectivity is too limited for practical cloud backup

Cost Considerations

Consumer cloud storage (100GB-2TB) typically costs $2-15/month. Personal backup services like Backblaze cost $7-9/month for unlimited backup of one computer. Business backup solutions range from $10-50/user/month depending on features and storage. Agricultural software cloud storage is often included in subscription costs—verify what's covered.

Questions to Ask Providers

• How much storage is included and what's the cost for additional space?
• How far back can I recover file versions?
• What's the process for recovering data after a disaster?
• Where is data physically stored and how is it protected?
• Is data encrypted in transit and at rest?
• What happens to my data if I cancel the service?