Comprehensiveness

Small businesses generally do not have a dedicated IT department that can manage separate backup, recovery and business continuity solutions. Does the solution provide key functionality that is seamlessly integrated? A combination of on-premises and cloud-based services offer the best total protection for businesses of all sizes, especially small businesses.

Ease of Use

As SMB employees tend to take on multiple roles at work, managing IT shouldn’t be one of them. Solutions that offer intelligent user interfaces and are also supported by a vast network of managed service providers are often the best choices.

Recoverability

Most SMBs carry less than a month of operating costs in cash, so downtime can quite literally ‘break the bank’. Instant recovery capabilities can remedy this. If your hardware systems fail, users can rely on instant virtualization of failed systems to stay operational. The strongest of providers will be able to convert a backup into a running system in a matter of seconds. In the event of a natural disaster, a total system replication may be necessary. This creates a complete infrastructure on which to host your business.

Performance and Reliability

It makes sense that quicker and more frequent backups limit data loss. So when choosing a reliable solution, SMBs should choose one that is performs backups very often. An ideal solution is incremental backup, where the technology adds what you’ve changed or deleted, rather than backing up the entire volume of data repeatedly. This adds to a solution’s ability to perform more quickly.

Affordability

SMBs likely do not have huge IT budgets. It’s common to outsource for an entire IT department, but that can be pricey. With limited financial and technical resources, choosing a backup solution can be a trying task. Many opt for cheaper solutions, which provide them less functionality. Cheaper solutions may seem like the right call in the moment, but down the road it can be quite costly when the solution doesn’t do all that an SMB needed to prevent downtime. It’s important to find the most cost effective and affordable solution - which won’t require sacrificing significant features and capabilities.

Scalability

Successful small businesses often grow into larger businesses. With that comes the creation of more and more data. Alongside this growth is a need for more advanced backup and business continuity solutions. Selecting a provider who works with businesses of all sizes, promises SMBs a bigger selection of products and services to meet their needs as they evolve.