As far as backups of your data are concerned, you will frequently see local and cloud storage mentioned. In this blog post we will answer the question why do you need both local and cloud storage when backing up your data. But before we do that, we should probably answer the question why should you consider backing up your data in the first place.

Why Backup?

Backing up your data has immense benefits for your business - by backing up your data you can ensure that you have a copy of your data when disaster strikes or if you need to restore to an older data set - the main reason for performing data backups is the fact that it allows you to save important files if a system crash or any kind of hard drive failure occurs. Backups can also be necessary if any natural or man-made disasters occur.

What Options Do You Have?

Clearly, when backing up your data you have quite a few options. These options are related to both local and cloud storage - local storage is the process of storing data on physical hardware, such as internal or external hard drives, USBs and CDs. Cloud storage refers to the process of storing data on the “cloud” - any program that is owned by a third party that allows you to upload your data to the cloud. Both options, of course, have their own advantages and disadvantages, the main difference between them is that cloud storage offers convenience (your data is accessible from anywhere where you have an internet connection and it’s also available 24/7), but on the other hand when storing data locally you do usually have more control over your data (your backups), also disconnecting your drives from any network means that you can make sure that your data is not prone to attacks.

Most developers and DBAs dealing with data would agree that you do need both options - in general when backing up your data you need both local and cloud storage because it presents you with both convenience and more control. In general, when you already have data stored locally, it’s time to think about cloud backup solutions - we are going to look into them now.

Backing Up Data with Backup Ninja

Backup Ninja can help you with your cloud storage journey and be your reliable backup partner - Backup Ninja allows you to backup your databases locally, in the cloud or as a combination of both locations - everything can also be set up in a matter of minutes.

You can back up your data no matter what kind of database technology you use - whether that’s MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Percona or TimescaleDB. Here’s how everything works:

After you select your database vendor, create a DB user:

Then install your agent (modify the port according to your database instances):

Now you should be good to go!

Backup Ninja also allows you to see your servers you have setup, as well as your backup stats (backup success rate, how many backups completed, how many are running, how many failed, you can also filter everything by dates etc.):

Cloud Storage Options

Backup Ninja’s cloud storage partners include multiple reputable companies including AWS, BackBlaze, CityCloud, DigitalOcean, Elastix, ExoScale, SafeSpring, Scaleway, gridscale and others - check the list of cloud storage partners here. Backup Ninja can also help you back up your data to two different locations (for example, you can store backups both on-premises and in the cloud via Backup Ninja’s cloud partners):

Summary

If you need a reliable and secure backup partner to assist you in your backup journey, be sure to give Backup Ninja a try. Backup Ninja can help you backup your data, schedule your backups and provide you with valuable insights regarding your backup processes with simple step-by-step configuration wizards that can help you make sure you make the best of your backup journey. For more information, make sure to check the Backup Ninja documentation.