Here’s a short horror story for website owners out there. Your web hosting server has crashed, and you have no way of restoring your lost data!
This is a very scary but a real possibility that can spell doom for your website. In this day and age, when websites handle sensitive financial data of its customers, security is a prime concern. Proactive protection is only one part of the security equation where you install firewalls and anti-malware software to keep the threats out. However, There’s one more part to security – Backup.
Backups are as important as security, but seldom get the attention they deserve. The simple act of making copies of your website data at regular intervals can potentially save your website if the worst happens. Taking a backup is as simple as making a copy of your website data and storing it safely in a different place. It can be done manually but as your website grows and the number of files increases, it becomes a tedious job, and mistakes can happen. But there’s a way to back up your website without hassles— automate it!
Automated backups to the rescue
Believe it or not, automation is the best way to take backups. Automated backup solutions can take regular backups with clockwork precision, once they are set up. You can set the duration of these backups and also choose what gets backed up – code files, CSS files, scripts, et al. With an automated backup solution in place, you can rest assured that your website is in safe hands and is getting backed up regularly. And if you’re looking for a robust backup tool, look no further than CodeGuard Website Backup, which is one of the most trusted apps in the realm of backups.
Let’s take a closer look at CodeGuard to understand what it offers and how it can protect your website data from being lost.
What is CodeGuard?
CodeGuard is an automated backup tool that stores all your backup data on third-party cloud storage and offers you a one-click restore feature. Not only does it store your data at a safe remote location, but it also encrypts it using 256-bit encryption. It is almost an industry standard and packs in a whole lot of features which make it an indispensable tool for website owners. But it does more than just taking backups. It monitors your website continuously and notifies you of any changes it comes across. This feature will not only keep you in the loop but also let you catch any suspicious additions, deletions or modifications done in your website.
The way CodeGuard works is pretty straightforward. It provides you with a dashboard that gives you all the vital stats as well as access to its tools. You can configure CodeGuard for your website from here. Add your server’s SFTP details and MySQL database credentials, and let CodeGuard take your website’s first backup. Once it successfully connects to your website, it will take daily backups of your database and files. Additionally, you can also take a backup whenever you want. CodeGuard gives you access to all your backups through the dashboard. This is also where you get the one-click restore option. Now that we know how CodeGuard works let us look at some benefits of automated backup solutions in general.
Advantages of an automated backup
As a website owner, nothing can be more convenient for you than a tool that takes regular backups of your website without fail. It saves you the hassle of manual backups, which can eat into your precious time. It frees you from this administrative task so you can concentrate more on other critical business needs. Here are some significant advantages of automated backups that will convince you of their usefulness.
- It is infallible
A small human error can cost you big if you forget to take a backup or miss backing up some files inadvertently. You will not only not get the latest data, but may also break your site’s functionality. In contrast, once you configure an automated backup tool, it will backup your website with unerring consistency and precision. There’s no question of missing files as it will ensure that it gets them all.
- It enables instant recovery
Instant recovery is crucial in ensuring that your website doesn’t remain unavailable for long. The longer your site remains down, the more users you will lose. But that’s not all that you will lose. Once a site gains the reputation of unreliability, it loses its credibility as well. Most of the modern automated backup tools offer once-click recovery functionality where the service restores the latest backup almost instantly.
- It is cost-effective
A good automated recovery option costs money. But it is more of an investment in peace of mind that justifies the cost many times over. It saves you valuable time by taking backups automatically and may potentially save your website when the time comes. Also, automated backup tools are available as very affordable subscription plans, which does not burden you with large upfront costs.
- It secures your backups
If a backup tool stores your backup data on the same server, you will lose all your backups along with your data if the server crashes. An automated backup tool will safely store your backup on third-party cloud storage where it will remain until it is used to restore your site. Major automated backup tools also secure your data with 256-bit encryption to prevent it from reaching the wrong hands.
- It creates versions of your backups
If your website crashes because of a bug in your coding, the most recent backup will be useless, because it will contain the same bug. With versioning, you can track down the bug’s origin and restore your website with the backup version before the bug. You can even override the tool’s preset storage period if you choose to keep all your backups forever.
Summing Up
An automated backup tool is a highly recommended investment that will ensure your website’s continuity. However, this does not mean that you give up manual backups altogether. A comprehensive backup strategy should include both manual backup efforts and automatic backup solutions
So design a good manual backup strategy and complement it with an automated backup tool like CodeGuard. You can buy CodeGuard at very affordable subscription plans. Also, most are available as add-ons with your web hosting plans that make them easier to integrate.
HostGator offers CodeGuard’s automated backup service in the form of highly affordable plans and backs it up with 24X7 award-winning support. Design a hassle-free backup strategy with CodeGuard!
To know more about the other web hosting categories and to choose the right option for your business, visit our Hosting Blogs Category.