Back up your data with a cloud-based storage service

Q: A physician friend who works at another practice was telling me his group just began backing up all its practice management data with a cloud-based storage service. How does this work, and are there any security concerns associated with it? Are many practices doing this?

A: Backing up to a cloud-based service provides off-site storage via the Internet. After selecting your service provider, you'll go through a set-up process that directs your data to the storage service via your Internet connection. You should test the process by backing up a small application and restoring it to a different computer. Remember, the back-up is only part of the solution; although you hope to never need the other part, you do need to test the restore. Be sure to look for a service that encrypts your data-including the transmission process-and you may very well end up with a more secure process than you currently have.