Many questions must be asked and answered in order for a company to effectively deploy a data backup solution, according to a guest column recently written for the Memphis Daily News by an industry expert.

Given the myriad threats against a company's data, backup solutions, such as online backup, have never been more important. But several factors must be taken into account in order for the process to run smoothly, report author Gayle Rose wrote.

For one, an organization must identify how long it can go without access to data. Chances are the time frame is short for most. If that's the case, a cloud backup solution is recommended as experts agree the technology allows for quicker and more effective recovery of data.

"Data backed up to tape rather than a cloud-based platform could take several days to be restored," Rose wrote. "There's no reason to wait that long today with solutions that allow you to recover data within minutes."

That's the top reason a Forbes report published last month encouraged companies to choose online backup. Traditional backup methods simply can't match the capabilities of the cloud, the news provider said.