Why Google Drive Backups Are Important

Google Drive offers customers a unique blend of robust security features to keep their data safe and secure from online threats, but it is not a complete solution and can leave you vulnerable to the most common forms of data loss — human error and cyberattacks.

Up to 2/3  of data loss is caused by human error, and accidental or intentional data deletion can send your company spiraling. And contrary to what you may think, Google Drive on its own is not a backup solution, nor does not offer any native tools to back up its services. 

If you lose your data on Google Drive without a backup, it’s likely gone forever.

In fact, according to Google Workspace’s own terms of service, Google is not responsible for backing up your data, making it your responsibility to ensure regular, up-to-date backups to keep your business moving. 

Critical data loss can lead to serious damage to your finances, your reputation, and your operations, and could even have legal implications. Because of this many companies never recover from a data loss incident, highlighting the importance of keeping a well-maintained backup.

The best ways to accomplish this and protect yourself from potentially harmful data loss will be either to set up and schedule regular manual backups, or partner with a third-party solution to help automate and even scale your data back-ups if needed. Will cover the pros and cons of both, as well as the limitations of Google Drive, below.

Google Drive Protects Against Some Threats, But Not All

Out of the box, Google Drive comes with industry-standard security tools like end-to-end data encryption, two-factor authentication, and virus scanners. But it also has its limitations when it comes to protecting your data from every possible risk.

Human error is consistently cited as the largest contributor to data loss and is something Google Drive will not be able to protect you against. Whether someone falls for a phishing scam or simply accidentally deletes critical data, without a proper backup you may get caught in a risky or at the very least frustrating situation.  

Common Threats Google Drive Protects Against

In short, these are common threats Google Drive will help protect your data from:

• Ransomware: File shred through Google Drive will be scanned for known threats, and any items containing malware will either be flagged or blocked
• Phishing Attempts: This a standard feature for Gmail that you have likely seen before. Google’s detection systems will warn users about potentially dangerous links and emails.
• Unauthorized Access: Google’s two-factor authentication helps confirm identities to prevent access to sensitive data.

Each of these features helps create a secure environment that aligns with industry standards. However, it is important to note that Drive will not be able to protect you from login credentials that have been successfully stolen through a phishing email.

Key Threats Google Drive Does Not Mitigate

In a recent study, nearly 50% of employees stated that are “very” or “pretty” certain they have made a mistake that could have led to a security issue at their company, whereas another study states that 74% of Americans who own a computer have accidentally deleted important data.

And while Google Drive’s defenses are robust, it does not protect against these kinds of scenarios, as well a few others listed below:

• Accidental Deletion: Files that are deleted by mistake are only recoverable with the retention period (typically 30 days)
• Intentional Deletion: Not only cyber gangs but disgruntled employees with correct access can delete critical data and bypass retention policies.
• Data Corruption: While rare, syncing errors or overwriting can damage your files permanently.
• Retention Limits: Once deleted files are purged from Trash bins or expire, they are permanently lost.

Challenges of Recovering Permanently Deleted Files

If you managed to rescue your data in the allowed time frame, retention limits can help save you from accidentally losing an item forever, but once the item is purged from your trash bin it is likely gone for good.

Once the data is permanently deleted, Google does not offer built-in tools to recover it, and administrative-level recovery options are limited and cannot retrieve files beyond retention policies. If you find yourself in a pinch and are looking for emergency ways to hopefully recover a deleted item here are two things you can do:

Check Your Google Admin Console (For Workspace Users Only)

If you are a Google Workspace user, administrators do have a short window to recover files deleted or purged from the trash bin. This is typically around 25 days after the file leaves the trash. To do this you will have to:

1. Log in to the Google Admin Console
2. Navigate to Users and select the account the file was deleted from
3. Click Restore Data and specify the date range, then confirm the restoration process

Only Admins will be able to perform this recovery, and as we have said, any data deleted past the 25-day recovery is likely unrecoverable.

Contact Google Support Center

In very limited cases, Google’s Support Center may be able to assist in recovering deleted files. The odds of success though will likely depend on if you are a Workspace customer, and if the file was deleted within enough time to be removed from Google’s servers.

You can contact Google Support here, where you can then submit a request for file recovery with details on the file and account information.

What Are Your Options for Backing Up Google Drive?

Because of the lack of native backup features on Google Drive, there are only two other options to protect your files from data loss. You will either have to back up your data manually or find a third-party security solution that integrates with your Google Drive accounts.

Manual Backups

To manually back up your data, you will have to download all your data – or at least the data you wish to protect – and store it locally on an external device. Ideally, this device will be encrypted or password protected, and on a closed network that is inaccessible digitally. This will help protect from cyberattacks.

Another thing to keep in mind is the device’s power source, to make sure blackouts don’t end up corrupting files, or missing a backup.

But the most important factor will be to have a strict schedule of regular backups to ensure your data is up to date.

Third-party Backup Solutions

Third-party backup tools are designed to provide automated, scalable, and secure solutions for Google Drive data, as opposed to the more labor-intensive and time-consuming manual approach.

While they may come at a cost, they are typically more realistic, and more secure, options for businesses looking to back up large data sets and automate their backup schedules.

Tools like SpinBackup will also offer granular recovery options with very little lift required from your team, as well as compliance features and the ability to choose between Azure, GCP, and AWS.

Automatically Backing Up Google Drive With SpinBackup

If you have decided to go the Third-party route, SpinBackup is a marketing-leading, Google-recommended, backup solution that offers the fastest, most accurate backup and recovery, allowing you to recover your data in minutes.

Spin will integrate seamlessly into your Google Workspace and allow you to effortlessly backup your emails, calendars, and files across shared drives – including any metadata on their hierarchy and sharing permissions. 

Some other features include:

• Automated Backups: choose between 1x or 3x daily backups based on your needs for consistent data protection 
• Granular Recovery: restore a single file, several folders, or a comprehensive backup retaining hierarchy and permissions
• Ransomware/Insider Threat Protection: Spin’s advanced detection systems can identify and block ransomware threats faster than our competitors, providing additional layers of protection
• Compliance Friendly: Choose between 32 locations around the world to meet compliance and local regulations

SpinBackup also gives you access to our user-friendly dashboard to help visualize your data, manage backup, monitor threats, and recover data with ease.

Check out our case study profiling a nonprofit entertainment organization using Spin to protect 10 TB of data stored on Google Workspace, helping them to ensure business continuity and minimize downtime in an emergency. 

Conclusion

While Google Drive offers excellent tools for file storage, sharing, and collaboration, it is not a comprehensive solution for data protection. Risks like accidental deletion, intentional data loss, and ransomware attacks highlight the importance of implementing additional safeguards.

Third-party backup solutions, such as SpinBackup, provide essential features that complement Google Drive’s security, including automated backups, granular recovery, and advanced threat detection. By adopting these tools, businesses can ensure their critical data remains safe, secure, and accessible—no matter what challenges arise.

Daily automated backup for Google drive,

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