As of 13 August 2026, AI can choose a cloud backup service for business files.

What to actually do

1. Hand it to a person

   The route this page recommends

   A person who owns the outcome does this end to end, worth it when the failure is dear.

2. Use a tool built for this

   Second choice

3. Do it yourself

   The distant third

   A chat interface, chat-fluent skill, and roughly 1 hour until you can act on the result.

   How to actually do it

   1. Open a document or spreadsheet and record your current users, devices, operating systems, data volume, file locations, backup frequency, retention needs and acceptable recovery time.
   2. Ask the person responsible for IT or data protection to add any requirements for Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, servers, network drives, encryption-key control, access logs, data location, contracts and client obligations.
   3. Collect current quotes, feature pages, security documentation, privacy policies, terms, service-level terms and trial information for each candidate, then paste them into the chatbot with the provider name and URL beside each source.
   4. Paste the supplied prompt into the chatbot and replace each bracketed slot with your business requirements before adding the provider information.
   5. Copy the comparison table into your working document and compare every factual claim, price and security statement with the linked provider source, marking anything the model could not substantiate.
   6. Ask your IT administrator to resolve the missing-information list, run the proposed backup and restore tests on non-critical copies, and approve the final provider and contract before moving business files.

   Prompt

   Help me choose a cloud backup service for business files in the UK. Use only the requirements and provider information I paste below, and say when information is missing. Do not invent prices, features, certifications, retention periods, recovery guarantees or legal terms.
   
   Business requirements:
   - Business type and risk tolerance: [describe]
   - Number of users: [number]
   - Devices and operating systems to back up: [describe]
   - Approximate data volume and expected growth: [describe]
   - File types and applications involved: [describe]
   - Required backup frequency and recovery point: [describe]
   - Required recovery time: [describe]
   - Retention and version-history needs: [describe]
   - Whether Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, servers, network drives or endpoints need coverage: [describe]
   - UK or EU data-location requirements: [describe]
   - Regulatory, contractual or client requirements: [describe]
   - Need for encryption-key control, multi-factor authentication, role-based access, audit logs or legal hold: [describe]
   - Budget and contract preferences: [describe]
   
   Provider information and links:
   [Paste current quotes, feature pages, security documentation, terms, privacy policy, service-level terms and trial notes for each candidate. Label each source with the provider name and URL.]
   
   Produce:
   1. A table comparing each provider against every requirement.
   2. A list of missing or ambiguous information that I must ask each provider.
   3. Separate factual claims from your assessment of fit, with a source beside every factual claim.
   4. A shortlist and a recommended choice only if the evidence supports one. Explain the main trade-offs.
   5. A practical acceptance-test plan covering backup, restore, deleted files, ransomware recovery, permissions, account recovery, logging and offboarding.
   6. A final list of checks that an IT administrator should complete before purchase.
   Do not treat a backup service as a substitute for testing restores. Do not recommend a provider solely because it is cheaper or has more features.

   Open it prefilled in ChatGPT or Claude, or copy it into Gemini, which takes no prefill link.