What Is Backup As A Service?
Data is perhaps the next valuable thing after revenue organizations should think of storing and retrieving safely. Since data is at the threat of loss due to human error, theft/breach, and other technical snags, the concept of protecting it with cloud backup or Backup as a Service (BaaS) is worth considering.
The huge volume of data generated every year has no significance unless businesses have the proper mechanism in place to handle it effectively. As per reliable sources, 1.7 MB of data has been created each second for each person in 2020.
By 2025 the volume of data generation per day is estimated to become 463 Exabytes worldwide. If businesses rely on the internal IT team rather than switching to cloud backup, it may become hard for them to manage the huge volume of data. Additionally, the cost of securing data backup and storage may add up fast.
Backup as a Service (Baas) — What is It?
Backup as a Service (BaaS) is an advanced model to backup data on the cloud and ensure that data has the necessary security and redundancy to avoid an overtly risky landscape.
It proves to be a cost-effective alternative to traditional data backup with on-premises solutions. BaaS refers to cloud backup and recovery services purchased from a third-party provider.
In BaaS, systems connect to public, hybrid, or private cloud, based on the user’s chosen storage/backup plan, which is under the control of the service provider. Unlike other offsite services, managing Backup as a Service is far easier. With it, there is hardly any tension of recovering data by rotating and managing hard disks or tapes but failing at times.
Maintenance and management’s job can be passed on from internal data storage professionals to a cloud backup provider.
Cloud Backup vs. Traditional Backup
Unfortunately, the traditional backup plan with on-premises solutions does not fulfill all organizational data needs. They add up maintenance costs, hamper production time, and also pose a danger of data loss. But BaaS includes maintenance of backup equipment in big data centers to keep them protected against natural/technical disasters with regular, offsite backups for a fixed subscription fee per month.
BaaS is appropriate for all those businesses who have exceeded their on-premises backup limits and need an expensive upgrade/high-end backup or lack its own IT infrastructure to implement on-premises solutions Taking data backup and recovery to the cloud has its share of advantages and concerns as well.
Backup as a Service — What Features to Consider?
Choosing a cloud backup service can be a challenge that no business can run away from. It is never something that any organization wants to go wrong with for the first time. So, considering key features for the selection process is very important.
They should keep the following factors in mind as they start searching for the right Backup as a service provider:
1. Duplication and reliability
2. File/folder sharing
3. Nonstop data protection
4. Resource utilization
4. Regular backups
Backup as a Service — Concerns & Challenges
Though BaaS is quite popular, there are still a few concerns for businesses that are new to this backup/storage system and the way it impacts their business. Here are some concerns businesses usually have about using the cloud backup service from a third-party provider.
1. Cross-platform compatibility
2. Compliance standards (HIPAA & PCI) regulating the provider’s ability of cloud data storage.
3. Security threat concerns — checking encryption (SSAE-16), access control and user authentication
4. Availability of extra bandwidth at an extra cost per speed
5. Pricing and package. Plans may change with the increased amount of data, so there is no guarantee of savings.
Backup as a Service — Top Benefits
BaaS offers many amazing benefits, including the following:
1. Affordable alternative — BaaS proves to be an affordable alternative when it comes to the cost of services, tape drives, additional hardware/software used for backup. It saves on the cost of backup storage media, transporting them to a safe location and IT expenses required to troubleshoot and maintain them from time to time.
BaaS comes for a fixed monthly subscription. Businesses need to pay for what kind of backup and storage they need. Thus, they can skip making an upfront investment in IT infrastructure.
2. The convenience of automation — The convenience of automation makes cloud backup stand out. Once it is configured, data automation starts on it. The business user doesn’t have to manually save, mark, or monitor data as it streams in, without the concern of facing data loss.
3. Optimal Use of Resources — BaaS makes way for freeing up in-house IT resources that give business owners to concentrate on other key projects with a potential for revenue. According to IDC, the productivity rise and time savings of the cloud backup approach would be as much as $29,037 per hundred users every year.
4. Fastened Recovery — Data recovery can immediately initiate at fastened speed from the multiple copies maintained in data centers at different locations.
5. Secured against Data Loss — BaaS includes multi-level redundancy, meaning multiple versions of user data are stored in independent locations at the same time. This safeguards data against loss to severe disasters that may strike at any time.
Conclusion
Data is just like an organization’s lifeline. It is as necessary to the operation of a business as features like email. It is no doubt a vital element for businesses to make an informed decision for driving innovation and profit. This is why data storage requirements are growing significantly.
When it comes to storing/managing all the data safely, the idea of cloud backup has caught the attention. It has encouraged businesses to abandon online storage solutions, saving the hassle and cost of managing their own IT infrastructure. Backup as a Service is more valuable, flexible, and secure for businesses that are willing to change.
