Is Backup as a Service the answer to your backup needs?

Written by present | Dec 2, 2014 3:30:00 PM

Within the last few years, the use of cloud computing for data backup has been growing and systems security has increased to better respond to business concerns.

The increased volume of data generated by enterprises has brought challenges in terms of backup management. Traditional solutions utilised by the companies themselves, or outsourced can now be replaced by solutions in the cloud. The appeal of these solutions is demonstrated in the IDC study CIO Sentiment Survey, which shows that the most important IT initiative since 2013 was cloud computing.

It’s true that data management is critical for every company, but for a responsibility that consumes a significant amount of time and resources without always bringing a return on investment, companies need to assess if they continue to manage it internally or if they opt for an outsourced solution that in many cases reduces the investment and fixed costs.

In this context, some companies are turning to Backup as a Service or BaaS. To avoid making a shift too quickly towards a solution that seems ideal, it is essential to analyze the situation of your business, your needs and objectives to determine whether BaaS is actually the best solution for you. Here is our method to evaluate it.

In concret terms, what the BaaS?

Backup as a Service (BaaS) provides a backup and restoration service. The cloud provider manages and maintains the necessary backup equipment, applications, and processes in their data center. In this type of configuration, data protection is consumed as a service.

BaaS can be a good option for you if:

• Your volume of data is growing rapidly and you virtualize your server environment
• You have limited space and/or capacity in your data center for backup equipment
• You would like to shift your backup costs from an investment cost (CAPEX) to an operating expense (OPEX)
• You would like to use generalists to manage a wide array of tasks rather than specialized backup administrators
• You have difficulty achieving backup and fixed recovery objectives
• Your IT team spends a considerable amount of time managing a complex backup environment

BaaS is not a suitable option if:

• You have an established backup process that meets your expectations
• You have concerns about the security of online backups
• You operate with strict compliance rules that make storage and backup data in the cloud very complex or impossible
• The external bandwidth you have available does not allow you to meet your service goals
• Offers from BaaS providers exceed the budget you are willing to allocate

Recommendations for choosing a BaaS provider:

• Does the service integrate well with your enterprise architecture?
• Does it provide the functionality you need?
• Can it evolve with your changing needs?
• Does the service allow you to export your data?
• How easily can you change providers?
• How secure is the service?
• Is it in your price range?

BaaS offers multiple approaches with different levels of service from the supplier, therefore it is very important to understand where the supplier's responsibility ends and your begins. In circumstances where skilled IT resources are rarer than the demand, companies want to increasingly outsource activities that do not add value to the business.

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