Backup has always been one of the most challenging functions in the IT environment. The difficulties increased with the fast growth of data and the distribution of that data across on-premises, cloud and edge environments, and endpoint devices. 

Many organizations have no idea where all their data is located. According to a recent study by the Institute of Directors, more than 40% of organizations cannot identify where they store critical data. Not surprisingly, this leaves significant gaps in data protection. A Mimecast study found that just 45% of companies have reliable file backups that can help them recover from a ransomware attack.

In many IT environments, there’s a fragmentation of backup. Legacy backup vendors have historically been slow to respond to new technologies. As a result, organizations often add backup solutions to support specific systems. It’s not uncommon for IT teams to support half a dozen or more siloed data protection solutions, creating management headaches while still failing to back up all critical data.

Backup-as-a-Service (BaaS) can help organizations overcome these challenges. By moving backup functions to the cloud, organizations of all sizes gain access to enterprise-class services without the cost and headaches associated with onsite backup.

Reliable, Simple, and Cost-Effective

Instead of buying and implementing on-premises backup software and storage hardware, organizations use cloud providers’ data protection resources. BaaS providers enable customers to set recovery time objectives (RTOs) and recovery point objectives (RPOs) to meet their business requirements. Data is stored in multiple, independent locations, creating the redundancy needed to prevent loss. 

As with any cloud-based solution, BaaS eliminates the need for capital investments and time-consuming, disruptive implementations. Backup becomes a predictable operating expense. According to a Forrester Research Total Economic Impact study, BaaS can produce a 78% return on investment and pay for itself in just six months.

IT staff are relieved of administrative complexity and the need to keep hardware and software up-to-date. Everything is managed from a central console that allows administrators to run backup and restore functions with a few mouse clicks. BaaS solutions also allow for the automation of many functions, minimizing the risk of human error that is the root cause of many backup failures. The solution is supported by the cloud provider for improved reliability and rapid problem resolution.

Improved Data Protection

More importantly, BaaS allows organizations to back up all of their data no matter where it is stored, and the solution can scale fluidly to meet growing requirements. Built-in compression and de-duplication tools help keep a lid on cloud storage costs, while encryption helps ensure that data transfers are secure.

Given these benefits, BaaS is seeing rapid uptake. Nearly half of the organizations plan to adopt BaaS by 2023, according to a recent survey. Advanced Market Analytics expects the BaaS market to see a compound annual growth rate of 26.6 percent through 2026.

Rampant data growth and the decentralization of IT resources have made backup more challenging than ever. In a recent survey conducted by Vanson Bourne, 58% of IT decision-makers say their backups fail regularly, leaving the organization vulnerable to system errors and cyberattacks. 

BaaS provides a cost-effective and reliable alternative that can better protect data while reducing administrative overhead and management complexity. The cloud experts at Rahi can help you determine if BaaS is right for your organization and evaluate the various solutions that are available.

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