Backup-as-a-service (BaaS) is a managed service where a third-party provider stores an organization’s data in the cloud. As opposed to an organization performing its own backups onsite — which can require significant infrastructure investments — a BaaS provider maintains backup infrastructure and stores data in a public, private or hybrid cloud environment. Data is continuously backed up, kept secure and can be easily recovered in the event of an outage, failure or cybersecurity event.
Benefits of backup-as-a-service (BaaS)
Data loss can be crippling to a business. Losing important files and data means they have to start all over again or attempt to replicate what they lost — which is time-consuming, costly and can impact vendor and customer relationships.
Even when backed up locally, servers and systems can be corrupted by cyberattacks, outages, failures, natural disasters or other events — meaning enterprises can lose data anyway, even if they’ve done their backup due diligence. Further, legacy systems struggle to handle the immense amount of data enterprises must back up today, and updating that infrastructure can be costly.
BaaS has emerged as an alternative with several benefits, including:
Convenience, easy set-up and management
Backup services can typically be set up quickly and easily through a web-based user interface (UI) or console without IT teams needing to install infrastructure or download software. Organizations can configure backup policies and frequency (see below) and monitor backups and data recovery should an incident occur. BaaS is automated and service providers handle all the back-end technical tasks.
Reduced costs
With BaaS, enterprises don’t need to make capital expenditures (CapEx) on infrastructure like software, hardware, servers and storage devices. Because everything is in the cloud and managed by the vendor, there’s also no need for ongoing maintenance.
Another cost benefit is that most providers offer pay-per-use plans, so enterprises aren’t over-investing in infrastructure they may never use. As data needs change, enterprises can easily adjust storage and bandwidth requirements.
Efficient data storage
In legacy systems, data can be siloed and sprawled all over the place, and backup servers can quickly run out of space because data is stored in large formats and there are often redundant copies (requiring additional infrastructure investment, which, again, can be costly). But cloud environments have limitless amounts of space.
BaaS providers also employ various techniques to make data storage more efficient. One of these is compression, or reducing file sizes before cloud transfer (think zip files), saving both time and space. Another method is deduplication, or storing a single copy of data across several backups and eliminating redundancies or duplicates in a given data block.
Better data accessibility and disaster recovery
With BaaS, enterprises have quick, easy access to their data. Providers store multiple copies of backups in different locations (data redundancy, different from deduplication as described above) so that data can be recovered when lost due to outages, failures or accidental deletion.
BaaS also features geographic distribution and automatic failover, when data handling is automatically moved to a different server or system in the event of an incident to ensure that it is safe and readily available.
Further, BaaS simplifies auditing and compliance processes because backed-up data can be easily located and organized.
Strong data security
BaaS platforms feature strong security controls to ensure data remains safe and out of the wrong hands. This includes data encryption, multi-factor authentication (MFA), zero trust and regular security audits. This protects proprietary and personally identifiable information (PII), and also helps organizations that handle regulated data remain in compliance.
How backup-as-a-service (BaaS) works
With BaaS, the provider uses its own cloud infrastructure and expertise to handle the entire backup and restoration process. Enterprises simply connect to the backup engine, set their preferences and the platform handles file transfer, encryption and maintenance.
Automation is the engine that drives BaaS, helping ensure that data is continuously backed up without slowing down network performance or interrupting day-to-day work.
Enterprises first select the data they need backed up — whether it be simple files or complex apps — backup frequency and data retention times. Backups can run continuously or at specific intervals dictated by the company, and enterprises can decide how long they want to keep backup data (in perpetuity or a few months or years).
The platform then makes exact replicas of the original data. When that backup is completed, the selected data is securely moved to the BaaS provider’s cloud infrastructure (rather than remaining on-premises) and is stored in an environment that is protected, redundant and easily-accessible.
In the event of data loss or corruption, enterprises can initiate a recovery process and access and restore data from backups, then transfer it to its original or a new location. Everything from single files to entire apps and system logs can be recovered quickly, easily and securely.
BaaS supports private, public and hybrid cloud environments. Hybrid cloud, which pairs on-premises infrastructure with cloud-based storage and management, can help enterprises achieve what’s known as the “3-2-1 rule of backup,” a strategy whereby an enterprise keeps three copies of their data — two in local storage, one offsite. However, hybrid cloud requires more capital and infrastructure investment.
Types of backup methods
Backup isn’t a one-size-fits-all model. Because BaaS is pay-as-you-go and customizable, enterprises have options when it comes to backup frequency and type. The most common include:
Full backup: As its name would suggest, this creates an entire copy of all files, databases, apps, logs, configurations and other components before automatic backup processes begin, so that an entire system can be restored if needed. This is the most time-consuming method, but it also creates a critical enterprise baseline to ensure complete recovery in the case of data loss.
Differential backup: Backs up the data that has changed since the last full backup. This means only changes to original data are copied, not new data generated on a daily or weekly basis. Differential backup can reduce cost and storage and transfer requirements compared to performing full backups every time.
Incremental backup: Backs up only the data that has changed since the last backup of any kind (differential or full). This is the most efficient when it comes to replication, transfer, processing, storage and cost, but it could make for a more extensive restoration process in the event of a data loss event.
How to prepare for BaaS implementation
Enterprises shouldn’t just jump right into BaaS — proper preparation is critical. Firstly, it is important to define a backup policy that identifies the organization’s critical data that must be backed up. This policy should also include backup frequency, storage location and how long copies should be retained. Recovery point objective (RPO) metrics are critical, as well; these identify how much data loss an enterprise deems acceptable.
What is critical data? Typically, any data that the company needs to run smoothly — operational and proprietary data, financial details, analytical reports, customer, employee, partner and vendor information — or remain secure and, where applicable, in compliance with regulatory requirements.
Enterprises should identify critical data based on a number of factors, such as regulatory requirements, the data’s purpose, the potential consequences of its loss, how useful it could be for future projects, and what/how many departments rely on it for day-to-day use (to name a few).
Top backup-as-a-service (BaaS) providers
BaaS pricing plans vary and are dependent on backup frequency, storage and bandwidth use and how often a company needs to access its data. Some of the top providers in the market include the following:
- Veeam Software focuses on cloud-native and BaaS offerings, often delivered through partners.
- Commvault Systems is an established enterprise data protection player with a BaaS offering.
- NetApp, well-known for its storage solutions, has integrated BaaS capabilities, particularly for protecting cloud and SaaS applications.
- Unitrends is a provider of backup and disaster recovery solutions, including BaaS for various environments.
- Veritas Technologies is legacy player in enterprise data protection with a significant BaaS presence with its Veritas Alta platform.
- Acronis International GmbH is known for integrated cyber protection and backup, offering comprehensive BaaS.
- Arcserve is an established data protection vendor with BaaS offerings, including Arcserve Cloud Direct.
- Datto, acquired by Kaseya, Datto is particularly strong in BaaS for MSPs, focusing heavily on SaaS application backup (Microsoft 365, Google Workspace).
Major tech companies with BaaS offerings
- Azure Backup is Microsoft’s native BaaS offering for Azure VMs, on-premises servers, SQL, SAP, and increasingly SaaS apps.
- AWS Backup is Amazon’s fully managed, centralized backup service for a wide range of AWS services and on-premises data.
- Google Cloud offers robust backup and disaster recovery services for its cloud environments and hybrid setups.
- IBM offers BaaS, particularly for its IBM Power Systems environments (e.g., PowerVS BaaS) and broader enterprise data protection.
- Oracle offers backup and recovery services primarily for its own databases and cloud infrastructure (Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Backup).
- Dell offers a portfolio of data protection products, which increasingly integrate with and offer BaaS models.
- HPE ( through acquisitions like Zerto) provides data protection and disaster recovery solutions that include BaaS capabilities, often integrated with its hardware or GreenLake platform.
When selecting a BaaS provider, it’s important to consider their security measures — MFA and encryption are paramount — the platform’s ease of use, ability to scale (taking into account company growth plans and associated requirements), level of management (full, partial) and amount/reliability of customer support.
BaaS for the modern era
BaaS is an attractive, viable option for modern enterprises looking for an efficient, easy, cost-effective way to protect their critical assets. But it is important to weigh the various delivery methods and features, adequately prepare for implementation and identify data “crown jewels” to ensure a successful implementation.
Source:: Network World