Regularly backing up enterprise data is a best practice that should be followed by all organizations. It is critically important to have good backups to address the wide variety of data loss scenarios that can impact an IT environment. In addition to accidental data deletion, infection with malware or ransomware can cripple a business that does not have viable backups. In today’s increasingly dangerous threat landscape, companies that don’t effectively back up their data are playing with fire.
Many companies are moving away from legacy, on-premises backup solutions in favor of cloud backup strategies. We are going to take a look at how cloud backup strategies can help protect your company’s valuable data resources. It can be a daunting prospect to efficiently back up a complex multi-cloud environment. We will introduce a way to simplify the process using a cloud backup as a service (CBaaS) solution.
Benefits of Cloud Backup Strategies
Backing up an IT environment to the cloud has several benefits over traditional, in-house strategies. Taken together, these benefits are influencing many companies to modernize their data protection processes by taking advantage of cloud backups.
- Increased resilience – Cloud service providers (CSPs) can create backups in multiple regions for increased resilience in the event of a major disaster. This greatly reduces the chances that all of a company’s backup will be unavailable when needed.
- Improved data accessibility – Connecting to cloud resources only requires a reliable Internet connection. This means that backups can be restored to virtually any location for flexible recovery strategies.
- Reduced infrastructure – Cloud backups eliminate the cost of the hardware and maintenance required to create on-premises backups. In-house technical resources can be used for more value-added projects.
- Scalability – CSPs can provide the necessary capacity to efficiently back up an IT environment as it grows. On-premises solutions may require extensive capacity planning and additional hardware or storage media when business requirements change.
Critical Elements of Cloud Backup Strategies
Organizations considering cloud backup strategies need to address several factors as they determine the solution that best meets their business requirements. The following factors need to be evaluated before making a selection.
- The cost of moving data out of the cloud or to other regions within the CSP’s infrastructure can be considerable. Companies that employ the 3-2-1 backup rule typically want three backup versions, one of which is stored offsite. This may entail moving data out of the cloud or to alternate regions. Make sure you are familiar with any fees that accompany moving backup data to address the resilience that your backup strategy demands.
- Storing data in the cloud comes at a cost. Most cloud providers offer multiple storage tiers that offer varying levels of accessibility at different price points. Companies need to evaluate their needs when developing a cloud backup strategy and take advantage of low-cost storage tiers for data that is not frequently needed for business operations. Data required for business-critical recoveries can be stored in more expensive and easily accessible storage tiers.
- Cloud backups need to be stored separately from other data resources. Recent ransomware tactics include attempting to corrupt backups to prevent recovery and get the victim to pay the ransom. You don’t want a situation where a cybercriminal can access production data and its backup at the same time.
- Recovery options are an important aspect of cloud backup strategies. Minimizing downtime with fast and flexible restores is an essential component of disaster recovery and business continuity plans. The cloud backup solution your business chooses should include capabilities for rapid recovery in multiple locations.
- Backing up multi-cloud or hybrid environments can result in the use of multiple backup tools and solutions. This can quickly become a nightmare to manage and can complicate recovery procedures. Cloud backup strategies that focus on a comprehensive solution reduce management complexity and provide a consistent platform for data recovery.
Simplifying Backups with Cloud Backup as a Service (CBaaS)
Cloud backup as a service is a cloud backup strategy that addresses the elements previously discussed. Allowing a CSP or managed service provider (MSP) to handle an organization’s backups greatly reduces the complexity of ensuring the environment and data resources are adequately protected. Partnering with the right cloud provider can alleviate the concerns regarding backing up, storing, and recovering your data when necessary.
VAST IT Services offers its customers comprehensive cloud backup as a service that simplifies the process of effectively protecting their data assets. The CBaaS offering is powered by Druva and provides companies with an impressive array of benefits that simplify the creation of a cloud backup strategy and the selection of a provider.
VAST offers managed backups that are designed to address your business objectives and requirements. VAST has your back with a reliable and robust CBaaS solution that offers the following benefits.
- A fully managed CBaaS solution aligns your company’s data protection policies with its business strategy for effective backup and recovery functionality.
- VAST employs cutting-edge data protection and backup technologies to ensure you always have the most efficient and reliable backup strategy in place.
- Your company can trim its IT budget by eliminating the costs of maintaining the hardware necessary for on-premises backups.
- VAST’s solution includes immutable backups which are essential for protecting sensitive data and complying with regulatory requirements.
- The CBaaS offering includes fixed pricing for streamlined IT budgeting.
Using Druva’s cloud-based backup solution as its foundation, VAST’s CBaaS offering can address the data protection requirements of virtually any organization. Following are some highlights that illustrate the flexibility of this inclusive cloud backup strategy.
- The solution can back up SaaS products such as Microsoft 365 with fixtures such as an incremental forever backup model, long-term archiving capabilities, and end-to-end data encryption.
- The CBaaS solution can be used to back up public cloud environments as well as hybrid architectures that include cloud and on-premises components.
- Endpoints can be backed up to support your mobile workforce and edge computing infrastructure. Data is encrypted and customer-only access keeps sensitive data secure.
Contact VAST and learn how easy it is to develop a robust cloud backup strategy with their CBaaS offering.
