Effectively protecting data resources is a priority for organizations of all sizes. The valuable data assets of both large and small companies present an attractive target for hackers and cybercriminals. The rise of e-commerce has resulted in many businesses collecting and storing regulated data such as credit card information. Enterprise data is at risk if a company does not have a reliable backup solution in place.
Organizations are moving away from traditional and legacy backup tools to address the financial and operational challenges associated with these solutions. They are finding that moving to a managed cloud backup solution can be a wise financial choice while also eliminating some of the operational hurdles that affect legacy tools.
Challenges of Legacy Data Protection Solutions
Legacy backup solutions were developed to address the data protection requirements of on-premises computing environments. Companies did not have the multi-cloud infrastructure or mobile devices for which backups were required. Data breaches were also far less numerous at the start of the century than they are today and backups seemed to be less critical to corporate decision-makers.
The current computing landscape incorporates on-premises data centers, hybrid environments, and multi-cloud infrastructures build on the resources of public cloud service providers (CSPs). Legacy solutions are no longer sufficient to address the data protection and backup requirements of modern businesses.
Following are some of the main challenges faced by traditional backup tools.
- Distributed computing environments – Information technology (IT) environments are no longer the monolithic, on-premises entities that legacy backup solutions were developed to protect. Organizations are now typically using multiple clouds and on-premises data centers. The distributed nature of enterprise computing environments often results in a variety of tools being used to back up different locations. Using multiple tools leads to additional challenges.
- Inefficient and expensive data storage – Multiple backup solutions require expensive hardware and backup media for data storage. Maintaining sufficient media requires capacity planning and capital purchases. There is also the risk of backing data up with more than one solution, adding to the storage costs and complicating system recovery efforts.
- Multiple versions of the truth – It can be impossible to identify a single version of the truth related to backed up data when multiple tools are in play. This can complicate data governance and compliance initiatives. It also may make it difficult to rapidly recover systems when necessary.
- Increased vulnerability – Deploying multiple legacy tools expands an organization’s attack surface. Each software solution or piece of hardware used for backups introduces another attack vector that can be exploited by cybercriminals.
Operational Benefits of a Managed Cloud Backup Solution
A managed cloud backup solution addresses the operational inefficiencies of legacy tools in multiple ways.
- The cloud can be accessed from any location with an Internet connection, enabling all of an organization’s offices and business units to use a single and centralized backup solution.
- Cloud backups enable streamlined and more flexible ransomware and disaster recovery procedures. Companies can quickly and efficiently recover systems in alternate locations to address any type of large-scale disaster.
- Organizations using managed cloud backups don’t have to worry about capacity planning for data storage. They are charged for the space they use and can always obtain more when necessary.
- A centralized and cloud-based solution reduces the attack surface and eliminates vulnerabilities that can damage a business. The CSP will handle the security of the backups with the company only needing to provide secure connectivity to the cloud.
- A single version of the truth exists in a comprehensive cloud backup solution that ensures backups are not randomly replicated. Companies can be confident they are meeting compliance requirements by querying a single system instead of trying to consolidate information from multiple legacy tools to address auditors’ queries.
Financial Benefits of a Managed Cloud Backup Solution
Companies can enjoy a wide range of financial benefits by migrating to a managed cloud backup solution. All told, there is a substantial return on investment (ROI) when adopting a managed cloud backup solution.
- Decreased costs versus legacy tools – The subscription costs associated with cloud backups are typically less than those of supporting a legacy backup environment. Costs can be determined before deploying cloud backup by taking into account the number of locations that require data protection and the projected rate of growth for protected information.
- Improved backup and restore efficiency – Backup and restore efficiency are enhanced with a cloud backup solution. Streamlined backups increase system performance and minimize backup window requirements. Faster restores improve business resilience for production systems and allow development teams to quickly stand up new instances with saved data.
- Minimizing ransomware losses – The efficient recovery capabilities of cloud backups mean systems can quickly be recovered if they are impacted by a ransomware attack. Rather than struggling with cybercriminals, a company can just restore the affected system to a new physical or virtual server and continue operations.
- Enhanced storage optimization – Cloud backup services allow organizations to take advantage of tiered storage for a granular method of addressing retention policies. Information necessary for daily operations can be stored in easily accessible storage. Data required for regulatory compliance but not for normal operations can be archived in long-term storage that may take slightly longer to access at a reduced cost.
VAST’s Cloud Backup-as-a-Service (CBaaS) Solution
VAST offers its customers a cost-effective, comprehensive, and reliable CBaaS solution powered by Druva. It’s a fully managed backup solution designed to handle complex modern computing environments. The features of VAST’s CBaaS solution by Druva include:
- Managed and cloud-based backups that align with business requirements and the organization’s data retention policies;
- Elimination of the costs of maintaining the software and hardware necessary for an on-premises backup infrastructure;
- Cutting-edge backup and data protection technology;
- Fixed pricing for predictable budgeting;
- Immutable backups that protect sensitive and regulated data;
- Backup plans that address the unique needs of your business.
VAST’s managed backup solutions by Druva handle the complexity of today’s diverse infrastructures. The CBaaS solution can be configured to protect:
- Microsoft 365 environments;
- Public cloud infrastructure;
- Hybrid and on-premises data centers;
- Enterprise endpoints.
The cost savings and operational efficiencies of cloud backups are too great to ignore. Contact VAST today to see how easy it is to retire your legacy backup tools and migrate to a managed cloud backup solution.
