SaaS Data Risks can be Mitigated with Cloud-to-Cloud Backup

By CIOReview | Thursday, June 6, 2019

FREMONT, CA: Over the past few years, enterprises are readily employing software-as-a-service (SaaS) for running their applications. The primary reason is its cost-cutting capability that comes along with SaaS. However, the service providers are moving to a cloud-only delivery model where they are just responsible for maintaining the application and managing its configuration.

Without doubt, SaaS applications are useful, especially when the enterprises compare the cost or infrastructure requirements, but there is also a false sense of security among the businesses that the service providers will handle data related problems too. In practice, the provider takes responsibility if the application faces stability issues or if the infrastructure is affected. It doesn’t take the ownership of data related securities. Thus, enterprises must take control of their data.

SaaS data protection has been challenging. On-premise maintenance of applications enables the data to reside in an organization’s data center where it can be easily backed up. In the case of SaaS solutions, data resides in the data center of the provider. Usually, SaaS providers do not provide volume-level data access to subscribers. Thus, the backup application must be designed to adapt to the specific SaaS platform.

Odds of SaaS Data Loss

SaaS vendors incorporate various countermeasures if the data is at risk due to infrastructure failure or malicious activity. Even so, data loss is not an alien concept within a SaaS cloud. A study by Aberdeen Group in 2013 states that 32 percent of the SaaS subscribers encountered data loss. Accidental lapse of cloud subscription and general malicious activities were the prime reason for such failures.

Cloud-to-cloud Backup Services

Owing to the data risks involved with SaaS setups, it’s essential to opt for an alternative data security solution. In recent years, vendors have increasingly started to offer cloud-to-cloud (C2C) backup services; some of the popular C2C backup service providers are Axcient CloudFinder, CloudAlly, Barracuda Cloud-to-Cloud Backup for Office 365, and Cloud Daddy.

However, it is crucial for businesses to choose a service according to their requirements. All C2C backup services are not the same. Some of the C2C backup services may focus on a single SaaS service, while others may be designed for various applications. When opting for a C2C backup service, it’s sensible to sign up for a trial subscription.