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Adopting SaaS? Great – but you’ll need data backup, too

Picture of Zones Zones : Jul 7, 2021 5:00:00 AM

Microsoft Remote Work Data Storage & Backup Data Center Transformation

Adopting SaaS? Great – but you’ll need data backup, too

Throughout much of 2020 and 2021, we’ve witnessed an undeniable trend – IT leaders all over the world are showing a renewed focus on data center transformation. It was always a priority, but far more so now, and for reasons that are easy to understand – with employees and their work transitioning away from traditional office settings, their data needs to transition as well. Previously, it was often stored on-premises, in the office environment or nearby; now, increasingly, businesses are turning to new data management platforms such as Software as a Service (SaaS).

Using SaaS can be powerful – it gives organizations a way to manage their data and apps in a way that’s agile and flexible. But there’s also a glaring problem. Often, according to Gartner, business IT leaders assume their SaaS solutions don’t require data backup, figuring that backup must be already built in. And yet issues with data loss persist, despite this attitude. This is a widespread issue – Gartner analyst Nik Simpson estimated that by 2022, 70% of all organizations will have suffered at least one business disruption due to unrecoverable data loss from a SaaS application.

“IT organizations cannot ignore their responsibility to protect data stored in these applications, particularly in light of industry surveys that indicate data loss in SaaS applications is a common occurrence,” Simpson explained. “The need for careful review of SaaS applications is particularly true in regulated industries where the regulatory authorities are increasingly interested in how organizations will protect data stored in SaaS applications.”

The truth is that many SaaS applications come with backup built in here and there, but there are undeniably gaps in this process. If you run a business that uses SaaS, it’s your obligation to fill in those gaps. Gartner’s recommendation is to begin that process by defining your backup requirements. Establish upfront which elements of your data are the most important ones to have access to at all times, then shape a strategy that makes that key data a priority. This may involve going deeper into the backup capabilities offered by your SaaS provider; alternatively, it may be a matter of finding another business partner that can offer Backup as a Service (BaaS) capabilities.

At Zones, we’re proud to be the latter. We offer a Backup as a Service solution that’s designed to take some of the burden off your organization, making data backup simple and easy. Zones Backup as a Service (BaaS) is a comprehensive data backup solution that works quickly and easily – you’ll get all the backup you need, whether your files live in Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, OneDrive for Business, Microsoft Teams, or anywhere else.

This is what we do at Zones. We make Data Center Transformation a top priority for all of our clients – we understand that the ways people do business are transforming quickly, and the way you manage data needs to adapt accordingly. We would love to roll up our sleeves and get to work for you, building a new data infrastructure that will help you better meet the needs of today’s workforce.

To learn more, check out our eBook, which details all the most crucial reasons your business needs to focus on data backup. Then, connect with a Zones Account Manager to move forward.