Between a rash of high-profile ransomware attacks, new laws governing data privacy protection, and a remote workforce to support, already-short-staffed IT teams are in overdrive trying to implement effective data protection strategies.
IT staff workloads were unwieldy before the global pandemic hit. But as businesses enter the post-COVID recovery period, IT teams will struggle even harder to accommodate widespread business technology changes intended to address the shortcomings revealed when the world went into crisis mode.
Many businesses are looking to the cloud for services and solutions to help them streamline IT functions without sacrificing data security.
Data Protection as a Service
Data protection as a service, or DPaaS, is one way IT managers establish strong data protection capabilities while also reducing IT staff workloads.
DPaaS refers to cloud and web-based subscription services that provide data protection, network security, and disaster recovery capabilities. DPaaS comprises three separate services that together prevent data loss and enable fast, efficient disaster recovery:
1. Backup as a Service (BaaS)
BaaS is a flexible, secure alternative to traditional backups. Instead of managing and storing data in-house where it is vulnerable to theft, damage, and corruption, BaaS solutions send copies of your data to the cloud where it is safe from localized threats and ransomware attacks on your network.
2. Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS)
DRaaS allows organizations to orchestrate disaster recovery from a cloud environment. This means recovery efforts can be initiated from anywhere, so your IT infrastructure gets back online and functioning as quickly as possible.
3. Storage as a Service (STaaS)
STaaS is a cost-effective, scalable cloud storage platform. Because you only pay for the storage you use, STaaS reduces the overhead of managing on-premises storage infrastructure. It is important to note that STaaS is not a replacement for BaaS; both services are necessary for comprehensive data protection.
The Benefits of DPaaS Over the Traditional Approach to Data Protection
In today’s uncertain business environment, there are several reasons why businesses are opting for DPaaS over traditional data protection practices:
- Save money: DPaaS is cloud-based and scalable, so there is no hardware to store on-premises, and you only pay for what you use.
- Protect reputation/brand: It only takes one security breach to destroy user trust in your company.
- Reduce risk: DPaaS keeps your backups out of harm’s way and provides an actionable plan to restore IT operations.
- Address the skilled worker shortage: DPaaS automates and orchestrates key data protection activities, eliminating some of the need for skilled IT workers.
How DPaaS Helps Reduce IT Staff Workloads
The crux of IT’s workload problem is that there are only so many team members to go around. When you factor in time spent on routine IT functions, server maintenance, security updates, and tech support, there is little bandwidth left for innovation.
DPaaS addresses this challenge by reducing the amount of IT effort needed to keep data secure without leaving your systems vulnerable.
Automation
Automating data backup and storage provides multiple benefits. Not only does it take a task off of IT’s plate, but it also provides peace of mind that in the event of a security event or outage, the latest versions of your data and business-critical files are ready and waiting to be restored.
Orchestration
Orchestration takes data protection with minimal IT intervention to the next level. Once IT defines dependencies and sets the order and timing, the recovery workflow kicks in automatically and restores the appropriate backups while also ensuring RTOs and RPOs are met.
Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
Artificial intelligence and machine learning play a significant role in many of today’s data protection solutions. AI takes IT out of this equation because, quite frankly, there are some things machines do better than humans, including adaptive threat detection.
Adaptive threat detection programs analyze vast amounts of data to learn what “normal” behavior and activities look like so they can identify suspicious behavior. Adaptive threat detection technology learns from each new threat it encounters, adapting to changing attack tactics.
Scalability
IT teams spend a lot of time taking care of hardware and equipment that become obsolete when IT functions and processes move to the cloud.
Cloud storage and backup automatically scale up or down as workflow dictates. No additional IT effort is required, and no need to purchase and maintain bulky on-premises storage that may or may not be needed.
Today’s IT teams are battling threats on multiple fronts, from internal threats to natural disasters to evolving ransomware tactics. DPaaS provides IT teams with some needed respite from their heavy workloads by eliminating manual efforts from data protection and disaster recovery.
But DPaaS is just one part of a larger data protection strategy. Download “Don't Become a Statistic: Stay Ahead of Cybercriminals by Implementing a Holistic Ransomware Protection Strategy” to learn how to create a rock-solid plan to prevent data loss.
