IDC Spotlight: Inadequate Data Protections Make Backing Up SaaS Applications an Imperative

SaaS applications are quickly becoming a core component of today’s businesses. SkyQuest Technology Consulting expects the global SaaS market to reach more than $720 billion by 2028, at a CAGR of over 25 percent. But, as IDC’s Research Vice President, Infrastructure Systems, Platforms, and Technologies Phil Goodwin wrote in a recent Spotlight titled, “Backing Up SaaS Applications: What You Don’t Know Can Cost You,” data protection is often an afterthought for SaaS applications.

Goodwin also notes IDC's estimate that up to 80 percent of new application deployments will be cloud native. Many of these applications will be SaaS deployments, driving the adoption of clouds and causing most organizations to operate in a multi-cloud environment. He writes that users often assume their SaaS provider’s protections are adequate. But the reality is that these default solutions don’t meet today’s requirements for data protection, retention, and governance.

With many companies adopting Microsoft 365, Salesforce.com, and Google Workspace as well as using SaaS applications for messaging, CRM, ERP, and other mission-critical purposes, any downtime or data loss can be devastating. Goodwin points out that, while these applications must meet the same governance and policy requirements for data retention, discovery, and other regulations, most SaaS provider data protection solutions offer minimal protection and retention as part of their base package.

So, what is the report’s key takeaway? “IT executives are looking for solutions to protect SaaS data that fit with existing data protection efforts and architectures, and do so in the simplest manner possible.”

Take Control of Data Protection

The report clarifies that IT leaders must take control of data protection, archiving, and governance, even when using third-party applications. Most importantly, the report says taking control over your data offers peace of mind, knowing it is safe and conforms to organizational guidelines.  

It also suggests that using a single vendor to protect on-premises, hybrid cloud, and SaaS workloads offers consolidation, consistency, and streamlined operations, then lists all the benefits driving IT leaders toward taking control over their data.

Key Trends

In the report, Goodwin writes that data protection has evolved to be much more than backup and recovery. Now, data protection solutions must meet complex requirements across multiple operating environments and support cyber-recovery, disaster recovery, and governance mandates.

IT leaders prefer integrated hardware and software systems that deliver these capabilities over a complex array of single-purpose tools.

The Arcserve Platform: A Wide Range of Integrated Data Protection Solutions

The report summarizes the Arcserve platform’s key components, including:

• Arcserve UDP
• Arcserve SaaS Backup
• Arcserve Appliances (9000 Series, N Series, OneXafe)
• Backup as a Service
• Disaster Recovery as a Service

Goodwin closes the report by writing, “While it is possible to find boutique solutions for individual SaaS applications, most organizations prefer consolidating their backup operations to the greatest extent possible to simplify vendor management and operations and have a consistent experience across the enterprise. Organizations looking for a single vendor to provide their on-premises and cloud data protection, cyber protection, and SaaS data protection will want to consider a company such as Arcserve that can satisfy the breadth of all three requirements.”

Click here to read the complete IDC Spotlight, sponsored by Arcserve, "Backing Up SaaS Applications: What You Don’t Know Can Cost You," September 2022.

To learn more about Arcserve solutions, talk to one of our expert technology partners. And be sure to check out our free demos and free trial offers.