backup as a service (BaaS)

What is backup as a service?

Backup as a service (BaaS) is an approach to backing up data that involves purchasing backup and recovery services from an online data backup provider.

Instead of performing backup with a centralized, on-premises IT department, BaaS connects systems to a private, public or hybrid cloud managed by the outside provider. Instead of worrying about rotating and managing tapes or hard disks at an offsite location, data storage administrators can offload maintenance and management to the provider.

BaaS may be used when an organization has outgrown its legacy storage backup and would have to go through a costly upgrade, or lacks the resources for on-premises, high-level backup. Outsourcing backup and recovery to a provider can also keep data accessible or restorable from a remote location in case of an outage or failure.

Potential roadblocks

While BaaS has its benefits, it is not without disadvantages to consider. Some common concerns with backup as a service include the following:

• Cross-platform issues.
• Data storage compliance regulation.
• Security concerns, such as encryption, access control lists and role-based authentication.
• Additional bandwidth requirements.
• Pricing.

While the cloud is known for being an affordable option, costs can change as the amount of data increases, so savings may not be guaranteed.

Features to look for

When looking for a backup as a service provider, organizations should consider numerous features and abilities. An ideal BaaS option might include the following capabilities:

• Deduplication.
• File sharing.
• Continuous data protection.
• Guaranteed backups.

Backup teams might also want to look at how the backup as a service products use resources, which could determine whether or not a certain vendor is the right fit.

Some backup-as-a-service providers include Acronis, BackBlaze, Carbonite, Druva, IDrive, and Vembu.