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Identifying the most reliable backup solutions has always been necessary for businesses of all sizes. However, the past few years have shown an evolution in how organizations adopt and integrate varying IT backup solutions to protect their business.
Most notably, and according to in-depth research by backup solution expert Veeam, a new wave of cloud backup solutions for small businesses is rapidly becoming the norm.
Over the past five years, Veeam has surveyed 18,783 IT leaders across all industries. Their latest 2024 report – which collected insights from 1,600 unbiased IT decision makers – shows a distinctive trend toward cloud backup for small business operations. In addition, 90% of cloud service subscribers are either very satisfied or completely satisfied with their various cloud services, including cloud-powered protection solutions.
Therefore, these same subscribers of cloud-powered protection solutions were asked what would cause their organization to switch to a different service provider. In addition, the top reasons based on Veeam cloud backup research are related to how – and how well – their production platforms are being protected.
So, why is there a shift to cloud backup solutions for small and medium-sized businesses, and how can you find the best cloud protection provider?
It starts by understanding the varying aspects of cloud backup and cloud-based protection services and why they are such a powerful resource for protecting IT infrastructure.
Why cloud backup solutions are essential
There are several driving forces that are powering the popularity of cloud-based protection services, and a sample of these advantages include the following:
- Solid data protection – Cloud backup solutions keep all data and files safe and secure from disasters that can occur locally, such as system failures, device theft or interference, or natural disasters in each locale. They also have heightened protection against cybersecurity threats, including ransomware attacks or data breaches. They can also mitigate any human errors that can cause data loss, such as accidental file deletion.
- Cost-effective – Cloud backup solutions and protection services are more cost-effective than on-site data centers. This is especially true as an organization’s reliance on technology expands, and businesses start to outgrow on-premises facilities. Cloud backup solutions effectively eliminate the need for expensive on-site equipment like backup hardware, servers, and disks, as all infrastructure is maintained by the third-party provider.
- Better business continuity – In an emergency, the top priority is business continuity, and cloud backup solutions have a proven track record of minimizing downtime. Businesses can quickly and easily access their data and systems from a safe location, even during the height of a crisis, without losing time or productivity.
- Assured compliance – Cloud backup solutions are designed to align with the most rigorous standards when it comes to data privacy, and these solutions can often be tailored to varying industry and government regulations with relative ease, depending on a business’s distinctive needs.
Key findings from Veeam Report on Cloud Backup Solutions
The 2024 Veeam report focused on varying aspects of these cloud-based protection services, including Backup as a Service (BaaS), Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS), and other cloud-oriented solutions.
According to Veeam’s 2024 Data Protection Trends Report, the two top drivers for IT leaders affecting changes in data protection strategies are:
- The desire to integrate cybersecurity technologies with data protection/backup.
- Improved and/or consistent protection of cloud-hosted workloads.
These top concerns included cyber capabilities and improved Software as a Service (SaaS) and Platform as a Service (PaaS) protection. However, it also has a particular interest in leveraging cloud storage as part of a comprehensive data protection strategy.
Backup as a Service (BaaS)
IT leaders were also asked, “What does Backup as a Service (BaaS) mean to you?” and the ensuing answers were insightful. The most common and essential responses in the Veeam report include the following three answers:
- The backup engine runs as a cloud service instead of an on-premises executable system.
- The solution is managed via a web-based UI.
- The data resides in a cloud repository outside of the production environment.
Why use Baas?
Whenever organizations decide to leverage cloud-powered services instead of utilizing infrastructure within their on-site data center(s), the question of “why?” is usually based on the business goals and/or the business’ functional enablement.
When organizations were specifically asked why they use BaaS instead of traditional on-premises hardware/software in the 2024 report, their primary reasons all pointed to operational efficiencies, such as reducing hardware upgrades, internal resources, and/or manageability.
Why use DRaaS?
The 2024 report also studied Disaster Recovery as-a-Service (DRaaS); instead of managing a dedicated and secondary data center, the answers to these survey questions outlined why IT leaders choose BaaS.
The primary reasons organizations use DRaaS centered on expertise, include having access to third-party subject matter experts for implementation. Other common reasons in the 2024 report included planning and reducing the demands of their internal experts to leverage their IT employees for more strategic purposes.
Embrace the journey of Cloud Backup Solutions with DartPoints
One aspect of Veeam’s 2024 report that received various answers across the board was how organizations added cloud services to their data protection strategies, and the path to ultimate cloud-based protection was not a one-way venture.
In 2024, nearly a large number of organizations simply leverage cloud storage (49%), while the rest (51%) subscribe to a managed backup service.
Perhaps even more interesting is that only 22% of respondents still use the same mode they originally began using for their cloud-powered data protection just a few short years ago. On the other hand, 78% switched from one mode to the other. Also, one of those that changed was nearly 2 to 1 switched to a managed BaaS service compared to those that switched to a self-managed solution.
IT leaders agree that the trend towards managed cloud protection services is growing, and you can join the revolution by connecting with DartPoints.
At DartPoints, we can easily help you shift to better data protection and backup solutions with ease, and tailor security solutions that fit your distinctive organization.
Reach out to us today to learn more about cloud backup solutions.
Join the thousands of IT leaders who are making the transition to cloud-based protection services.