As businesses navigate an increasingly interconnected and data-driven landscape, the stakes for data loss or unauthorized access have never been higher. Cyber threats, accidental deletions, hardware failures, and unforeseen disasters pose significant risks to the integrity of digital assets. Recognizing this, organizations are turning to backup and recovery as a service (BRaaS) as a proactive and strategic measure to fortify their data against potential threats while ensuring a swift recovery.
Unlike traditional backup methods that often involve on-premises hardware and manual interventions, BRaaS leverages the scalability and flexibility of the cloud to offer a more streamlined and automated approach to data protection.
Here are the top advantages of pivoting to a BRaaS model for backup and recovery protection.
1. Cost-effectiveness
Traditional backup solutions often require substantial upfront investments in hardware infrastructure. In fact, 67% of enterprises using on-premises storage over-invest. BRaaS, being a cloud-based service, eliminates the need for organizations to invest in and maintain dedicated on-premises hardware and reduces capital expenditures, allowing businesses to allocate resources more efficiently and redirect funds toward strategic initiatives.
A pay-as-you-go BRaaS pricing model, such as HPE GreenLake offers, enables organizations to pay only for the resources they consume. This flexibility is particularly advantageous for businesses with fluctuating data storage needs. It not only gives these organizations the ability to scale BRaaS usage accordingly but also optimizes costs and avoids the inefficiencies associated with overprovisioning. In addition, this flexible, pay-as-you-go model can help prevent unnecessary resource allocation and promote energy efficiency.
2. Improved data security
BRaaS prioritizes data security through robust encryption mechanisms that safeguard data during both storage and transmission. Secure transmission protocols further enhance data protection, guaranteeing that data is transferred to and from the cloud infrastructure in a secure and encrypted manner. In addition, BRaaS providers, like HPE GreenLake, also adhere to rigorous security standards and certifications, assuring businesses that their data is handled in accordance with regulatory requirements.
3. Scalability
The scalable nature of BRaaS allows organizations to adapt to changing data storage requirements seamlessly. As data volumes grow or business needs evolve, organizations can easily scale their storage capacity without the need for extensive planning or infrastructure upgrades. This agile scalability ensures businesses can efficiently accommodate the dynamic nature of their data environment as well as their business environment—whether that’s expanding into new markets, introducing new applications, or undergoing organizational shifts.
4. Business continuity
Compared to traditional backup and recovery methods, BRaaS can minimize downtime in the face of data loss or disruptions. With rapid recovery options and efficient backup processes, organizations can swiftly restore critical data and applications, reducing the impact on business operations. This proactive approach to business continuity enhances resilience and safeguards against potential revenue loss associated with extended downtimes.
5. Accessibility and ease of use
In a business landscape where remote work is increasingly prevalent, the ability to access and manage backups from anywhere with an Internet connection is invaluable. BRaaS allows authorized personnel to retrieve critical data or initiate recovery processes without being physically present in the office. This remote accessibility not only enhances operational flexibility but also ensures that data management remains seamless regardless of the geographical location of key stakeholders.
Additionally, BRaaS platforms typically feature user-friendly interfaces designed for ease of use. Intuitive dashboards and tools simplify the management of backup and recovery processes, allowing even non-technical users to navigate and execute tasks efficiently. The emphasis on user experience contributes to a lower learning curve for personnel involved in data management, reducing the likelihood of errors and ensuring that organizations can leverage BRaaS to its full potential.
6. Automation and efficiency
Automation is a core feature of BRaaS, streamlining backup and recovery processes for enhanced efficiency. Automated scheduling, as mentioned earlier, ensures that backups occur at predetermined intervals without the need for manual intervention. This automation not only saves time but also reduces the risk of human error associated with manual processes. By automating routine tasks, BRaaS allows IT teams to focus on more strategic aspects of data management, fostering increased productivity and resource optimization.
BRaaS solutions that support hybrid cloud environments enable seamless integration and management of workloads across on-premises infrastructure and multiple public cloud platforms. For instance, HPE GreenLake’s hybrid approach to BRaaS delivers a unified and comprehensive solution that allows businesses to effectively assess their IT infrastructure needs and place workloads in the most efficient locations based on factors such as performance, cost, and compliance.
7. Simplified operations and management
BRaaS aims to simplify IT operations by handling the day-to-day management of infrastructure. This allows IT teams to focus on more strategic initiatives rather than routine tasks, enhancing overall operational efficiency. With end-to-end management services, such as HPE GreenLake offers, businesses can further improve operational efficiency by deploying on-premises, at the edge, or in the public cloud while maintaining control and visibility of their infrastructure and consumption experience across the entire infrastructure stack, including hardware, software, and services, both on-premises and in the cloud.
8. Sustainability
Environmental sustainability is gaining prominence across industries. Some BRaaS providers are adopting energy-efficient technologies and optimizing resource usage to reduce the environmental impact of data storage and management.
HPE, for example, has been working towards making its data centers more environmentally friendly. In addition, HPE GreenLake provides an on-premises cloud experience, allowing organizations to enjoy the benefits of cloud computing without relying solely on external cloud services. This approach can lead to reduced data transfer and processing in external data centers, contributing to lower energy consumption and a smaller carbon footprint.
A Better Way to Back Up and Recover Data
In a world where data is a cornerstone of business operations, the evolution of BRaaS aligns with the imperative of ensuring data security, adaptability, and environmental responsibility. It also offers a cost-effective, scalable, and efficient approach to data backup and recovery. As organizations continue to embrace digital transformation, the strategic adoption of BRaaS will play a crucial role in fortifying an organization’s resilience and contributing to a sustainable and secure digital future.
Connection’s cloud and data center services can help you find a BRaaS solution that will improve the resilience, scalability, and sustainability of your data environments. Reach out to your Account Team or contact us here for more information.
Becky Lawlor
Becky Lawlor has been covering the convergence of business and technology for over a decade. Her writing focuses on emerging trends in big data, IoT, AI, mobility, cyber security, cloud computing, and more. She especially enjoys examining how these technologies are impacting critical business and public sectors such as healthcare, education, government, and retail. You can find more of her writing and insights on Twitter @lawlor_becky.
