Backup as a Service (BaaS)

What is Backup as a Service (BaaS)?

Backup as a Service (BaaS) is a managed, third-party service where data is stored in a secure, hybrid cloud or off-site cloud repository—safe from unauthorized access, corruption, hacking, or theft. The data can include anything of business value, from files and images to entire application workloads and data sets. Backup frequency is determined by customer needs.

How does Backup as a Service work?

Rather than storing data on premises, BaaS protects and secures applications and data in an encrypted and immutable form across hybrid cloud that’s managed by a provider. Although a business retains access to the backed-up data, all management and maintenance are done by a third party. Data can be backed up as needed or on a regular basis.

Related HPE Solutions, Products, or Services

What are the benefits of Backup as a Service?

A good backup and recovery solution automates the process of saving and tracking information, minimizing potential data loss (due to human error, cyberattacks, or other catastrophic error) and reducing the workload for internal IT teams, who can focus on other tasks.

The benefits of BaaS specifically are found in its simplicity and pay-per-use model. Backup as a Service removes the complexity associated with managing backup infrastructure, as well as the silos that come with using multiple fragmented solutions across hybrid cloud.

BaaS also makes it easier to recover data by creating multiple levels of redundancy. If data is lost or corrupted, one or more copies are simple to locate and restore, which helps limit potential downtime, lost productivity, and damaged reputations.

What are the main types of Backup as a Service?

There are three essential types of data backup: full, differential, and incremental. Full backup copies protect data to a secondary storage location at regular intervals. Differential backup only copies data that has changed since the last full backup. Incremental backup only copies data that has changed since the previous backup.

The biggest variable between the three types is the time and bandwidth required to complete and/or restore: full backups take the most time to complete but deliver the fastest restoration time; differential backups use less bandwidth and offer moderate restoration time; and incremental backups use the least bandwidth but offer the slowest restoration.

Each type comes with its own advantages, but those benefits are determined by the size of the business and its data needs. For example, a small- to medium-sized business may not create or use much data, making regular full backups a feasible option. On the other hand, larger enterprises with vast volumes of data may pursue incremental or differential backups to preserve network bandwidth.

What is hybrid cloud backup?

Hybrid cloud backup functions like traditional BaaS, except for an additional process: in addition to backing up copies to remote third-party locations, data is also stored locally in on-premises data centers or on connected devices. And, like BaaS, it can be offered as a managed solution, letting companies enjoy the same core backup types and benefits.

Overall, hybrid cloud backup gives businesses layered, virtually foolproof protection in any data loss scenario. In the most extreme situations, such as a ransomware attack, companies can quickly recover data even if backups themselves are affected, making it one of the better best practices available today—what industry experts refer to as 3-2-1-1 backup plan. Simply put, this means creating three copies of data across two types of storage (i.e., local and cloud), including one copy that’s stored off-site, either in the cloud or a data center, and one copy stored offline.

HPE and Backup as a Service (BaaS)

HPE prides itself on offering leading solutions that enable both superior performance and protection.

HPE Data Protection Solutions let businesses access agile, on-demand data protection solutions that replace management overhead and capex expense with predictable, consumption-based billing aligned to business needs. Businesses always have the capacity they need, meaning worry-free data protection from edge to cloud—wherever their data resides. HPE Data Protection Solutions deliver policy-based automation and orchestration to eliminate data protection complexity and meet every SLA.

HPE GreenLake for Data Protection is an on-demand cloud backup and recovery service that delivers agility while preconfigured, on-premises solutions extend business options — all delivered with elastic scale and a pay-per-use structure that links business value to use. Protect your hybrid cloud instantly and deploy your on-premises data protection solution in a matter of days. With data protection now managed by HPE experts, IT teams can add their highest value by spending less time on undifferentiated tasks and more on innovating for the business.

HPE Backup and Recovery Service is Backup as a Service designed for hybrid and multi-cloud workloads. Delivered through HPE GreenLake and featuring global protection policies and high levels of automation, HPE Backup and Recovery Service enables customers to protect their workloads in a few simple steps and within minutes, while eliminating the complexity of managing backup and recovery operations on-premises and/or in the cloud. Threats like ransomware and malware are neutralized with built-in encryption, data immutability, and air-gapping, which makes backup data inaccessible to cybercriminals. Organizations lower the cost of protecting data on-prem or in the cloud with consumption-based pricing and ultra-efficient data reduction technologies.