Stop Thinking About Backup and Start Thinking About Data Protection
Stop thinking about backup and start thinking about data protection. Newer technologies are making it redundant.
There was a time that backing up our data required separate premises-based infrastructure to ensure that we could protect ourselves from data loss. Is this still true in the modern data centers of today?
With the advent of hyperconverged infrastructure, continuous data protection down to the second, snapshot technologies and more, traditional vendors are under attack. Add to this the fact that many cloud vendors provide solutions for premises-based data as well as cloud-based SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS data, and we find ourselves asking the question: Is dedicated software needed to protect the data? Do we really need a premises-based backup solution anymore?
Our Take
The need for dedicated premises-based backup infrastructure is dependent on the environment where you primarily operate and the requirements for your business. With the advent of cloud adoption (SaaS, IaaS, PaaS, etc.), a different approach is needed.
Nutanix, VMware, Salesforce, and Office 365 will all offer alternatives to traditional backup infrastructure and can offer increased capabilities. These will also provide protection of your data as part of the service provided if you have negotiated that in.
Not having to invest in traditional on-premises backup infrastructure frees up resources, which can be used for value-generating business tasks.
Legacy infrastructure models are a prime candidate for a dedicated on-premises solution and most can accommodate SaaS applications, but expect this to change as the newer technologies gain capabilities. There will be a point where the cost of maintaining an on-premises backup infrastructure will not solve all of your data protection needs.
Without a compelling need for on-premises backup it is hard to justify spending money on the infrastructure required, particularly when data protection is an embedded feature of so many of the things you’re putting into your data center, whether it is on premises, colocation, or cloud based.
On-premises backup is not dead yet. There are some reasons to consider it as a solution for your infrastructure, but as cloud solutions become more sophisticated, the need for legacy solutions will slowly dwindle and ultimately disappear.
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