BaaS providers deliver data protection as a service by hosting the backup software and the primary backup repository in privately operated or public cloud data centers. The backup infrastructure, including backup software and backup servers and storage, is managed by the BaaS provider. Customers are still responsible for implementing backup policies and performing recovery tasks, but they are not responsible for the day-to-day maintenance and operation of the backup system. BaaS providers primarily protect VMs, databases and files in addition to SaaS applications such as Microsoft 365 and Salesforce. Some vendors also offer backup of endpoints.
'Cloud office migration' refers to the process of consolidating and transferring a collection of workloads. Workloads can include emails, files, calendars, document types, related metadata, instant messages, applications, user permissions, compound structure and linked components. Migration of such workloads from at least one permanent on-premises platform or cloud office to a new cloud office environment, across a variety of similar product classes, is typical. During the migration process, enterprises will choose to cleanse their existing platforms by archiving old and outdated data. Migration tools are able to conduct an analysis of the respective workloads, identify if the data is deemed suitable for migration while maintaining its integrity, migrate the data between the source and target, and ensure governance in the subsequent platform.
Data security posture management (DSPM) provides visibility as to where sensitive data is, who has access to that data, how it has been used, and what the security posture of the data stored or application is. It does that by assessing the current state of data security, identifying and classifying potential risks and vulnerabilities, implementing security controls to mitigate these risks, and regularly monitoring and updating the security posture to ensure it remains effective. As a result, it enables businesses in maintaining the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of sensitive data. The typical users of DSPM include Information Technology (IT) departments, security teams, compliance teams, and executive leadership.
Gartner defines enterprise backup and recovery software solutions as technology that captures a point-in-time copy (backup) of enterprise data in on-premises, hybrid, multicloud and software as a service (SaaS) environments. These solutions write this data to one or more secondary storage targets for the primary purpose of recovering it in case of loss. Protecting and recovering business application data, irrespective of the underlying infrastructure type and its location, is more important than ever. As enterprises move toward more complex environments that include large and expansive amounts of business-critical data, enterprise backup and recovery software solutions protect these workloads, whether they reside in on-premises, hybrid, multicloud or software as a service (SaaS) environments. These solutions are vital to organizations’ ability to recover data following events that cause it to become inaccessible. Whether such an event is accidental, malicious or environmental, organizations use these solutions to recover and restore access to the affected data accurately and efficiently. Solutions must offer effective capabilities to simplify the management of data protection across complex enterprise environments. They must also ensure reliable recovery not just from accidental or operational errors but also from data loss arising from constantly changing threats, and expedite and orchestrate data recovery responses to traditional disaster and ransomware events.
Gartner defines SaaS management platforms (SMP) as software tools that aim to help organizations discover, manage, optimize and automate the SaaS application life cycle from one centralized console. Core SMP capabilities include discovery, cost optimization, employee self-service via an application store, insights to increase adoption and automation of onboarding/offboarding activities. As SaaS adoption accelerates, IT leaders struggle to discover and support SaaS-hosted applications in accordance with company, market or geographic policies and regulations. Increased SaaS costs — combined with limited visibility into the entire SaaS portfolio (including unapproved SaaS) and high levels of overdeployed and underconsumed licenses — result in significant financial, operational and cybersecurity risk.