No business can overlook data and its importance. Organisations need to securely store all their digital assets, from critical client data to intellectual property information, and protect them from theft or misuse.
Thankfully, there’s a whole host of digital infrastructure solutions that make digital data storage and backup processes much simpler, helping organisations rethink the way they do business.
When it comes to data backup, your business will typically consider two main options: on-premises backup or Backup as a Service (BaaS). While both serve the same primary purpose (protecting your data), they differ in their functionality, efficiency, and management.
This blog takes a closer look at the differences between on-premises and cloud BaaS.
Understanding On-Premises Backup
On-premises backup features conventional backup methods on physical storage solutions like HDD. It’s a common choice for organisations with legacy architecture.
How On-Premise Backup Works:
As the name suggests, on-premises backups involve using hardware and software systems designed to store data locally. You’ll often back up your data on external hard drives, network-attached storage (NAS), and tape drives. This method has been used by legacy businesses for decades.
On-Premise Backup Benefits:
- Data is stored on-site, which means you get complete physical control over your data backup
- Involves a one-time investment, with minimal ongoing costs
- No dependency on the internet since backups don’t need internet connectivity for data storage or recovery
- Your IT team can easily customise backup schedules, storage locations, and security protocols
On-Premise Backup Drawbacks:
- Manual scheduling of backups
- Potential for missing or corrupted data
- Protection from cybersecurity threats
- Limited and costly scalability
Understanding Backup as a Service (BaaS)
Backup as a service, or BaaS, is a managed cloud backup service allowing organisations to outsource their backup processes to a cloud provider or a third-party backup provider.
Unlike traditional backup, you back up your business data on the storage provided by the cloud service provider. This service is invaluable for businesses, particularly small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) who may have insufficient resources to manage backup systems in-house.
How BaaS works:
BaaS connects local applications to backup in the cloud. Data is backed up to cloud servers in a process that takes place continuously in the background or at fixed intervals over a secure network. You can back up individual files, as well as images or virtual machines, which allows you to restore entire systems.
BaaS is available as a monthly or yearly subscription service. Pricing depends on multiple factors, including bandwidth, storage capacity, volume of data, backup frequency, number of copies per dataset, retention period, and frequency of data access.
Backup as a Service Benefits:
- Automatic backups without manual intervention, preventing data loss
- Cutting-edge security with data encryption and DDoS, and ransomware protection
- Eliminates redundant copies of data using data deduplication
- Transparent service level agreements (SLAs) with clearly defined recovery time objectives (RTOs) and recovery point objectives (RPOs)
- Quick disaster recovery because data is stored in geographically dispersed data centres
- Authentication and authorisation features avoid unauthorised access to sensitive data
- Complies with GDPR and other standards like PCI DSS
Backup as a Service Drawbacks:
- Dependent on internet connectivity
- Strict regulatory obligations of certain organisations make it difficult to use BaaS
Difference Between On-Premises and Cloud Backups
You’ll be able to determine which solution is best for you by assessing the key differences between on-premises and cloud backup methods:
Cost
On-premises backup: Needs upfront investment for hardware, but may have lower recurring costs. But upgrades and maintenance can significantly add to the costs.
BaaS: Based on a subscription model, with fees depending on usage and storage capacity. There may be a minimal upfront cost, but recurring costs are standard.
Security
On-premises backup: Depends on your company’s security protocols, which may require additional resources and expertise as you scale.
BaaS: Leading BaaS providers like BlackBox Hosting offer end-to-end encryption, MFA, DDoS and ransomware protection, and secure data centres.
Disaster Recovery
On-premises backup: Slower data backup and restoration, especially when physical backup devices are damaged or unavailable.
BaaS: Includes built-in disaster recovery features, providing quick restoration of data in case of cyberattacks, fires, or natural disasters.
Accessibility
On-premises backup: You can access data only from the physical location of your backup system.
BaaS: Access data from anywhere with an internet connection, making remote work easy.
Scalability
On-premises backup: You need to purchase and configure additional hardware to expand backup storage capacity.
BaaS: Can quickly scale with BaaS providers like BlackBox Hosting, readily accommodating growth in data and capacity.
Maintenance and Management
On-premises backup: You need a dedicated team to continually monitor, maintain, update, and troubleshoot issues.
BaaS: Maintenance and management tasks are fully managed by BaaS providers, reducing the burden on your in-house IT team.
What Makes BlackBox Hosting’s BaaS Different?
The rate of cloud adoption is steadily rising, yet many organisations are still on the fence about cloud-based backup solutions. Inadequate security and unpredictable costs emerge as the top reasons. The tangible, physical presence of on-premises backups may seem more secure and customisable, but this actually isn’t the case.
BlackBox Hosting’s managed cloud BaaS is the more reliable, secure, and scalable solution, offering state-of-the-art backups, safeguarding your data and ensuring business continuity.
Our BaaS’s salient features include:
- Back up entire servers with flexible retention periods
- Off-site backup options available
- Multiple levels of backup, including snapshots, file, VM, and more
- Real-time replication for total business continuity
- De-duplication technologies to enable quicker backup and restore times
- We conduct backup tests, reporting and analysis
- Industry standard 3-2-1 backup strategies involving onsite and offsite backup, and archiving of data
Learn more about our reliable backup solutions and let us help your business with our BaaS by calling +44 02037 407840. Contact us today.
