Commvault Announced Acquisition of Clumio

// 10 Oct 2019

What is Authentic SaaS for Enterprise Backup?

Chadd Kenney, Vice President of Product
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I am sure you hear “as a service” all the time, Software as a Service (SaaS), Backup as a Service (BaaS), Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS).  The question is, what does “as a service” actually mean anymore, especially for enterprise backup?

 

For most, as a service means signing up for a service without having to install, manage, or own anything at all.  This means you shouldn’t have to wait for the gear to arrive, give anyone a heads up when you scale, add, leave, come, or go.  It scales as needed and you pay for the service as it is consumed. This is authentic SaaS.

Unfortunately for the customer, there are products out there being positioned “as a service,” when in reality they are either a “pay as you grow” consumption model or a virtualized version of an on-premises appliance in the cloud.  We call these products “wannabe SaaS.” A few indicators of wannabe SaaS is when hardware lands in your datacenter, additional gear or cloud infrastructure is needed when you scale, or you are forced to pay for both software and cloud costs separately.  The outcome is limited scale, reduced agility, higher costs, complex management, and the complex experience you had on-premises.

To understand the unique simplicity of authentic SaaS, let’s look at a personal example of the value I get from SaaS today.  One of the things I hold very tightly are the photos and videos of my kids. I love the ability to walk down memory lane at any time to see a photo or video at any age.  To ensure I always have this ability, I make sure I have backup copies in case I lose my phone.

In today’s world, I have a few options:

Flow of traditional backup software

Option 1:  Traditional Backup

In this option, I buy a computer or use my laptop, buy some backup software, and install it myself.  To backup, I connect my iPhone or Android device daily/weekly/monthly to my computer to backup all my files.  I have to manage the laptop and make sure I have enough storage. As I need more compute or storage, I have to go out and buy more, install it, and maintain it.

Traditional backup model

Option 2:  Wannabe SaaS

In this option, I buy the same software from option 1 but this time “as a service” which means that I pay for what I use.  I install the software on public cloud compute and storage, of which I pay for separately on a monthly basis. I pay for the compute 24/7 even though I may only restore or view my photos on a rare occasion, which increases my costs compared to option 1.  I still need to know how large to configure the compute and storage to ensure I stay within the limitations plus deal with upgrades to keep the software fresh. BUT, I am using the cloud! Yay!

Wannabe SaaS

Option 3:  Authentic SaaS Backup

Or, I could use iCloud or Google Photos and you pay by the month for a service to backup my phone at all times with zero effort whatsoever.  I just turn it on with a single click, pay month-to-month, and enjoy the solution. And it just works, without any management, upgrades, planning, separate cloud bills, or scale limitations.  I actually could care less what compute or storage it is using and if I decide to take 1,000 pictures of my kids in one day, it scales with me.

So, what solution do you use today for your iPhone or Android device?  Would you even consider doing option 1 or 2? The complexity, management, sizing, and costs make these solutions unusable, even if they come with a “pay as you consume” consumption model.  But most enterprises today are dealing with all the challenges of options 1 or 2 on a daily basis.

For enterprise data, there is a better way with Clumio’s authentic SaaS for secure backup. We provide a simple and sophisticated SaaS-based enterprise backup solution with no need for on-premises hardware, no complexity, no management, with predictable costs, and a keen focus on security. The platform is built on cloud-native services giving you instant scale, a global repository, a global index, and a better way to backup your enterprise across clouds. There is nothing like authentic SaaS.

On your way to the cloud don’t fall down, get backup with Clumio…….we are here for you.  For more information on how Clumio can help your enterprise along your cloud journey, please reach out to us for an overview and demo.

Take care and stay “authentic” SaaSy my friends.