Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platforms are at the very core of most businesses’ operations. But what happens when they fail? With so much critical data stored on these platforms, a single error or cyber-attack can spell disaster.
This is not a hypothetical. SaaS platforms are not immune to the problems that plague other parts of your IT infrastructure. Eventually, if you use them for long enough, something will go wrong. But there is hope. Just because the failure itself is inevitable, that doesn’t mean the long-term consequences need to be. All you need to protect your business is a solid SaaS backup strategy.
Why Modern Businesses Rely on SaaS Platforms
For those unfamiliar, SaaS is a cloud-based solution that delivers software applications over the internet. Rather than needing to install programs on each individual device, employees can access them through the cloud. This model has become essential for every business, due to the benefits it provides:
- Scalability: Unlike on-premises solutions, SaaS can be easily scaled up and down as needed.
- Flexibility: The ability to use SaaS solutions from anywhere provides businesses with unprecedented flexibility to work on different devices and from unique locations.
- Collaboration: When staff can work on the same task from any location, collaboration becomes far easier.
Two SaaS platforms in particular have become practically synonymous with office work: Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace. These productivity suites are designed to simplify and secure every single workflow, and have become tightly intertwined with most business’ operations as a result. But this heavy dependence on these applications can create serious problems.
The Consequences of an Outage
While SaaS solutions are often praised for their consistent uptime, it’s important to remember that “consistent” does not mean “infallible”. In truth, relying on cloud solutions is functionally very similar to simply using someone else’s computer. Any data stored there is just as vulnerable as it would be on any other device.
Data stored on SaaS applications is often lost, due to a variety of factors:
- Human Error: An accidental deletion or overwrite is sometimes all it takes.
- Poor Configuration: If settings are not configured correctly, information may not be copied over properly.
- Cloud Errors: Sometimes, data synchronisation just fails. The cloud service provider (CSP) may also experience a glitch or outage that wipes data or prevents it from being saved.
- Malicious Action: More rarely, a cyber threat (such as a ransomware attack) or disgruntled employee could intentionally sabotage your SaaS storage.
In one notable incident back in 2023, Google experienced a random glitch that prevented users from accessing any data saved within the previous six months. The error impacted millions of users, across multiple countries. For businesses, the consequences of such an incident can be disastrous.
Downtime
Without crucial data, businesses cannot function. Daily operations are brought to a complete standstill while everyone waits for the problem to be resolved. Each minute that systems are offline can cost thousands of dollars.
Lost Trust
Trust is the most important currency any business can possess. Outages and poor experiences damage the fragile bonds formed with clients, threatening present and future relationships. If those important customers choose to go elsewhere, the business’ financial stability could be in jeopardy.
Data Erasure
In the worst-case scenario, data loss may not be temporary. A glitch, cyber-attack, or simple accident could wipe it entirely. Rebuilding this information from scratch is an expensive, painful, time-consuming process.
Data Breaches
When SaaS platforms have been compromised, all data stored within is especially vulnerable. This is of particular concern when the incident was caused by a cyber-attack. Attackers can leak or steal sensitive information, putting both the business and its customers at risk.
Financial Loss
Ultimately, all of the above lead down one path: financial ruin. When businesses cannot operate normally, money is lost. This in turn creates a domino effect, blocking important investments and slowing down growth. The further this situation spirals out of control, the more damage it will cause.
Next time, it could be your business at the mercy of a Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 outage. And when that happens, you’ll need to be prepared.
What is SaaS Backup?
SaaS backup is the process of independently capturing and storing a copy of your cloud application data, so that it can be restored quickly in the event of an accident or attack. Unlike traditional backup measures, which apply to your local server infrastructure, this strategy focuses specifically on protecting your SaaS applications.
When using SaaS backups, you can expect:
- Faster recovery times: Having a copy of all critical data on-hand reduces the time required to fully recover.
- Less permanent data loss: While there is never any guarantee that all data will be successfully restored, backups certainly improve your chances.
- Stronger client relationships: When you can recover from an emergency quickly and with minimal disruption, you position your business as trustworthy and professional. This helps you maintain client relationships under circumstances where they would normally be lost.
- Minimal financial hardship: Faster recovery, less data loss, and maintained trust all work together to reduce the amount of financial damage your business experiences.
But for any of this to matter, you will need to choose the right backup tools.
What to Look for in a SaaS Backup Solution
Not all SaaS backup solutions are worth your time. Don’t forget that you are selecting your business’ lifeline. Someday, this could be the only thing standing between you and utter chaos. With this in mind, it is crucial that you choose carefully.
Key Criteria to Evaluate:
- Coverage: Will it protect all data across your SaaS applications? For example, Microsoft 365 backup solutions should cover emails, OneDrive, SharePoint, and Teams. Google Workspace backups should protect Gmail, Google Drive, Google Docs, and Google Calendar. It is useless to only recover one application. You want the entire suite.
- Granular Recovery: If a single mission-critical file is accidentally deleted, can it be recovered without needing to refresh the whole platform? While it’s important to prepare for the worst-case scenario, you should also keep in mind that most incidents will involve only a few individual files.
- Automation: Does the solution require manual input, or can it be automated to reduce the likelihood of human error?
- Backup Frequency: Particularly where automation is involved, it’s important to check how often backups will occur. Are you given any degree of flexibility to change the backup frequency?
- Data Sovereignty: Is all data storage compliant with relevant local standards and regulations? If not, you could be at risk of legal penalties.
- Ease of Use: Can a non-IT user easily interact with the solution? Can they backup and restore files without assistance?
- Immutability: Are backups protected from tampering and accidental deletion?
- Audit Trails: Are all actions and events documented for future reference?
Things to Avoid:
- Solutions that rely on the same infrastructure you are trying to protect. These are not a true backup, as they are not completely separate from the SaaS platform and will thus often be compromised at the same time.
- “Jack of all trades” backup providers who only offer it as a secondary service. These vendors likely do not have the specialised expertise necessary to ensure that your backups serve your needs.
- Hidden costs or unpredictable pricing. You should know exactly what your backups will cost before committing.
- Inflexible solutions that do not allow for any degree of customisation. Even if these suit your needs right now, they will quickly become insufficient as your business grows.
- Solutions that do not provide the ability to automate backups.
Implementing SaaS Backups for Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace
Choosing your SaaS data protection solution is only half the battle. Implementation is a whole new challenge that comes with its own set of potential problems. Here are some strategies that will help you get it right the first time:
Audit Your Data
Create a thorough list of all data that will need to be backed up. Consider every SaaS application your business uses, including email, document storage, and collaboration platforms. This step will help make sure you don’t forget anything.
Consider Integration
Think about how your chosen backup solution will work alongside your SaaS platforms. Do they integrate smoothly? Can you back data up directly from the application? If not, then how will the process work? Proper integration between these systems is critical.
Have a Plan
Never move data around without a solid plan in place. Create a detailed strategy outlining how and when the initial backup will take place. Include timelines, responsibilities, and contingency plans.
Use Separate Credentials
Do not ever use the same login credentials for backups that are used for SaaS applications. Breaches often occur because passwords were compromised. When this happens, the threat actors responsible will immediately try that same set of credentials on everything – including your backup platform.
Multi-factor authentication will help mitigate any damage caused by stolen credentials. You should enable it wherever possible.
Shield Your Backups
Your backups are your final line of defence when all else fails. Protect them as if they are your newborn child. Access controls are one easy way to accomplish this. While everyone should be able to backup data, not everyone needs to be able to access those backups at every moment in time. The most sensitive information should be restricted most heavily.
Encryption should be enforced at all times, whether your data is moving or at-rest. This reduces the risk of sensitive information being compromised. AES-256 is the standard currently recommended by global standards, and will provide the strongest protection.
Finally, monitor everything. Keep an eye on who is accessing your backups and when. This allows you to detect any anomalies that may indicate a threat.
Don’t Rely on Just One
There is a saying in the IT industry: If you only have one backup, then your data is not backed up. This is because we regularly see scenarios where a business’ main data and their only backup are both lost in one incident. The risk of this occurring increases if you rely on on-premises backups, or on a single cloud vendor.
Instead, follow the 3-2-1 rule. All data should be backed up to three locations, on two different mediums, and one of them should be off-site (separate from the source platform). Don’t rely on one vendor. Use multiple, so that if something happens to one of them your data is still protected. The more copies of your data exist, the better.
Ensure Compliance
Any backups you maintain will be subject to the same compliance requirements as your normal storage. Ensure that all relevant regulations and industry standards are followed at all times, and create a paper trail so that compliance activities can be demonstrated during an audit.
Verify Everything
Always check that your backups have actually worked. Failures are more common than you might expect, and can be disastrous if not noticed early enough. Set a regular schedule to check all backups and ensure that they remain current. Remember to check for corruption. Just because you can see a file, that does not necessarily mean the information actually copied over correctly.
Leverage Available Tools
Some platforms, such as Microsoft, offer a variety of tools to make certain parts of the process easier. Leverage these whenever you can, especially while transferring data. They can help minimise issues and speed up the backup process.
Recovering After the Worst Has Happened
We all hope that we will never actually have to use our backups. Unfortunately, this rarely works out in reality. The truth is that you will almost certainly need to recover your data at some point. Knowing how to do it properly could save your business.
Know Your RTO and RPO
Backup recovery uses two important metrics:
- RTO (Recovery Time Objective): The amount of time you can acceptably take to get back online.
- RPO (Recovery Point Objective) : The amount of data you can acceptably lose.
Your first step is to identify these. Your RTO and RPO will guide your recovery efforts and help you determine success.
Don’t Panic-Restore
When data disappears or becomes inaccessible, your first instinct is to restore it immediately. But this could do more harm than good, especially if the culprit is a cyber threat. Instead of saving data, you could end up compromising the backups as well.
It is desperately important that you identify what caused the issue before restoring any backups. If you have experienced a cyber-attack, scan your systems and ensure that no threat remains. If it was a glitch, check that the problem has been resolved.
Verify Your Restored Data
Any time information is moved from one place to another, something can go wrong. Just as you must verify backups, do the same with any restored data. Compare the data on your devices against your backup, and ensure that all files are present and accessible.
What to Do When Things Go Wrong
Despite your best efforts, SaaS backups can still fail. When this happens, a swift and decisive response will be essential.
- Determine the Scope: Determine which information has been lost. Are documents missing from your Google Drive, or emails from Outlook? Is it both? To fix the problem, you will need to understand what precisely didn’t work.
- Identify the Issue: What went wrong? Did data get corrupted? Was a backup compromised during a cyber-attack? Did it simply fail to sync?
- Contact Your Provider: Get in touch with your backup provider or cloud vendor as soon as possible. They may be able to help you recover the data.
- Restore From a Different Backup: If you can verify that the issue will not repeat and it is safe to do so, try restoring from a different backup.
Should You Leave It to the Professionals?
Backups are complex at the best of times. When you’re attempting to preserve an entire SaaS platform, particularly one as complex as Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, things can quickly get out of hand. For this reason, many businesses question whether they should outsource to a backup specialist.
The Danger of Going It Alone
Do-it-yourself backups are risky for a number of reasons:
- Limited Internal Expertise: Many IT teams are stretched incredibly thin. When the budget gets tight, this is often the first place that cuts are made. If your existing staff are already struggling to keep on top of daily tasks, adding backups to this workload may be too much.
- Lack of Experience with the Platform: You may understand the basics of how to use your chosen SaaS solutions. But do you truly know every inch of them? Could you perform complex troubleshooting in-house if need be - or would your staff be reliant on outdated guides from the internet? Proper SaaS backup management requires deep knowledge of the platform you’re using.
- Inadequate Tools: You may simply not have access to the technological tools needed to ensure accurate, up-to-date backups. Certain SaaS data, such as emails, is harder to backup than simply copy-pasting a file. You may require digital solutions you don’t have access to.
A third-party expert takes care of everything for you. They create, maintain, and test your backups to ensure that they’re there when you need them. Existing staff can focus on completing other tasks, with full confidence that critical SaaS data is protected.
Why You Shouldn’t Rely on Your MSP
Many of you will already have a managed service provider (MSP) who claims to offer backup and recovery services. This begs the question: why not just trust them to handle it? After all, they already take care of everything else.
This train of thought can be dangerous for a few reasons:
- The “Jack of All Trades” Problem: MSPs like to present themselves as the one-stop shop for all IT needs. However, they may not have sufficient knowledge in all of these areas. It’s not uncommon to add on services they don’t actually specialise in.
- Overcommitment: We previously discussed the dangers of an overworked and overstretched IT team. MSPs can experience the same issue. When they try to handle your entire infrastructure, it’s very common for certain things to get left behind. You don’t want one of these to be your backups.
- Lack of Monitoring: MSPs serve many clients, and complete a variety of different tasks for each. They simply don’t have the ability to monitor all of them 24/7. This means fewer eyes on your backups.
Instead of relying on your MSP, search for a specialised backup service provider. For them, backup management is not a tertiary offering. It is what pays their bills. They won’t neglect it, because they don’t have other services to fall back on. If you need help handling your SaaS data protection, this is the safest option.
FAQs
Can’t I Just Use Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace Backups?
You cannot rely on these backups for one simple reason: if Microsoft or Google experiences an issue, any backups you store with them will be immediately jeopardised. Your backups should always be independent from the SaaS provider you use. Otherwise there’s no point.
How Often Should I Backup SaaS Data?
At bare minimum, data should be backed up at least once per day. The more frequent your backups are, the more you will be able to recover.
Is Cloud Data Backup Safe for SaaS?
You can absolutely use the cloud to backup SaaS data. Just make sure it’s not offered by the same vendor, so your backups are still accessible in the event your main provider becomes unavailable.
What Happens if My SaaS Backup Fails?
If your backups fail, don’t panic. Contact either the vendor or your backup specialist to see if your data can be restored. Often, it’s possible to save at least some of it.
Are Your SaaS Applications Backed Up?
SaaS applications are powerful, but not always resilient. If you do not have a backup strategy, then any data stored within them is at risk. You must plan ahead now and develop a clear plan to protect your business from cyber threats, outages, and human error. It’s the only way to ensure that when tomorrow comes, you still have data to work from.
As experts in our field, Cybersecure knows exactly what can happen without a proper backup strategy. We’ve made it our mission to help businesses avoid this devastating scenario, by preparing them for the worst-case scenario before it ever even happens. If you want your business to be ready for anything, get a quote today.