Top 3 Reasons to Backup Your SaaS Data

May 7, 2021

Businesses adopt Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace at an enormous rate due to their ease of use and cloud capabilities. However, despite popular belief, these services are still vulnerable to data loss due to human error. Their popularity also makes them attractive targets for cybercriminals. In this post we’ll explain why it’s important to protect your SaaS data.

Why You Need a SaaS Backup

One of the most business-friendly innovations in recent years has been the rapid growth of cloud applications like Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace. These Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) apps have fundamentally changed the way we do business. They enable companies to take advantage of economies of scale and reduce IT infrastructure costs. While these apps offer many benefits, one thing they can’t do is completely protect your business data from outside threats, like cybercriminals.

So why should you back up your data as a defence against these cyber predators? Here are three reasons to consider.

1. SaaS apps do not backup your data

Many organizations assume that moving to cloud-based applications means backup is no longer necessary. However, this can be a dangerous assumption. Although Microsoft and Google ensure that they won’t lose your data, they do not guarantee to restore data if you lose it. In other words, your cloud data is as vulnerable to accidental or malicious deletion, ransomware and different types of data loss as on-premises applications.

How would your business cope if you permanently lost your data or, at best, waited 6 hours or more to retrieve one file? Relying on apps to provide the level and layers of protection you need puts your business at risk of losing valuable time and data.

Did you know? The #1 cause of data loss is human error. Source: Aberdeen Group

2. Cyberattacks are not slowing down

In January 2020, 480,000 Microsoft accounts were compromised by spraying attacks. Spraying attacks are when an attacker runs a common password (like “Winter2020!”) against lists of thousands of accounts, hoping that some will have used that common password. If that number sounds big, bear in mind that Microsoft stops 300 million fraudulent sign-in attempts every day. Again, that’s not per year or month, but 300 million per day!

What would the consequences be if your business’ email was not accessible for 30 minutes? How about a whole day? A week? Productivity dollars would slip away with every tick of the clock. That is why having additional security software, and a robust business continuity and disaster recovery (BCDR) process in place will make all the difference.

At least 3.4 billion fake emails are sent around the world every day. Source: Vailmail

3. Data breaches are significantly hurting small businesses

When it comes to cybercrime, small and medium businesses (SMBs) are doubly susceptible to being victimized. That’s because, along with the potential cost of being hit by hackers, they also risk losing consumers’ confidence.

The evidence presented in the Small Business Reputation and the Cyber Risk report supports this. It shows that 89% of SMBs report that the potential ramifications of a cyber breach can be “huge and long-lasting.” Specifically:

• 31% of SMBs report a negative hit to their brand
• 30% of SMBs report loss of clients
• 29% of SMBs report a reduction in their ability to win new business

Whether you’re losing data or time, the impact on your bottom line can be significant. To address this challenge, you need a secure solution for this growing reliance on the cloud.

Introducing Datto SaaS Protection

Simple, automated and secure backup

If you’re leveraging SaaS applications, make sure you treat that data just as you do your on-premises data: by backing up with a reliable solution. It’s a standard practice that your business needs to implement to keep your business data safe wherever it lives across your organization.

Forgoing a backup may save money in the short term. Still, the cost of a data breach could range from a minor inconvenience to long-term reputational damage, loss of customer data, fines, and ultimately, company closure. With Datto’s SaaS Protection and our expert help, you can avoid downtime and keep business data more secure.