01732 759725 26 EDIT Datto Insert Misconceptions around SaaS Applications SaaS application adoption has spiked with the increase in remote work due to the global health pandemic. These tools have become essential in today’s remote work world. Even before work-fromhome became the norm for many, the benefits of easy access to documents from any device and improved collaboration are obvious. Unfortunately, many organisations still believe that these tools make backup obsolete. This simply isn’t true. There are a number of common misconceptions about SaaS applications that are important to know because they will help MSPs sell the value of SaaS protection to their clients. Misconception 1 SaaS applications do not require backup While SaaS applications have built-in redundancy that protects against data loss in their cloud servers, this doesn’t protect against user error, accidental and malicious deletion, or ransomware attacks. While accidental deletion of files is by far the most common form of data loss in SaaS apps, ransomware can be the most damaging. That’s because ransomware is designed to spread across networks and into SaaS applications, impacting many users. Misconception 2 File sync is a replacement for backup While file sync tools like Microsoft OneDrive or Google Drive do create a second copy of files and folders, they are not a replacement for backup. File sync automatically copies changes to synchronised files. So, if a file or folder is infected with ransomware, the malware will automatically be copied to all synced versions of that file. File sync services do offer some restore capabilities via versioning, but they fall short of a true SaaS backup solution. Here’s why: • Versions are not immutable recovery points. So, if a file is deleted, older versions of the file are deleted as well. • Versioning doesn’t enable centralised management of user data. In other words, MSPs don’t have control over backup and recovery—it’s left in the hands of end users. • Versioning doesn’t maintain recovery points across files, folders, settings and users. If the business or the MSP only needs to restore a couple of files, no big deal. But, large restores are a time-consuming, manual process. Beyond simply lacking the restore capabilities of a backup solution, file sync can actually introduce ransomware to SaaS applications. File sync and backup are not competitive solutions, rather they can and should be used side-by side. Remember: file sync and share is for productivity and backup is for data protection and fast restore. Misconception 3 SaaS applications are always available While SaaS apps are highly reliable, outages do occur. In recent years, Microsoft 365 had three significant outages in one month that impacted businesses worldwide, and a massive Google outage affected nearly one billion Gmail, G Suite, and YouTube users. Creating backups that are independent of a SaaS provider’s cloud servers is the only way to ensure access to essential files in the event of an outage. Misconception 4 Microsoft and Google are responsible for backup SaaS providers ensure they won’t lose cloud data with built-in redundancy and other high availability measures. However, they do not take responsibility for restoring data if it is lost. Microsoft calls this the Shared Responsibility Model for data protection. That’s why Microsoft recommends third-party SaaS backup in its user agreement. The Shared Responsibility Model places the onus of data protection squarely on businesses that rely on SaaS services. SaaS providers are responsible for keeping their infrastructure up and running, but businesses are responsible for the preservation and security of their data.
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