What is cloud-first backup?
While most data protection software sends backups to remote cloud storage as a secondary or optional step, cloud-first backup offers a more efficient appliance-free architecture that is better suited to today’s professional IT requirements.
“Cloud first” means considering the cloud before any other possible solution, either when optimizing IT spending or launching new projects. When applied to backup, cloud first means that fast, efficient, direct-to-cloud backups are the primary data protection mechanism. However, it does not have to mean “cloud only,” as many users choose to keep an optional second copy stored locally, for the fastest possible recovery.
Cloud-first basics
Most IT professionals today adhere to a cloud-first strategy when considering new initiatives and investments. The use of cloud providers and SaaS applications is the default. So why should backup be different?
By choosing cloud-first data protection as a service, IT teams benefit from time and resource efficiency.
A few examples include:
- A SaaS application means no local application server to buy, maintain, patch, and update
- Included cloud backup storage means that local backup storage hardware becomes optional, allowing for flexibility and predictable costs over time
- A unified management dashboard means at-a-glance status viewing across multiple customers, locations, and data sources
The above benefits can result in dramatic time and labor savings. Customers of Cove Data Protection, for example, report going from 40 hours a month managing backups to four. N‑able partner Nicholas Paulukow, of One2one IT, reports a 40% improvement in staff availability for other projects.
Industry evolution
Analysts at William Blair have studied the evolution of the cloud data protection and backup industry, and published a report on cloud-first data protection as a service, including a timeline similar to this one.
Appliance-free, direct-to-cloud data protection, especially when offered as a SaaS product, overcomes many of the historical shortcomings of legacy backup solutions.
How does cloud-first backup work?
A key concept behind cloud-first backup is direct-to-cloud backup processes. In the early days of cloud adoption, uncertainty about reliability led many backup providers to use expensive proprietary appliances as a local backup consolidation and storage point. While this may have been a good option at the time, it also brings along higher upfront costs, ongoing hardware maintenance requirements, and a potential single point of failure that can interrupt the backup process when the appliance gets full.
Instead, cloud-first backup sends each device’s backups directly to the cloud, independently, so that a backup error on one device does not impact the others. But cloud-first doesn’t have to mean cloud only. An optional local copy can be stored using an existing network share or the hardware of your choice. The key is that this is optional, as the backup process is not dependent upon it.
A cloud-first architecture also optimizes backups for efficiency, with a dramatically lower change rate between backups that makes incremental backups small, lightweight, and fast. This means users can back up more often and deliver against more demanding recovery point objectives.
How does cloud-first backup help MSPs?
For managed IT service providers, time truly is money. Legacy image-based backup products typically require too much management time due to unnecessary complexity, and the costs add up. They don’t all have multitenant dashboards, so multiple instances of the backup software need to be maintained and logged into and out of each day to perform routine checks. Legacy products don’t always include cloud storage, forcing the MSP to find, negotiate, pay for, and maintain agreements with separate cloud storage vendors.
Cloud-first solutions like Cove Data Protection save time and resources in several ways:
- A unified multi-tenant dashboard allows backup checks to be handled by junior-level technicians, across all customers and data sources, in minutes, not hours
- Direct-to-cloud backups eliminate the need for costly proprietary appliances, making backup services affordable for more of your customers
- Standardizing on a single product to back up servers, workstations, and Microsoft 365 data simplifies day-to-day operations and reduces the likelihood of human error at recovery time
- Efficiency saves time, and allows you to back up more often and keep more restore points, using the same resources you have today
- Recovery reliability brings peace of mind to MSPs and their customers—whether you need simple file restore or full system recovery
Key features to look for in cloud-first backup products
Cove Data Protection is the leader in cloud-first backup and recovery for servers, workstations, and Microsoft 365 data. Whether you choose N‑able or another vendor, be sure to look for:
- Reliable recovery for different scenarios—from fast file restore to full bare-metal or virtual recovery from a standby image
- A unified multitenant management dashboard to save time and improve usability
- Cloud storage included, with no expensive appliance required
- A hosted SaaS application to free your time from application server maintenance, patch and upgrade management
- Automated recovery testing on a scheduled basis
Resources
Looking to explore further the topic of cloud backup?
Be sure to read the following resources:
