Are you confident in your SaaS data protection?

Here’s why you might want to double check

How confident are you that your organization’s critical SaaS data is fully protected? If you’re not entirely sure, you’re not alone. A recent survey by Gatepoint Research of executive- and director-level respondents revealed that only 28% of IT and security executives feel fully confident in their current SaaS data protection and resilience measures. With SaaS applications like Microsoft 365 and Salesforce now essential to business operations across industries, ensuring SaaS data backup and recovery is crucial — and it’s becoming more challenging.

In a recent webinar, I talked about what these survey findings show about the state of SaaS data protection today — and why businesses need to rethink their approach to keeping their SaaS data secure. This article highlights the biggest takeaways from that conversation to help guide you on what your SaaS backup strategy should cover.

The shared responsibility model: Who’s really responsible for SaaS data protection?

When businesses move data to the cloud, many assume that providers like Microsoft, Google, or Salesforce have them covered. It’s a reasonable expectation — after all, if they’re securing the infrastructure, shouldn’t they also be responsible for protecting the data?

In reality, SaaS providers all operate under a shared responsibility model: They protect the application, but the responsibility for complete data backup falls squarely on the customer. The SaaS provider generally promises not to lose all your data at once, but they don’t necessarily protect your critical business data from deletion, corruption, encryption, or loss. It’s up to you to have a backup plan in place for your cyber resilience. Without an independent backup and recovery solution in place, data can be lost, leading to operational disruptions, compliance issues, and reputational damage.

Misunderstanding the shared responsibility model can lead to disastrous consequences, and the complexities around SaaS data protection underscores one of the reasons why so many executives express low confidence in their SaaS data protection measures.

Confidence crisis: Why so many executives are concerned about their SaaS data

The survey results show that 31% of executives weren’t confident in their SaaS data protection measures. This low confidence stems from several factors, including:

• Compliance and regulatory pressures: Global compliance regulations, from GDPR to NIS2 and DORA, demand that organizations maintain control over their data and prove that it’s secure. This is challenging, as regulations are evolving faster than many companies can adapt, increasing pressure on data governance and compliance. For example, DORA mandates that businesses in the financial industry maintain backup environments segregated from production environments to reduce risk. 
• Increased risks from external factors: The frequency and severity of cyberthreats, such as ransomware, only continues to grow. With the advent of ransomware as a service (RaaS), the number of threat actors only stands to increase. 
• Data growth and scalability: As more companies adopt SaaS applications, the volume of data continues to grow exponentially, making traditional backup strategies insufficient and underscoring the need for scalable solutions. 
• Complexities in SaaS data backup: Many organizations rely on built-in SaaS backup tools that may not offer the robustness needed to guarantee data integrity and protection from threats like ransomware or accidental deletion, such as data immutability and air gapping.

Key challenges organizations face with SaaS data protection

The survey also delved into some of the key challenges executives say they face. Some of these are related to the reasons they don’t feel confident, but I was interested to see a couple of unique challenges reflected in their answers:

• Increasing compliance demands: Regulations like GDPR, NIS2, and DORA are forcing organizations to implement rigorous data protection measures. These compliance requirements are constantly evolving, leaving companies racing to keep up.
• Rapid growth of data: As SaaS usage increases, so does the volume of data, creating scalability challenges for organizations. Traditional backup solutions often fall short when managing the vast amount of data in today’s SaaS environments. 
• Managing multiple backup vendors: Many companies juggle multiple backup providers across different SaaS platforms. This fragmented approach can make it difficult to enforce consistent data protection policies, and it increases the risk of gaps in coverage. The average number of SaaS apps used by “workplaces in transition” is more than 120, according to BetterCloud.

These issues compound the challenges organizations face in securing their SaaS data, especially when operating without a clear strategy or dedicated backup vendor.

What’s true SaaS data backup and what should it include? 

To overcome these challenges, organizations need reliable backup solutions that are purpose-built for SaaS data. In this case, “purpose-built” really means that they’re built on an independent cloud infrastructure that ensures your data is protected, accessible, and separated from the production environment of the SaaS provider. This approach provides the ultimate safety net, enabling you to recover and restore data independently of your SaaS provider’s infrastructure. It’s why I call such a system a true backup, not just another copy of the data.

True backup also means maintaining immutable copies — versions of your data that can’t be altered, even by the most sophisticated threats. In recent years, ransomware attacks and malicious insiders have targeted cloud data, leading to data loss or corruption. A truly immutable backup, stored independently, can withstand these threats, ensuring that your data is always recoverable. 

Of course, this isn’t a comprehensive list. If you’d like to read more about the top considerations for backup and recovery solutions, read our top 10 for RFP blog.

The ROI of backup and recovery

A dedicated SaaS data backup solution might seem like just another expense, but it brings considerable return on investment. Data loss or downtime can lead to significant financial impacts, both directly and indirectly. From potential fines for non-compliance to revenue loss due to service interruptions, the costs of not having a backup far outweigh the investment in a robust solution. You can also leverage cost avoidance in SaaS licensing fees with some backup providers. A comprehensive SaaS data backup strategy also protects your organization against reputational damage by ensuring uninterrupted service.

Practical steps to increase SaaS data protection confidence

Regular testing and clear data classification are crucial parts of any backup strategy. Here are a few takeaways for organizations looking to improve their SaaS data protection:

• Identify and classify your data: Identify what data is critical to your business and prioritize its protection. Knowing what information is most essential enables you to focus on securing the assets that would be most damaging to lose. 
• Test and verify backup and recovery processes: Confidence in data protection comes from testing, so schedule regular recovery tests to ensure backups are complete and easily recoverable. Make sure multiple team members are trained to handle recovery to avoid dependence on a single individual. 
• Evaluate your current backup solution: Check if your current backup solution meets modern standards of immutability, independence, and compliance. If your SaaS data is only partially covered or stored in the same environment as production data, it might be time to look for a more comprehensive solution.

Moving forward with a proactive approach to SaaS data protection

Ultimately, the goal is to be able to move from a state of “moderate confidence” to one of complete assurance. Data breaches and regulatory penalties are on the rise, and so investing in a robust, independent backup strategy is no longer optional. A true backup solution (one which stores backup data copies in a cloud independent from the production data) will not only help you meet compliance standards but will also provide the resilience and continuity your organization needs to thrive. Read more about creating a cybersecurity framework.

Another key takeaway is this: If your backup data is stored in the same place as your production data, it’s not really a backup. By investing in a purpose-built solution, you’re protecting data AND you’re strengthening your organization’s resilience by creating a safety net that keeps your business running smoothly, even in a crisis or SaaS provider outage. Learn more about air gapping.

In the end, confidence in your SaaS data protection isn’t just a nice-to-have; it's a competitive advantage. Take the steps today to make sure your data is secure, accessible, and always within reach.

Takeaway: Backup isn’t just a safety net; it’s a strategic investment 

Ultimately, having a true backup strategy for SaaS applications is not just about preventing worst-case scenarios. It’s a proactive step that empowers your organization to maintain control over its data, ensure regulatory compliance, and prevent costly downtime. By implementing a reliable SaaS data backup solution, you’re investing in resilience and building confidence that your business can withstand unexpected events, from cyberattacks to accidental deletions.

The lesson is clear: Don’t wait for a crisis to rethink your data protection. Take action today to safeguard your SaaS data with a robust, purpose-built backup solution that keeps your organization’s data secure, compliant, and always within reach.