Ransomware and SaaS Raise the Bar for Disaster Recovery Requirements

The task of backing up data has become increasingly challenging as the volume of unstructured data generated by software-as-a-service applications continues to rise. Meanwhile, threats to this data are increasing.

This has created a dire situation for many organizations. As a result, according to a recent report, 43% of organizations suffered unrecoverable data within the past 12 months. Additionally, 63% of organizations have suffered a data-related business disruption within the past 12 months.

In our upcoming virtual roundtable session, Ransomware and SaaS Raise the Bar for Disaster Recovery Requirements, we’ll discuss the importance of disaster recovery and SaaS protection and how infrastructure transformation and threats are forcing organizations to reevaluate their strategies for ensuring resiliency.

The roundtable will feature Henry Baltazar, a Research Director at 451 Research who has evaluated and tested storage hardware and software offerings for more than 15 years as an industry analyst and as a journalist.

As part of the session, attendees will learn about the rise of cloud based data protection and disaster recovery, SaaS protection and recovery strategies for ransomware, and methods for protecting SaaS data.

Here’s a sneak peek.

State of SaaS Protection

According to a 451 Research survey looking at organizational strategy for software-as-a-service data protection, 25% of enterprises aren’t backing up SaaS applications. That’s especially troubling considering the threats that could easily result in data loss for these applications, including errors in data migration, accidental deletion of files, insider threats or applications unintentionally mismanaging data.

The survey also found that 49% of respondents are relying on their cloud vendor for backup and recovery. However, 451 Research’s report indicates that data protection for SaaS applications is not a guarantee, and recommends that customers should be wary of the data-protection SaaS vendors offer for cloud-based application data.

The survey also found that only 10% of respondents are using a cloud-to-cloud backup application for SaaS protection, despite the benefits these solutions provide.

Disaster Recovery Challenges

In another 451 Research survey, the company looked at disaster recovery and the cost of outages. According to the report, disaster recovery has been a top storage and infrastructure pain point for several years.

In the survey, 30% of respondents reported that they had a significant outage in the past two years. For larger organizations with more than 1,000 employees, that figure was even higher with 40% of respondents reporting an outage in the past two years.

The survey also indicates that lost or unrecoverable backup data resulting from an outage can be costly. According to the report, outages result in lost worker productivity, damaged reputation and lost revenue.

Rising Ransomware Attacks

451 Research’s data also indicates that ransomware attacks are rising and making SaaS data especially vulnerable. In a recent survey, 47% of respondents reported an increase in the volume, severity, and/or scope of cyber-attacks in the last 12 months. Additionally, of those who have ever experienced a breach, 41% said that breach happened in the last year. The report indicates that figure has nearly doubled from 21% in 2019.

According to the report, ransomware is the second leading source of security attacks. And other research indicates SaaS data is often a casualty in such attacks. Reports indicate that cyber attacks involving ransomware are increasingly targeting SaaS data specifically. This can result in costly downtime and lost revenue.

Check out our exclusive session to learn more about disaster recovery and SaaS protection.