Introduction
Backups are an essential part of IT administration and infrastructure that cannot be overstated. It is essential to have some form of backup strategy in order to keep data and applications safe and secure, and to prevent data loss. However, creating and managing backups can be time-consuming and often difficult for your customers.
Fortunately, there is a solution on the market that can help: Backup as a Service (BaaS). BaaS is a new cloud-based or hybrid infrastructure offering that enables IT companies to brand the BaaS software and offer it to their existing customers and new organizations that generate new recurring revenue streams, while providing an invaluable business continuity service, and most important–peace of mind for the endusers and business. In this way, businesses can streamline their operations and leave the hassle of backup setup and maintenance to a third-party provider like you.
But what exactly is BaaS, and why should you care? In this article, we’ll look at what BaaS is, how it works, and why it is such an important service for businesses. We’ll also explore how BaaS can help businesses keep their data and applications secure, and how it can benefit businesses in terms of cost savings and operational efficiency. By the end of this article, you should have a good understanding of how BaaS can benefit you your customers business, how to price and sell your BaaS, how to build your own BaaS, and why it is worth considering white-labeling a BaaS Platform when looking for a backup solution to offer to your small and medium-sized business customers.
What is Backup As A Service (BaaS)?
Why is BaaS important to consider as an IT service provider?
BaaS providers typically offer a scalable solution, which means that IT service providers can easily add more storage space as their data grows. This can be important for businesses that are expecting to grow their data storage needs in the future.
BaaS providers typically have a high level of uptime, which means that IT service providers can be confident that their data is always backed up and accessible. This can be important for businesses that need to be able to access their data 24/7.
BaaS providers typically have a high-speed network, which can help IT service providers to back up their data quickly. This can be important for businesses that need to be able to restore their data quickly in the event of a disaster.
Improve the security of backup: BaaS providers typically use a variety of security measures to protect their customers’ data. This can give IT service providers peace of mind knowing that their customers’ data is safe and secure.
What are the benefits of BaaS compared to more traditional backup and storage methods?
BaaS eliminates the need for upkeep and updates of physical backup infrastructure, cutting down capital and running costs. Pay only for the storage you use through subscription or usage-based model, with no upfront charges.
BaaS providers generally provide storage that’s both backed up and spread out geographically to guarantee data stays intact and secure from hardware issues or disasters. Security measures like encryption and access controls are also used to keep your data safe.
BaaS facilitates backing up data with automation of scheduling, transferring, and retaining procedures. It grants a user-friendly interface or APIs to control backups, restore data, and observe backup progress.
Data securely copies and stores offsite, protecting from theft, fires, or floods on premises. This allows quicker and more reliable disaster recovery, cutting down on downtime and stopping business disruptions.
How does BaaS help streamline the backup and recovery process?
BaaS allows automatic, timed backups, eliminating manual steps. You can establish frequent backup cycles according to your needs. This automation makes sure essential data always gets backed up without requiring manual efforts, lowering the chance of data loss.
Incremental backups: BaaS typically does backups that only save changes or additions since last time. This takes up less space and shorter backup time, making it faster and more efficient.
BaaS gives a central control panel to manage all backups from one spot. Easily set backup preferences, observe backup condition, and follow storage use. This central management simplifies taking care of backups, conserving time and work.
Quick data restoration: BaaS provides fast recovery of data, so that in case of loss or breakdowns you can restore your data quickly. You can download single files, folders, or complete systems from the safe storage. Usually, BaaS companies employ methods like condensing and classification to maximize speed of data transfer during the restoring.
Different Types of BaaS
On-premises Backup as a Service
On-premises backup as a service (BaaS) is a form of backup that enables companies to keep their backup data on their own property. Opposed to cloud-based BaaS, which stores data online. On-premises BaaS offers more advantages than cloud-based BaaS.
It gives businesses greater authority over their data. They can decide where to keep it, how to secure it, and who has access. Furthermore, on-site BaaS can be cheaper than cloud-based BaaS options. This is because companies don’t have to pay for cloud storage or bandwidth.
Cloud-based Backup as a Service
Backup as a Service (BaaS) hosted in the cloud is an option for businesses to store their backup data away from their own premises. It contrasts with on-site BaaS.
Cloud-based BaaS is more convenient, scalable, and secure than on-premises solutions. No infrastructure set up or maintenance is needed, and more storage space is available when data grows. Cloud providers have the expertise and resources to protect data from cyberattacks.
Hybrid Backup as a Service
Backup as a service (BaaS) blend on-premises and cloud-based options. Companies receive the advantages of both, with control and security of on-premises and scalability of cloud-based.
Hybrid BaaS has benefits over traditional on-site and cloud-based BaaS. It is cheaper to store infrequently used data locally than in the cloud. Plus, if one area has a problem access can still be gained from another. Lastly, data can be encrypted on and off-site, making it more secure.
Why You Should Consider White-Labeling a BaaS Platform for Your SMB Customers
All businesses require backup data protection. The threat of businesses shutting down permanently after suffering data loss is staggering. As an example according to a study by the National Archives and Records Administration, 60% of businesses shut down within six months of suffering a data loss event. The study also found that 93% of businesses that lost their data center for 10 days or more due to a disaster, filed for bankruptcy within one year of the disaster. This creates a great need to be filled, why shouldn’t it be you?
How does BaaS Help Meet Regulatory Requirements?
Compliance: BaaS providers like you can help businesses and organizations comply with data protection regulations, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The GDPR is a complex regulation that sets out strict requirements for how businesses can collect, store, and use personal data. BaaS providers can help you to ensure that your business is compliant with the GDPR and other data protection regulations. However, its more likely they’ll need you to be compliant with HIPAA and PCI regulations.
Cost and Time Savings for Organizations
BaaS can be a cost-effective way to protect your data. The cost of BaaS is typically lower than the cost of implementing and managing an in-house backup solution. This is because BaaS providers can take advantage of economies of scale and other cost-saving measures.
Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Support
There are a number of software solutions available that can help businesses to manage their BCDR efforts. These solutions can automate many of the tasks involved in BCDR, such as backup and restore, and can help businesses to comply with regulatory requirements.
There are also a number of managed service providers that offer BCDR services. These providers can take over the management of a business’s BCDR program, freeing up the business to focus on its core operations.
Benefits of BaaS Solutions
Some of the key benefits of backup service you’ll be able to offer are–
Increased Security
BaaS providers have the expertise and experience to implement and manage secure backup solutions. They have the resources to invest in the latest security technologies and techniques, and they are constantly monitoring their systems for threats. This can help to protect your data from a variety of security threats, including ransomware, malware, and data breaches.
BaaS providers encrypt your data before it is stored, which makes it much more difficult for unauthorized users to access. This is an important security measure that can help to protect your data from hackers and other malicious actors.
BaaS providers typically offer redundant storage, which means that your data is stored in multiple locations. This helps to protect your data in the event of a disaster or cyberattack. For example, if your office is destroyed by a fire, you can still access your data from the backup copies that are stored in other locations.
Improved Flexibility
Businesses should be prepared to adapt their online backup plans as needed. This is because disasters can vary in size and scope, and businesses may need to adjust their plans to meet the specific needs of the situation.
Enhanced Data Protection
Businesses should regularly test their BCDR plans to ensure that they are effective. This will help to identify any gaps or weaknesses in the plans and to ensure that employees are familiar with their roles and responsibilities.
Here are some common pricing models for your online backup services.
Per-GB pricing: This is the most common pricing model. Businesses are charged a set price per gigabyte of storage space.
Per-user pricing: This pricing model is based on the number of users who will be using the online backup service.
Flat-rate pricing: This pricing model offers a set price for unlimited storage space and bandwidth.
The best pricing model for a business will depend on its specific needs. Businesses with large amounts of data may want to consider per-GB pricing. Businesses with a limited number of users may want to consider per-user pricing. Businesses that need unlimited storage space and bandwidth may want to consider flat-rate pricing.
For more specific details check out our How to price your Backup as a Service page or talk with us directly.
How to Sell Your BaaS Backup Against the Competition
Successfully selling your Backup as a Service Platform against the competition will start with understanding what your potential customers need and how your service fulfills those needs.
To start, ask yourself the following questions:
1. What features are you emphasizing? Make sure to emphasize the ones that will have the most influence on your potential buyers. Contemplate the troubles they’re trying to resolve, and which characteristics of your service can support them do that.
2. What benefits will customers get? Show how your BaaS Backup is better than competitors: higher uptime, more straightforward backups, stronger security, simpler to use interface?
3. What are you offering? Clearly state what is included in your Backup as a Service Platform. Know the prices of the different packages and the features included in each one.
4. What are the differences between your backup and competitors’? Make sure you’re well-informed of what other services offer. It’s important to compare prices, scalability, security, backup speed, user experience and other characteristics.
5. What makes your Backup as a Service stand out? Consider what special features you offer. Maybe you have more storage space than other companies. How about cloud-based functions, giving your BaaS Backup more accessibility and security, with management and maintenance provided.
With these five tips, you now have a better comprehension of how to efficiently promote your Backup as a Service Platform versus others. Stress the attributes you think will be the main selling point and give illustrations of how much more advantageous this service is. Your victory in this will be sure to strengthen your business’s competition!
For more details on this topic checkout out the how to sell your Backup as a Service against competitors page.
Several Excellent BaaS Platforms for MSPs
This is how you can get started building your own BaaS provider platform in 5 minutes. All platform options include the following features, as a solutions provider you will appreciate the simplicity and ease-of-use, the BaaS system is straight-forward and works as expected, no long trainings needed, but friendly US-based 1st class support is there for anything you need, also note, we have the fastest response times in the industry for our backup and recovery partners.
Local backup: backup and store data encrypted and locally on-site.
Cloud backup: backup and store data encrypted using a cloud storage backend.
Server backup: backup and store the data on your own hosted Server or Data Center.
Bare metal server backup: Backup of complete physical server, including OS, apps, settings, and data, named ‘bare metal server backup’ or ‘bare metal restore/backup’. Can completely recover server to “bare metal” state = same or new server, same hardware.
macOS Apple backup: Automatic encrypted file / folder backup.
Windows OS backup: Create entire system image backups or target critical folders and applications.
SQL Server Backup: SQL Server is a popular database management system (DBMS) used by businesses of all sizes. It stores critical data that is essential for day-to-day operations. If SQL Server is damaged or lost, it can cause a major disruption to your business.
Active Directory Backup: Active Directory (AD) is a critical component of any Windows network. It stores important information such as user accounts, computer accounts, and group policies. If AD is damaged or lost, it can cause a major disruption to your network.
Backup Ops Management Web Console – w/ tenant architecture: The web console is where you will build, customize, manage, and monitor your deployed backup agents on customer computers and servers, Additionally you can set up automated reports and alerts, or remotely interact with the software.
AES 256 Block Encryption: AES 256 block encryption is a type of encryption using a 256-bit key to secure data. It is highly secure, even with advanced computers. It is often used for backups to protect from unauthorized access. Data is converted into illegible characters, only accessible with a key. This is a secret value used to encrypt and decrypt.
Retention & Versioning: Controls the amount of time that a backup is kept, while versioning refers to the number of copies of a backup that are kept. Retention is critical for companies to maintain access to their data for a while. This is indispensable in the case of an emergency, permitting businesses to recover their data from a backup. Versioning is essential for businesses to maintain multiple copies of their data. It is helpful if a file is mistakenly deleted or damaged. Restoring can be done from an earlier version.
Continuous backups: backup systems constantly monitor data changes at a granular level, such as file updates, additions, deletions, or modifications. This monitoring can occur at the block level, file level, or application level, depending on the backup selections on the computer, server, or application.
Full Backups: initial backup involves creating a complete copy of all selected data. This full backup captures all files and folders at that particular point in time.
Differential backups: focuses on capturing and storing only the data that has changed or been modified since the last full backup. It backs up the differences between the current state of the data and the state captured during the last full backup.
Cloud, Hybrid, Self-Hosted Storage Backends: use inexpensive cloud storage from trusted names like AWS S3, Google, Backblaze, Wasabi, or Self-Host with Windows Server.
Get Started Now
Simply pick a backup platform
AWS S3, Wasabi, Backblaze, Google (GCP), or Self-Hosted Windows Server
You’ll only pay the raw cost of the data used on the cloud storage platform directly, we never mark up cloud storage backup costs so you can maximize revenue when pricing your online backup service.
See what our Partners are saying about us
After using another white-label cloud backup solution for years, switching to WholesaleBackup has been a lifesaver. MUCH less maintenance, cost, bandwidth, and the U.S. based support is the stellar. The software and interface is SO much simpler and easy to use. I would recommend WholesaleBackup to any MSP looking to streamline their cloud backup system.
After trying multiple name brand backup vendors, we finally Partnered with WholesaleBackup and couldn’t be happier with the functionality and cost.