By 2028, 75% of enterprises will prioritise backup of software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications as a critical requirement compared to 15% in 2024, according to Gartner.

SaaS-based applications have become a preferred choice for new and modernised deployments with the data these applications generate expected to be among the fastest-growing sets of critical enterprise data over the next five years. According to Gartner’s latest forecast, worldwide end-user SaaS spending is projected to grow by 20% to total US$247,2 billion in 2024 and is forecast to reach nearly US$300 billion in 2025.

“The risk of IT outages underscores the urgent need for regular backup and recovery of critical enterprise data,” said Michael Hoeck, senior director analyst at Gartner. “As businesses are more dependent on SaaS technologies, it becomes crucial to ensure SaaS data is protected and recoverable. In addition, given the vulnerability of SaaS data to errors, cyberattacks and vendor mishaps, robust backup solutions are indispensable.”

Integrating backup as a service (BaaS) is essential to safeguard cloud workloads and maintain operational continuity, he added. “Furthermore, companies must understand the shared data responsibility model of SaaS applications and evaluate their vendors’ data protection measures. If these measures are inadequate, third-party solutions should be considered to guarantee comprehensive data protection.”

75% of large organisations will adopt BaaS alongside on-premises tools by 2028

Hoeck said protection and recovery of SaaS applications are often low on organisations’ priority lists. “This is due to confusion over the native SaaS vendor’s responsibility for data protection and the lack of industry-level standardisation. Limited API-based data access for protection and recovery from native SaaS vendors further complicates effective data protection, slowing support for third-party backup solutions.”

However, the SaaS application backup market is rapidly growing. Initially led by specialised startups, it now includes established enterprise backup and recovery software solutions companies. Gartner predicts that, by 2028, 75% of large organisations will adopt BaaS alongside on-premises tools to back up cloud and on-premises workloads.

To effectively safeguard SaaS-based application data, Gartner suggests organisations focus on:

• Governance assessment: Include data protection and recovery capabilities in the governance assessment of SaaS applications.
• Vendor capabilities: Verify the SaaS vendor’s ability to protect and recover data from all possible loss scenarios.
• Third-party solutions: Use third-party SaaS backup solutions to complement the native capabilities of SaaS vendors. These solutions can improve administration, centralise and orchestrate protection of multiple SaaS applications, simplify processes and offer improved granular recovery capabilities.

“As the market matures, it is essential for businesses to conduct thorough governance assessments and verify the capabilities of their SaaS vendors. Leveraging third-party backup solutions can significantly enhance data protection and recovery, ensuring that enterprise data remains secure and accessible,” said Hoeck.