Disaster recovery as a service is the replication of data on virtual servers to ensure business continuity in the event of man-made or natural disasters. It is mainly facilitated by system integrators and Managed Service Providers (MSPs). DRaaS is based on three important aspects: disaster planning/management, business continuity, and backup.

This section provides information about the major players that offer DRaaS, and outlines the findings and analysis on how well each vendor performs within the specified criteria. We have placed vendors into 4 categories based on their performance in each criterion: “Visionary Leaders,” “Innovators,” “Emerging Companies,” and “Dynamic Differentiators.”

Vendors who fall into this category generally receive high scores for most of the evaluation criteria. They have a robust and established product portfolio and very strong market presence. Moreover, these vendors also have strong business strategies. IBM, Microsoft, Sungard AS, AWS, Acronis, HPE, and VMware are the visionary leaders in the DRaaS market.

The dynamic differentiators category includes established vendors with very strong business strategies.However, they are low in product portfolio. They generally focus on a specific type of technology related to the product Cisco, NTT Communications, Cable & Wireless Communications, and Iron Mountain are the dynamic differentiators in this market.

Innovators are vendors who have demonstrated substantial product innovations as compared to their competitors. They have a focused product portfolio. However, they do not have very strong growth strategies for their overall business. Some of the key innovators in this market are iland, Infrascale, Axcient, Bluelock, Recovery Point, Carbonite, Arcserve, Zerto and TierPoint.

Emerging companies’ category comprises vendors with niche product offerings, who are starting to gain their position in the market. They do not have very strong business strategies as compared to other established vendors. They might be new entrants in the market and require some more time before getting significant traction. The emerging companies in the DRaaS market are Geminare, Databarracks, Evolve IP, Datto, and Peak 10

On the basis of service type, the DRaaS market is segmented into real-time replication, backup and recovery, data protection, and professional services. Real-time replication can be defined as the duplication of a database from one computer or server to another, enabling end-users to avoid data ambiguity. Backup and recovery enables enterprises to back up and restore their business-critical data for avoiding data loss in the event of man-made or natural disasters. Data protection safeguards an enterprise’s data, keeping in mind the regulatory compliances needed for specific businesses and verticals. Professional services provide enterprises with the technical expertise required for storing and managing applications and data, overcoming complex problems, and managing operational challenges. Organizations are deploying DR services to overcome the loopholes in traditional DR systems. Moreover, low maintenance requirements and cost-effectiveness of DR services are the other benefits driving the growth of the DRaaS market.

BACKUP AND RECOVERY

Backup is the process of copying data in a cloud computing environment and enables the retrieval of the duplicate set in case of data loss during downtime or failures, such as power outage, human errors, and natural catastrophes. Recovery refers to the restoration of the deleted or damaged files from the storage media in the event of a disaster. The data recovery process typically refers to the state of recovering a specific data that becomes inaccessible because of logical or physical damages to the targeted storage device. The need for backup is increasing among businesses due to the significant rise in the amount of data being generated. Backup offers various benefits to enterprises, such as increased agility, data retention, lower costs, faster deployments, and improved data protection. Backup provides cost-effective, automated, reliable, secure, and scalable solutions that ensure business continuity in the event of a disaster. Enterprises with low budgets can outsource their data and applications to DRaaS vendors who provide specialized backup and recovery services and help them reduce their Capital Expenditure (CAPEX) and Operational Expenditure (OPEX).

REAL-TIME REPLICATION

Real-time replication is the process of continuous duplication of data from the client’s server to a remote server. This enables business continuity in the event of a catastrophe and provides various benefits, such as faster RTO and RPO, granularity, scalability, and ease of management. Enterprises need faster RTO and lower RPO, as they ensure business continuity. The duplicated data is accessible globally which helps enterprises in avoiding downtime in the event of a disaster. There are four basic approaches to replicating data, namely host-based, hypervisor-based, array-based, and network-based replication. Real-time replication typically occurs between a primary storage location and a secondary offsite location for DR purposes.

DATA PROTECTION

Data protection is of paramount importance for enterprises, as data loss can adversely affect their reputation. Enterprises need to ensure strict security and compliance, as both can directly impact their efficiency and productivity. Data protection is essentially considered for both static (stored in a server) and dynamic data (virtualization). Data loss can occur due to data theft, unauthorized access, or data tampering, resulting in complexities and hampering the work of businesses. Organizations need to protect their data by complying with the standards set by the government bodies. In order to prevent data frauds and ensure data authenticity, enterprises need to undertake regular auditing and masking of data.

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

The DRaaS market is focusing on improving the operational activities and credibility of enterprise-critical data. This can be achieved across the value chain of enterprise activities through proper management and support. Professional services included in this study are training, education, and consulting, and support and maintenance. Training services are aimed at providing various training programs to fill knowledge gaps. Consulting services help enterprises make the right and informed decisions in order to achieve the desired outcomes. Support and maintenance services address technical queries and deliver cost-effective support, thus enabling improved business performance. Additionally, support and maintenance services are offered by vendors to manage the operational challenges within enterprises. These services also include technical support, repair and exchange services, field maintenance, and proactive services. With the increasing adoption of DRaaS, the need for professional services is also expected to increase among enterprises, as they help in reducing costs, increasing overall revenue, and improving performance.