Gartner, with its Magic Quadrants, has long stood as one of the foremost authorities in technological evaluation, providing insights that steer enterprise investment and innovation.
Gartner offers two magic quadrants that address the field of Backups and Restore. — Enterprise Backup and BaaS (Backup as a Service).
Enterprise Backup:
Enterprise Backup primarily refers to traditional backup solutions that are based on on-premises infrastructure. These systems, originating from a time before the rise of cloud computing, require companies to manage and maintain physical backup hardware, such as tapes, disks, and dedicated servers. While possible to use these in a cloud environment, the ever-growing volume of data, combined with the need for instant accessibility, security and recoverability, makes these solutions seem antiquated compared to newer, more agile methods.
BaaS (Backup as a Service):
On the surface, BaaS might seem like a step forward since it leverages cloud storage and often provides a more streamlined experience. However, it comes with its own set of challenges. The most significant drawback of BaaS is the potential for vendor lock-in. Since the service provider handles everything from the backup process to storage management, organizations can find themselves too entwined with a particular vendor, making it challenging to switch services or reclaim data sovereignty. Essentially, while you’re getting the convenience of outsourcing the backup process, you might be relinquishing control over your own data. This can lead to concerns about data access, portability, and even long-term costs as organizations could face high fees if they decide to move their data elsewhere.
The Blind Spot: Why it may not be the best information available to consumers
Within this new, cloud based, cloud first landscape, cloud-native backup solutions represent a burgeoning field that some believe warrants a dedicated examination – a “Missing Quadrant” as it were.
There are a few reasons why Gartner’s Magic Quadrants for Enterprise Backup and Backup as a Service (BaaS) don’t grasp the importance of Cloud Native backups.
First, Cloud Native backups are a relatively new technology. Gartner’s Magic Quadrants are based on a number of factors, including market share, product features, and customer satisfaction. Cloud Native backups are still relatively new, so they don’t have the same market share or customer base as traditional backup solutions.
Second, Gartner’s Magic Quadrants are focused on traditional backup solutions. The criteria that Gartner uses to evaluate backup solutions are based on the needs of traditional on-prem enterprises. Conversely, Cloud Native backups are designed to meet the needs of cloud-native, cloud first enterprises, which are different from the needs of traditional enterprises.
Finally, Gartner’s Magic Quadrants are dominated by large vendors. Large vendors have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo, which means they are slow to adopt new technologies like Cloud Native backups.
The cloud isn’t just a place to offload backup operations (as with BaaS). It’s an environment with its own unique tools, services, and requirements. Cloud Native Backup solutions cater precisely to this environment. Cloud Native backups will become increasingly important in the future. As more and more businesses move to the cloud, they will need backup solutions that are designed specifically for the cloud. One can hope that Gartner will recognize the importance of Cloud Native backups in a future, cloud targeted Magic Quadrants.
Understanding the Magic Quadrant
To appreciate the gravity of this absence, it’s crucial to understand what the Magic Quadrant represents. This analytical tool evaluates technology providers within a specific market, ranking them based on ‘Ability to Execute’ and ‘Completeness of Vision’. It’s an influential tool that can sway decision-makers in selecting vendors for their IT needs.
The Backup Market Complexity
The backup market has transformed significantly with the advent of cloud computing. Traditional backup vendors, once solely focused on on-premises solutions, are now vying with competition that offer cloud-native applications designed to interface seamlessly with cloud services.
Where Cloud-Native Backup Stands
Cloud-native backup solutions are architected to operate within the cloud’s elastic and scalable nature, offering resilience, agility, and cost-effectiveness. They differ fundamentally from traditional backups which may merely have a cloud component added to an existing on-premises solution.
The capabilities of cloud-native backups — such as container support, microservices architecture, and direct integration with cloud services — go beyond what traditional models cover. Their unique value propositions include:
1. Unsurpassed speed of recovery: Backup and Recovery at a near Zero Recovery Time Objective (RTO).
2. API Integration: Seamless interaction with cloud services for more efficient and secure data management. This means no file by file backup which is slow and less secure as SaaS products have access to your data.
3. Scalability: Elastic resources that grow with the enterprise’s data needs and provide centralized management for multiple accounts and regions.
4. Resilience: Enhanced data durability by leveraging cloud storage’s inherent redundancies and immutability.
5. Holistic Backup: Ability to capture and recreate entire intricate network configurations within seconds and does not require any agents.
6. Ability to ‘play well with others’ and perform disaster recovery across cloud providers as more and more enterprises are adopting diverse cloud strategies.
The “Missing Quadrant” Argument
Proponents of the “missing quadrant” critique argue that Gartner’s existing Magic Quadrants don’t fully recognize these nuances. They posit that cloud-native backup deserves its category due to its distinct technological underpinnings and operational paradigms.
A cloud-native quadrant could offer a more granular view of this particular slice of the market, providing recognition for cloud native players who might be unfairly overshadowed by status-quo old guard players in a more generic backup quadrant. This separation could also facilitate better-informed decisions for companies whose infrastructure is predominantly cloud-based.
What Are Some Would-Be Players in The “Missing Quadrant”?
A lack of a dedicated quadrant for cloud-native backup solutions raises interesting questions about how we would potentially populate it. The landscape can be divided into two categories, each with distinct characteristics and trade-offs.
Cloud provider tools like AWS Backup, Azure Backup, and Google Cloud Backup represent the native integration approach. While these solutions offer seamless integration with their respective platforms and often come with competitive pricing models, organizations need to carefully evaluate the total cost of ownership. They often lack critical features like automated Disaster Recovery testing and unified account management with single pane of glass. Perhaps most critically, organizations must remember that that partnering with a single provider’s ecosystem could limit their future multi-cloud flexibility – and increasingly essential strategy in modern day cloud computing.
The second category comprises established enterprise backup vendors who have evolved their offerings for cloud native environments. Companies like Commvault and Druva have integrated cloud-native backup capabilities into their broader platforms, but it is still part of their larger SaaS products. This means users lose complete control of their data and expose their environments to expanded attack surfaces – a risk that doesn’t seem practical as ransomware keeps evolving.
Exclusively Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) backup solutions like the purpose-built tool N2W is made for cloud native environments and maintains the agility and scalability benefits of cloud-native protection. Companies like N2W are helping shape this evolving market segment and it will be interesting to see how they continue to innovate and potentially become part of a new dedicated Magic Quadrant.
How to Navigate the Future of Cloud Backup Strategies
Regardless of one’s stance on the issue, it’s clear that cloud-native backup is not merely a trend but a substantial evolution in data protection strategies. Whether Gartner will respond with a dedicated Magic Quadrant or integrate these insights into their existing evaluations remains to be seen.
For now, organizations should not solely rely on the Magic Quadrant’s current state but also consider conducting their due diligence, acknowledging that the optimal solution for their needs might lie outside the confines of the Quadrant’s current scope.
Cloud-Native Backup: A Critical Frontier in Data Protection
In an era where cloud technology is no longer the future but the present, it is crucial for influential bodies like Gartner to represent all market facets accurately. Cloud-native backup solutions are more than a feature within a larger product; they are a standalone segment that addresses specific cloud-centric challenges. As such, the market would benefit from a Magic Quadrant that recognizes the unique offerings and the innovative companies behind cloud-native backup, ensuring that businesses have the insights necessary to navigate this pivotal aspect of cloud infrastructure.
We welcome you to try N2W free for 30 days. You can also book a demo so we can show you how our solution fits in your specific cloud backup requirements, whether it be on AWS, Azure or both.
- Go beyond “cloud-ready” and look for “cloud-native”: Many legacy backup vendors claim cloud compatibility but still rely on old architectures. Prioritize solutions built natively for cloud environments.
- Assess true RTO and RPO, not just vendor claims: Some solutions promise fast recovery but require multi-step restores. Test real-world recovery times under different failure scenarios.
- Beware of vendor lock-in with BaaS solutions: Backup-as-a-Service (BaaS) providers may hold your data hostage with high egress fees or restrictive formats. Choose solutions that allow full portability.
- Consider multi-cloud and cross-cloud capabilities: If your organization uses multiple cloud providers, ensure the backup tool supports seamless data movement and recovery across them.
- Look for agentless backup solutions: Agent-based backups introduce management complexity and security risks. Cloud-native solutions should offer snapshot-based or API-driven backups.
