Quick summary
- Cloud Backup Posture Management (CBPM) is the process of continuously scanning and mapping cloud resources, with the goal of ensuring the appropriate backup policy is applied to each resource, according to business and compliance requirements.
- Effective CBPM minimizes compliance risks, enhances data security, reduces downtime and lowers costs associated with over-backing up data.
- Eon’s platform automates CBPM through autonomous scanning and classification of cloud resources, across a multi-cloud environment, applying the right backup policies and enabling ongoing compliance.
The cloud is more broad and dynamic than ever before, with resources spread across multiple cloud providers and storage solutions. Naturally, they require an effective backup strategy and effective management.
But in reality, keeping track of growing, constantly changing, cloud environments, and making sure each resource is backed up just right - not over or under-backed up - can be a real headache. It's often complex, time-consuming, and (between us) not the most exciting part of cloud operations.
Enter: Cloud Backup Posture Management (CBPM). An approach to cloud backup management and operations that brings order to the chaos. It helps businesses manage their backups in dynamic cloud environments and ensure backups are up to compliance and business standards.
In this article, we’ll break down CBPM so you’ll understand what it is, why it’s important and how it works.
What is Cloud Backup Posture Management?
In today's world of ever-expanding cloud infrastructure, where new resources pop up faster than you can say "multi-cloud," cloud backup management is becoming increasingly complicated and challenging.
The cloud backup posture management process follows these basic steps:
- Identifying new resources or changes in cloud environments
- Tagging of resources to indicate the type of data (e.g., Personal Identifiable Information, Protected Health Information, Financial Information, and more)
- Applying the appropriate backup policy based on data type
- Backing up accordingly
- [Hit repeat]
Why is CBPM so important?
Many enterprises have long treated cloud backups as a mere insurance policy for when disaster strikes — a static repository of data that just… sits there.
Sure, that may have worked in the past. But those days are over.
Any cloud-reliant enterprise has most likely watched the complexity and scale of today’s cloud environments grow in front of their eyes. As such, CBPM is becoming a critical component of cloud backup, especially as more organizations migrate their applications to cloud providers like Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform (GCP).
Some of the inefficiencies and risks of overlooking cloud backup strategy:
- Disorganization and Sprawl: Without proper posture management, backups become chaotic: Multiple copies of some files may be stored unnecessarily, while other critical data may be left unprotected. These unnecessary duplicates waste significant space within backup stores, and make it difficult to determine which version of a file is the most recent or accurate. It’s like having 5 copies of the same DVD, and not being able to tell from the box alone which one has the least scratches on it.
- Slow and Inefficient Retrieval: In a crisis, the ability to quickly retrieve data can make or break a company. So, why do we settle for traditional backup systems, which often lack the organizational framework needed for efficient access? When backups are scattered across different storage solutions or poorly mapped, restoring data becomes a time-consuming process that can prolong downtime and disrupt operations.
- Increased Costs: Redundant and unoptimized backups result in higher storage costs. As data grows, so do the expenses associated with managing it. Without a clear strategy for reducing inefficiencies, businesses may find themselves paying for storage they don’t need.
- Evolving Threats: Traditional backup systems also fail to keep pace with the growing sophistication of security threats. Backed-up data can be an easy target for ransomware and other cyberattacks… and in the case of a ransomware attack, the ability to seamlessly access backups can be the difference between a graceful recovery and return to business as usual, versus a company-tanking disaster.
- Compliance Challenges: As regulations around data management become stricter, businesses must ensure their backups meet compliance standards. Without proper posture management, it’s easy for organizations to fall short of these requirements, possibly resulting in penalties and reputational damage.
There’s no question that cloud storage technology has gotten crazy good — innovations and improvements continue to occur daily.
Cloud Backup Posture Management (CBPM) bridges this gap, offering a comprehensive solution to the challenges posed by traditional backup approaches.
The Benefits of Cloud Backup Posture Management
In an era where organizations are increasingly reliant on cloud infrastructure, the stakes for how and where data is stored are higher than ever. A single misstep in backup posture can lead to significant consequences, from compliance penalties to diminished customer trust to the endless frustration of lost data triage.
Consider the financial and reputational damage caused by data breaches or prolonged system outages. In these moments, the effectiveness of a company’s backup strategy can make all the difference. CBPM not only ensures that backups are secure and accessible, but also aligns them with a company’s long-term goals, making them a critical component of a future-proof infrastructure.
Eon’s Approach: A New Era for Cloud Backups
At Eon, we’re leading the charge in reimagining cloud backup management for the digital age. With cutting-edge automation and intelligent mapping, our platform makes CBPM accessible, efficient, and indispensable
- Eon’s one-of-a-kind platform scans and maps cloud environments, which it then uses to apply dynamic, automated backup policies. With these capabilities in place, companies never have to worry about manual tagging and over/under backing up. Um… you’re welcome!
- Traditional backup snapshots are outdated — they place data in a black box that limits companies’ ability to access and strategically leverage the data they need. At Eon, we think data you can’t see is data wasted. So, we want to prioritize data you can actually use. That’s why we empower companies with the ability to query and recover exactly what they need — be it a single table or file — directly from backups.
- Thanks to our platform, cloud-reliant businesses can finally enjoy automated backup posture management — with autonomous scanning, mapping and classification of resources, without unnecessary manual effort. No pain no gain? Nope. Just no pain.
How does Eon’s Cloud Backup Posture Management work?
More than a mere tech solution, CBPM is a proactive, strategic approach to managing cloud backups. Instead of treating backups as a passive archive, CBPM gives backed-up data greater visibility, with automated organizational and retrieval processes and overall optimization. CBPM ensures that backups aren’t just accessible, but also aligned with an organization’s broader cloud infrastructure goals — sounds like something worth celebrating and embracing!
CBPM allows businesses to:
- Map and Organize Resources: Automatically scans and classifies cloud resources, creating a clear map of what’s backed up, where, and why. This ensures backups are logically structured and easy to access when needed.
- Identify Gaps and Redundancies: Spots areas of vulnerability such as unprotected data and eliminates unnecessary duplicates in order to streamline efficiency.
- Enhance Compliance and Security: Ensures backups meet data compliance standards and are protected against threats, safeguarding sensitive information from both internal and external risks.
- Improve Accessibility: Makes retrieving critical data faster and simpler, reducing downtime during emergencies and minimizing operational disruption.
By enabling these capabilities, CBPM transforms cloud backups from an overlooked necessity into a strategic asset, empowering greater confidence and resilience.
Cloud Backups: More than a Mere Backup Plan
Cloud technology has revolutionized how businesses operate, offering unparalleled opportunities for scalability, collaboration, and innovation. So, don’t cloud backups deserve more than a passive role in cloud strategies?
With CBPM, businesses can take control of their data, ensuring that backups are not only secure, but also an integral part of their cloud infrastructure.
Because when it comes to the cloud, your data is only as strong as your backup strategy.
