Asigra, a leading name in ultra-secure backup and recovery, has revealed five key forecasts expected to shape SaaS data protection in 2024. This initiative stems from the growing need for robust data protection in SaaS environments due to rising global threats pressuring organisations to reinforce their data resiliency measures.
Insights from recent research by McKinsey & Company anticipate a notable growth in cybersecurity threats. Accordingly, annual expenditure on cybersecurity products and services is predicted to rise by 13% up to 2025, a significant leap from growth rates in previous years.
The increase in such attacks happens simultaneously with major changes in software consumption and delivery models. BMC Software's report on the state of SaaS indicates an increased preference for SaaS-based applications over traditional on-premise applications due to their increased accessibility and value. However, the transition to SaaS comes with its own challenges, including the need for shared responsibility for data protection between the vendor and customer.
Exploring this shift in application use, Asigra's forecasts for 2024 highlight the following expected trends:
1. SaaS-based data will increasingly become a target for more refined and aggressive ransomware as threat actors continue to hone their craft. The growing dependence on SaaS solutions for crucial business operations will make these platforms attractive for cybercriminals, leading to more pervasive advanced persistent threats (APTs) and ransomware targeting SaaS platforms.
2. DevSecOps will gain significant importance over the next 12 months. With the increase in cloud-based applications adoption, DevSecOps, which incorporates security practices within the DevOps process, will become essential. Furthermore, compliance with data management regulations such as GDPR and HIPAA is facilitated by integrating DevSecOps early in the software's life cycle.
3. Increased priority will be given to SaaS data compliance and data sovereignty. As data privacy regulations become stricter worldwide, the emphasis is expected to shift towards compliance and data sovereignty within backup and recovery solutions for all SaaS/Cloud-based resources.
4. Employee security awareness trainings will rise in response to growing cyberattacks. With human error being a common cause of data loss in SaaS environments, employees will receive regular training on risk awareness, protocols, and threat identification for SaaS applications.
5. The third-party SaaS backup and recovery market is expected to see significant growth in 2024, driven by the absence of enterprise-grade data protection integrated into SaaS applications. The use of off-premise backup and recovery solutions can effectively reduce annual operating costs by eliminating the need for internal power for storing information, thus reducing IT department CAPEX and OPEX costs.
"We take these concerns seriously and our forecasts for 2024 reflect this concern in our space. We are warning IT professionals to remain vigilant as we head into rough waters in the next year. The state of IT is under pressure from the multi-dimensional changes occurring at every level. And without question, sensitive data loss remains one of the most devastating situations that can impact an organisation," said Eric Simmons, CEO of Asigra.