SAP HANA Data Protection: The Future’s in the (Hybrid) Cloud

Data is the crown jewel of any organization, and that rings especially true when considering the business-critical applications leveraging SAP HANA today. There’s good reason that SAP HANA is the fastest growing software in SAP’s history¹, as more and more companies adopt this high-performance in-memory database to offer better, faster digital experiences and optimize how they run their businesses. But as companies look to modernize database operations with SAP HANA, they are also looking to transform their IT landscape through cloud adoption. Smart CIOs are carefully considering the right data backup strategy – one that will safeguard their critical SAP HANA data while offering ultimate flexibility for their journey to the cloud.

As companies continue down the path of hybrid cloud transformation, IDC found that 72% of SAP customers surveyed intend to move their SAP deployment to the cloud.² Companies running or considering SAP HANA are looking to reduce dependencies on on-premises infrastructure by moving to cloud – often Microsoft Azure – for cost savings, seamless scale and security. They need flexible data protection solutions that will support them as they move to cloud – or as they continue to run on-premises while leaving their options open for a seamless move to cloud down the road. Backup as a Service (BaaS) solutions can keep SAP HANA data safe and quickly recoverable – reducing the risk of costly downtime – while allowing IT orgs the efficiencies of placing their backup service where their data is: in the cloud.  However – not all BaaS is created equal.  In the balance of this blog, I’ll cover why Metallic^tm Database Backup for SAP HANA – now generally available in 14 countries around the globe – is a smart choice for secure, simple, and flexible data protection for your hybrid cloud strategy.

Look for the benefits of BaaS … plus

IDC has projected that data protection as a service will surpass traditional data protection solutions as soon as 2021³ – and the benefits of a cloud-delivered backup make it clear why. Companies are quick to recognize the benefits of BaaS: reduced management overhead, no backup infrastructure to maintain, and an agile solution that’s up in minutes. In addition, BaaS is even more attractive to those looking to reduce capex, with no heavy upfront costs. And while companies consider how to effectively combat the rising threat of ransomware, BaaS delivers an air gapped data protection service and backup copies for a comprehensive recovery readiness strategy. 

However, companies who are running applications on-prem and in the cloud – or looking to move from on-prem to cloud – will also require a degree of flexibility. A BaaS solution should be able to support a customer’s on premises backup storage targets – without requiring the purchase of a separate appliance, and supporting a broad range of storage options. Companies should be able to choose. Do they need to backup to on-premises storage, and send a secondary copy to cloud? Is it more beneficial to backup directly to cloud as they prepare to migrate their SAP HANA application? Or, are they already running SAP HANA in Azure, for instance, and want seamless adoption of Azure cloud storage together with their backup solution? At Metallic, we’ve architected our BaaS offering to allow for this unique flexibility – which we call “SaaS Plus” – helping customers optimize their backup performance while meeting RTO and RPOs – no matter where they are in their cloud journey.

Choosing an enterprise-grade solution

In addition to requiring flexibility, companies can’t gamble with the data in SAP HANA. No one is managing their personal music collections with SAP HANA – this is data that enables best-run enterprises to run at their best. That’s why CIOs need to count on proven, enterprise-grade data protection from trusted leaders. An SAP-Certified solution, Metallic^tm is based on industry-leading Commvault IP with the power of Microsoft Azure, helping companies rest easy knowing their data is safeguarded by the best in the industry.

Some of the highlights include:

• Flexible, granular recovery – Restore the databases you need to any point in time, directly from the cloud or from a local copy with SaaS Plus – let Metallic pick the fastest way.
• Integration and certification – Certified by SAP to protect your critical databases in the right way with tight API integration.
• Performance – Automatic multi-streaming combined with enterprise scalability and storage flexibility with SaaS Plus ensures maximum backup and restore performance.
• Efficiency – Built-in deduplication minimizes network traffic and backup storage needs, boosting performance and helping to easily meet RPOs and RTOs.
• Flexibility – Use any local block or file storage for local backup copies for maximum performance on-premises, or leverage native cloud storage support for databases running in the cloud. Easily handle multi-tenant database container backup and restore.
• Governance & security – Role-based management, layered security and ransomware protection, built-in encryption, SOC2 Type II and ISO.IEC 27001:2013 certifications.
• Hybrid cloud support – Backup SAP HANA on-premises and in the cloud, with one simple, enterprise-grade solution.
• Single solution for your needs – Get single pane of glass management for BaaS that goes beyond database backup – covering VMs, containers, unstructured data and SaaS applications as well.

While the world is in the midst of massive digital transformation efforts at breakneck speeds and many customers are turning towards SAP HANA to assist them—you shouldn’t have to worry about the safety, security, and recoverability of the data that’s driving your transformation.   Plainly put—with Metallic BaaS for SAP HANA, you won’t.

Sources:

1. SAP HANA, a Decade of Growth. SAP, 2020.
2. SAP Customers on the Move to SAP S/4HANA. June 2019. Sponsored by SAP
3. Customer Priorities for Cloud and Data Protection in Today’s World, an IDC video podcast, sponsored by Commvault, June 2020.