Data backup software can be used to create duplicates of files, folders, databases, and entire network servers and store them in a separate location. It aims to protect data in case of a malware attack, data loss in the original site, or any physical emergency that may affect the original storage location.
Most backup software also includes regular updates and recovery features, enabling you to restore the latest version of any set of files.
See below to learn all about the global backup software market:
See more: The Best Enterprise Backup Software
Backup Software Market
The global data backup and recovery software market was estimated at $9.4 trillion in 2020. It’s projected to maintain a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 8.9% over the analysis period from 2020 to 2027, reaching a value of $17.1 trillion by the end of it.
One notable segment of the market, data retention, is expected to reach $7.4 trillion by the end of the analysis period, trailing a CAGR of 9.8%.
Regionally, the global backup software market is segmented as follows:
- The U.S. market was estimated at $2.5 trillion in 2020, with a 26.5% share
- The Chinese market is forecast for a CAGR of 13.5%, reaching $4 trillion by 2027
- Japan and Canada are forecast to grow at a CAGR of 4.8% and 7.9% over the forecast period
- Within Europe, Germany is projected to maintain one of the highest CAGRs at 5.8%
- The Asia-Pacific segment, led by Australia, India, and South Korea, is forecast to reach $24 trillion by 2027
- The Latin America segment is expected to trail a CAGR of 9.3% over the analysis period
By industry, the global backup software market is expected to be dominated by the banking, financial services, and insurance (BFSI) industry by 2030.
Other notable industries include:
- IT and telecommunications
- Retail
- Government and public sector
- Health care
- Media and entertainment
- Manufacturing
- Education
Backup Software Features
At its core, backup software is responsible for the simple yet critical task of regularly creating copies of datasets and files. There are, however, different types of backup approaches that vary in efficiency and speed, depending on the use case.
Full Backup
Full backup is the simplest, most comprehensive form of backup. It creates a copy of all the files, folders, applications, and databases on the target storage unit.
The time it takes to perform a full backup correlates with the volume of the data, making it one of the slowest methods. However, data recovery time and effort are minimal.
Full backup is most commonly used as a base backup, covering all the parts of a hard drive, then following it up with other types of backup to keep the data up to date.
Incremental Backup
Incremental backups don’t work on their own. They are a second step to a full backup. After confirming the existence of a full copy, incremental backup regularly updates data and any changes to the original storage.
This type of backup takes up the least time and network bandwidth. However, they make data recovery more complex and risky.
One failed incremental backup that goes unnoticed could hinder the recovery of the rest of the database.
Differential Backup
Differential backup approaches make up the best of full and incremental backup.
Similar to incremental backup, it requires a full backup to be made initially. Differential backup then updates files and folders that were changed since the last backup, maintaining a complete backup at all times.
While differential backup uses less space than a full backup and allows for quick and easy data recovery, it consumes more bandwidth than incremental backup as its constantly backing up changes.
AI-Powered Backup Software
Backup software solutions are a critical part of the IT infrastructure. As data becomes more important and cyberattacks and exploits seeking it become more violent, backup solutions need to adapt.
By implementing machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms into backup software, it would be able to act as an incident response procedure. Automating the backup and recovery processes in a way that promotes efficiency and reduces the need for computing and IT power.
“Given the exploding size and complexity of data repositories controlled by large enterprises, these tools will become a requisite for maintaining an efficient backup process that can react nimbly to changing requirements,” says Ramya Sriram, digital content and communications manager at Kolabtree.
“AI recovery and backup systems can include algorithms designed to assist incident response teams with organizing alternate resources and workspaces.”
Benefits of Backup Software
Performing regular backups is essential to running a database, regardless of size. However, between performing it manually and relying on a piece of specialized software, backup software offers many benefits, such as:
- Saving time on manual labor
- Automating data loss protection
- Securing the backup process
- Enabling data recovery
- Mitigating the damages of malware and ransomware attacks
- Enabling scheduled data backups
“As part of your disaster recovery plan, it’s critical to boost redundancy and resilience by having multiple backups of data in the cloud,” says Dave Friend, member of the Forbes Technology Council.
“This often comes in the form of the ‘three-two-one’ backup strategy, which ensures that organizations keep three copies of data, with two on different media formats and one of those being off-site.”
Backup Software Use Cases
A wide variety of backup solutions can be found in organizations ranging from small businesses to mega corporations and institutions.
Wise
Wise offers alternative financial solutions to traditional banks with international money transfers used by over 10 million people around the world. Based in the U.K., Wise is used by individuals and businesses for work, travel, and trade.
Migrating its digital infrastructure to the AWS Cloud and its database to Amazon RDS, Wide needed a way to also move its backup solution to the AWS Cloud.
Staying with the same provider, Wise utilized Amazon Backup to bring its AWS Storage Gateway snapshots into AWS. Using the tagging and templating features, Wise was able to scale operations to meet its fluctuating backup needs for its global enterprise.
“AWS Backup is extremely easy to set up and use. It’s much easier than any backup product we’ve used in the past and enables us to show our auditors what they need to see for maintaining compliance,” says Thomas Hewer, technology lead at Wise.
“We spun up our AWS Backup plans really quickly and set up templates and tags, so any team can automatically have their new resources protected by the right backup plan.”.
Working with AWS, Wise was able to comply with data laws and regulations, scale quickly to meet growing demand, and automate its backup and recovery processes.
Levitar
Levitar is a provider of complete IT solutions to companies, specializing in design, deployment, management, and support of technical operations. Based in Sydney, Australia, Levitar is committed to providing stellar customer service through reliable technology.
To keep up with the changing and growing IT demands of its client base, Levitar was spending a lot of money on upgrading its server and storage hardware.
By transferring its operations to the IBM Cloud environment, Levitar was able to switch to IBM’s cloud-based data backup and disaster recovery system.
“IBM was the only local cloud provider that gave us the flexibility and control of the environment that the solution required,” says Bryce Jamie, managing director, IBM Business Partner at Levitar.
“Being a partner and having an ESA not only benefits our organization, it benefits our clients as well. We are able to bundle our expertise, the IBM software and the IBM Cloud into one solution, one payment. They have one place to go for everything.”
Working with IBM, Levitar achieved 50% faster data recovery time for its clients, reduced deployment times from weeks to hours, and was able to support continuous growth.
Evolutio
Evolutio is a leading provider of cloud and network services, including over 5,600 kilometers of deployed networks and over 6,000 virtual machines across 3 data centers. Based in Madrid, Evolutio is leading the Spanish market with over 270 security certifications.
With the increased demand for its services, Evolutio needed a low-resource backup and security solution for its numerous data centers.
Looking to protect its Microsoft 365 data, Evolutio reached out to Commvault for a SaaS-based backup solution with enough capacity for the next 5 years of business.
“Thanks to the speed and ease of restoring with Commvault, we were able to recover all the data and get back to operational status in less than one day. Our business continuity was virtually uninterrupted,” says Alain Rodriguez, head of services management office at Evolutio.
“Getting Metallic up and running was virtually done in minutes. This is the customer experience that we were expecting a SaaS-based backup solution would give us.”
Working with Commvault, Evolutio was able to reduce annual expenses by 20%, installed the Metallic Microsoft 365 Backup solution in minutes, and ensured 100% data security compliance.
Backup Software Providers
Some of the leading providers of backup software solutions and services in the global market include:
- Code42
- NetApp
- Softland
- Veritas Technologies
- NTI Corporation
- Datto
- Acronis
- Commvault
- Strengthsoft
- StorageCraft
See more: The Backup-as-a-Service (BaaS) Market