Managed service providers (MSPs) that have data migration expertise are finding their services are in more demand than ever.
A survey of 300 application and software development, IT, and security leaders conducted on behalf of Onymos, found that more than three-quarters of respondents (78 percent) are concerned about security threats impacting applications built on top of SaaS application platforms. The survey also identified security (72 percent) and data privacy (65 percent) as the most critical priorities.
Furthermore, nearly all (91 percent) survey respondents said they believe retaining data within custom-built, internal applications is crucial.
SaaS security is a growing concern
Those concerns are increasing because successful cyberattacks targeting software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications are becoming more commonplace. Most infamously, a ransomware attack launched against CDK Global made it impossible for large numbers of car dealers to conduct transactions.
As a result, organizations that are dependent on these applications are now looking to ensure data resides in a separate repository that is not managed by the provider of a SaaS application. They still want to use that application. They are just opting to store their data in, for example, a cloud service they control rather than a shared service that cybercriminals are specifically targeting.
Many organizations are also concerned about how providers of SaaS applications might use their data to train artificial intelligence (AI) models. No one wants to wake up one morning to discover that licensing terms have been changed in a way that enables the provider of a SaaS application to use their data to train an AI model that might generate outputs that include sensitive information.
Additionally, many organizations are now looking to aggregate their data in a central location. They do this to make it easier to train and customize their own AI models.
Finally, data sovereignty laws are becoming more pervasive. Organizations are realizing they now need to store data within the borders of specific countries where a SaaS application provider they are using doesn’t happen to have a data center where it can store local data.
Data migration complexity requires trained experts
Most organizations lack the skills required to move data simply because it’s not a task they engage in daily. There are, however, enough organizations that regularly need this capability to justify the building of a service around it. The issue is finding and retaining the data engineering skills required in an era where the demand for that expertise has never been higher.
Fortunately, the tools for migrating data are becoming more automated. This means data migration is becoming sufficiently democratized enough to not allow IT administrators to manage much of it. The challenge now is striking the right balance between data engineers and IT administrators to address customer requirements that are likely to vary widely from one project to the next.
Regardless of motivation, moving large amounts of data can be fraught with challenges. Like many other complex IT initiatives, the average IT organization shouldn’t attempt data migration without the aid of trained professionals who know where to avoid potential pitfalls.
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