Are Your SaaS Applications Secure?

In recent years we have seen a significant shift in the way end users access their business critical applications. Almost gone are the days of lengthy uploads to install applications on site, now we simply log into our applications from a web browser using our unique credentials. 

As applications no longer require physical infrastructure this presents huge benefits to users including reduced cost and access to their applications from any device, anywhere in the world.

However, whilst hosted applications do have significant advantages over their on-premise counterparts, they are not without their limitations and it's important to consider the following questions when procuring these applications:

What will happen to your application if your vendor goes into administration? 

Where is your data held? 

How many copies of your data are held and how frequently are they backed up? 

What happens if the IP for your application is transferred to another provider? 

Do you need access to the source code? 

If the vendor is no longer available, will your application also no longer be available? 

Protecting your data should be your number one priority 

As SaaS applications have no physical infrastructure at the end users site, this has an impact on where your data is stored. Unlike traditional, on-premise applications where your data will be installed on-site and it is your responsibility to perform regular backups. Applications delivered through the cloud often have the critical data stored by the vendor or with hosted service providers on accounts owned by the vendor.

In both of these instances, should the software vendor cease to operate, this has left businesses completely in the lurch with no way of accessing their data. When assessing risks, being able to access your data is far more important than to your organisation than access to your applications source code because an application can be replaced but the data you have cultivated over the years cannot. 

So how do you mitigate a sudden withdrawal of service?

To mitigate the sudden withdrawal of service created by developer failure for organisations using hosted applications, SES has created an industry-leading SaaS solution. 

A copy of the applications source code and runtime files are held in Escrow as standard. However, what differs from our standard Software Escrow solution is that we take regular copies of application data and updates from the application service provider, which are stored securely alongside the source code and runtime files.

In the event of supplier failure, all material required for the successful redeployment of the application can be accessed through the Escrow agreement, guarding against service disruption and providing continuity of service.

Whether you are in the procurement process or you’re already actively using SaaS applications within your business. To find out how a SaaS Escrow solution can protect your business continuity, please get in touch to speak to one of our specialists. 

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