The traditional IT perimeter is gone. With hybrid and remote work, business-critical data no longer sits neatly behind a firewall—it flows across on-premises servers, SaaS applications, cloud workloads, and remote endpoints. This shift has expanded the attack surface, making data protection and operational control far more complex.

Where Business-Critical Data Lives Today

Today's data doesn't sit in one place—it's everywhere. As workforces operate across physical offices, home networks, and the cloud, data has followed suit across environments that weren't designed to work together.

On-Premises Infrastructure

Many organizations still rely on on-prem infrastructure for essential operations, particularly in regulated sectors like healthcare, finance, and manufacturing. While valuable, traditional perimeter-based defenses are no longer sufficient.

SaaS Platforms

Cloud-based platforms like Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace power modern collaboration but introduce new risks. The shared responsibility model places critical security functions—including IAM and data protection—squarely on the customer.

Cloud Workloads and Remote Endpoints

Cloud workloads offer scalability but face misconfiguration risks, unauthorized access, and single-cloud vulnerabilities. Remote endpoints operating outside corporate networks become easy targets, dramatically expanding the attack surface.

The New Hybrid IT Reality: Multiple Platforms, Multiple Threats

On-Prem Servers: Still Valuable, Still Vulnerable

- Natural disasters can physically damage hardware
- Power outages or hardware failures disrupt access
- Ransomware and malware target unpatched systems
- Insider threats compromise data from within

SaaS Applications: Data Loss Happens More Often Than You Think

According to the State of SaaS Backup and Recovery Report 2025:
- 87% of IT professionals experienced SaaS data loss in the past 12 months
- 50%+ suffered data loss from malicious deletion
- 34% experienced data loss from accidental deletion or human error
- Only 13% reported no data loss

Many businesses wrongly assume cloud providers will recover lost data. Under the shared responsibility model, customers are accountable for data protection. Without effective SaaS backup, recovery is limited or impossible.

Cloud Workloads: Flexible but Exposed

- Single-cloud dependence creates critical vulnerabilities
- Configuration errors and permissive access settings enable attacks
- API abuse and supply chain attacks exploit integrations
- Data sprawl makes consistent tracking, security, and backup harder

Relying solely on native backup tools is risky—these backups often reside within the same tenant as production data, exposed to the same threats. Ransomware, insider misuse, or credential compromise could wipe out both live data and backups simultaneously without proper air-gap protections.

Remote Endpoints: The Expanding Edge of Risk

Endpoints—especially remote ones—are now frequent entry points for cyberattacks. With the workforce operating across countless networks and devices, attackers exploit gaps created by reduced visibility and control.

Phishing attacks remain the most successful initial access method, often tricking employees into clicking malicious links or downloading infected attachments.

A Unified BCDR Strategy for Hybrid IT

To secure hybrid IT environments, organizations need a unified BCDR approach that:

Protects All Data Sources - On-premises servers and workloads
- SaaS applications (Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, etc.)
- Cloud infrastructure (AWS, Azure, GCP)
- Remote endpoints (laptops, mobile devices)

Provides Air-Gap Protection Immutable, off-site backups protect against ransomware that targets both production and backup systems within the same environment.

Enables Rapid Recovery Instant virtualization and bare-metal restore capabilities minimize downtime and ensure business continuity.

Maintains Compliance Automated retention policies, encryption, and audit trails meet regulatory requirements across industries.

Offers Centralized Management Unified dashboards provide visibility across all environments, simplifying monitoring and response.

The Bottom Line

In today's hybrid IT reality, protecting business-critical data requires more than traditional backup—it demands a comprehensive BCDR strategy that secures data wherever it lives, ensures rapid recovery when incidents occur, and maintains compliance across all platforms.

For MSPs and IT teams managing complex, distributed environments, a unified BCDR approach isn't just good practice—it's essential for business survival.

Source: Datto Blog