Small and medium Software as a Service Providers can use SaaSProtect to Build
Customer Trust
BOSTON, April 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Iron Mountain Incorporated
(NYSE: IRM), the global leader in information protection and storage services,
today announced the general availability of SaaSProtect Escrow Service(TM) to
safeguard Software as a Service (SaaS) applications, the data that runs those
applications, and the associated customer data. SaaSProtect Escrow Service
protects the subscribers of SaaS applications in the event of problems with
the SaaS provider, significant outages, or other service interruptions. It
also gives SaaS providers a way to build trust with their customers. Iron
Mountain Digital, the technology arm of Iron Mountain and the founder of the
technology escrow industry, is the first company to combine automated data
backup and rapid recovery with technology escrow for a complete SaaS
protection solution.
Iron Mountain's SaaSProtect Escrow Service is designed to help mitigate
risks associated with entering into a relationship with small-to-medium sized
SaaS providers. According to Gartner, the market for SaaS applications will
grow from $6.3 billion in 2006 to $19.3 billion by 2011, with most of those
dollars going to new entrants, rather than established software vendors.(1)
Executive Director of The Common Application, Inc. Rob Killion, is
implementing Iron Mountain's SaaSProtect Escrow Service for the next version
of the Common Application Online(R), a non-profit site that lets students
apply to more than 300 colleges and universities using one common application
over the web. Killion states, "The primary benefit is the security that we
get. We know that if catastrophe strikes - either catastrophe in terms of a
business relationship going bad or a natural or personal catastrophe - there
is a 'plan B' that we can avail ourselves of quickly and securely with Iron
Mountain, and that's something we haven't had before."
In the SaaS delivery model, software applications run by an outside
provider are accessed over the Internet, cutting IT infrastructure and
management costs and facilitating quicker deployment. SaaS deployments also
introduce new risks. According to Forrester Research, "Application
implementation, technology, and operational risks may be mitigated through the
use of a SaaS solution. However, vendor, application, and business continuity
risks may be increased." (2) SaaS subscribers can leverage Iron Mountain's
SaaSProtect Escrow Service as part of a "best practice" business continuity
strategy. In the SaaS environment, SaaS subscribers don't have actual software
that they run in production, so issues like vendor bankruptcy are one concern,
but there is also a real threat from extended service outages. With
SaaSProtect Escrow Service, applications are protected with both source code
and object code deposits. This provides all the components necessary to
recreate the live production environment for the application - either on the
customer's premise or at a fail-over site - and to restore service to end-
users.
In addition, customer data, which typically resides with the SaaS
provider, is protected through Iron Mountain's LiveVault(R) online data backup
and recovery solution within the SaaS application. Backups are performed
automatically and continuously over the Internet, and data is moved off-site
to a remote and secure Iron Mountain data center, without manual IT
intervention. Iron Mountain's SaaSProtect Escrow Service is the first complete
escrow protection strategy that incorporates the application source code and
maintenance materials, object code, and live customer data backup.
Features and benefits of the SaaSProtect Escrow Service include:
- Protection for both SaaS subscribers and providers - Subscribers
protect their investments in SaaS applications while SaaS providers are
able to offer buyers peace of mind
- Escrow for both the source code and object code enables users to get up
and running quickly
- SaaS-specific "demand" release conditions allow immediate access to
applications and data
- Verification testing provides assurance the application can be re-built
quickly
- Proven online, automatic data backup and recovery through LiveVault
safeguards data
- Iron Mountain Connect(TM) Escrow Management Center offers easy online
access and real-time management of escrow accounts
About Iron Mountain Digital
Iron Mountain Digital is the world's leading provider of data
backup/recovery and archiving software as a service (SaaS). The technology arm
of Iron Mountain Incorporated offers a comprehensive suite of data protection
and e-records management software and services to thousands of companies
around the world, directly and through a world-wide network of channel
partners. Iron Mountain Digital is based in Southborough, Mass. with European
headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany. For more information on Iron Mountain
Digital's Intellectual Property Management services, visit
www.ironmountain.com/ipm.
About Iron Mountain
Iron Mountain Incorporated (NYSE:IRM) helps organizations around the world
reduce the costs and risks associated with information protection and storage.
The company offers comprehensive records management and data protection
solutions, along with the expertise and experience to address complex
information challenges such as rising storage costs, litigation, regulatory
compliance and disaster recovery. Founded in 1951, Iron Mountain is a trusted
partner to more than 100,000 corporate clients throughout North America,
Europe, Latin American and Asia Pacific. For more information, visit the
company's Web site at http://www.ironmountain.com.
(1) "The Financial Economic Impact Of Software-As-A-Service" by Liz
Herbert, Forrester Research, September 1, 2006
(2) "Vendors Missing the SaaS Wave" by Michael Hickins, ASPnews.com,
March 8, 2007
CONTACTS:
Media -
Maria Doyle
Public Relations
(781) 964-3536
dmmkdoyle@comcast.net
SOURCE:
Iron Mountain