The backup industry is currently facing an identity crisis. Some vendors are heavily investing in security features, others are pivoting toward comprehensive data management, and still others are attempting to be an all-in-one solution. Storware is taking a deliberate approach, choosing to focus intensely on executing one core function: fast, reliable recovery.
When Success Breeds Complexity: A Cautionary Tale
A classic example of feature creep is the popular disc-burning program, Nero Burning ROM. It initially excelled due to its high specialization. However, the manufacturer gradually added non-core features like video editing and file conversion. This expansion made the software cumbersome and bloated, obscuring its original, intuitive utility for users who only needed basic functions.
This phenomenon—feature creep—is widespread in IT. Research confirms that approximately 80% of features in the average software product are rarely or never used. Furthermore, Gartner estimates that I&O leaders will overspend $750 million on unused ITSM tool features by 2023. This bloat creates complexity, higher maintenance costs, and market opportunities for more specialized competitors.
The Market Reality: Evolution or Desperation?
The enterprise backup and recovery market grew by 5.1% in 2023, yet 2024 has been defined by aggressive consolidation. Major players like Cohesity, Veeam, and Commvault are acquiring competitors to rapidly expand their product scope. For C-level executives, this raises a crucial question: Is this consolidation creating genuine value, or is it a desperate attempt to stay relevant in a specialized landscape?
Data Management: Genuine Transformation or Marketing Makeover?
A contentious trend is the positioning of traditional backup vendors as data management leaders. While backup vendors possess strong knowledge of storage and recovery, true data management requires a completely different level of specialization, encompassing governance, data lineage, compliance, and cataloging.
True credibility depends on evidence: Did the vendor build genuine new capabilities, or just rebrand old functions? Mergers and acquisitions are a natural strategic move, but there is no guarantee that acquired technology is scalable or compatible. Some critics suggest the shift from backup to data management is primarily an escape route—a scramble for survival in a market increasingly favoring specialists.
Cybersecurity and Backup: Together or Separate?
The rise of ransomware dramatically changed the relationship between backup and security. Attackers shifted their strategy to not only encrypt production data but also to compromise backup copies, making ransom demands far more effective.
The scale is alarming: 94% of attacked companies confirm hackers attempted to destroy or damage their backups. When backups are compromised, the median ransom demand jumps from $1 million to $2.3 million. Veeam research confirms 89% of attacks target the repository.
The Industry Response and The Blurring Line
In response, storage vendors have introduced immutable snapshots, WORM (Write Once, Read Many) functions, and “air gap” physical isolation. Gartner forecasts that by 2028, 100% of enterprise-class storage systems will standardly offer these active defense elements.
Some backup manufacturers are now merging backup and threat detection tools onto one platform. This is often driven by financial considerations, aiming to tap into the massive global information security market (expected to reach $292 billion by 2028).
The Case for Integration Over Consolidation
Critics argue that cybersecurity must focus on prevention, while backup’s sole role is restoration. Storware maintains that a much better solution is logical system integration—allowing specialized tools to communicate (e.g., integrating backup with SIEM/threat detection platforms)—while maintaining physical separation for independent backup storage. This hybrid model allows comprehensive protection without sacrificing technical excellence.
The Real Cost of Feature Creep
The financial impact of feature creep goes beyond development. Developers spend an average of 17.3 hours per week dealing with bad code and errors, plus 13.5 hours per week on technical debt. For enterprises, this translates to:
- Delayed time-to-market (projects experiencing delays of 6 months or more).
- Increased operational complexity (requiring larger IT teams and extensive training).
- Higher total cost of ownership (bloated systems demand more resources).
During a ransomware attack, organizations with complex, feature-laden backup systems face longer recovery times, difficulty verifying backup integrity, and an increased attack surface for criminals to exploit.
The Path Forward: Specialized Excellence
The backup industry stands at a crossroads. Vendors who chase every trend risk becoming bloated and ineffective. Storware believes in the path of specialized excellence: delivering the core function—fast and recoverable backup—in a lightweight, efficient, and scalable manner.
Key Takeaways for C-Level Executives
- Market Consolidation Signals: The 2024 wave of backup vendor M&A activity (Cohesity, Veeam, Commvault) suggests market uncertainty. Evaluate if an acquisition strategy genuinely creates value or merely adds complexity.
- The Ransomware Business Case: With 94% of attacks targeting backups, backup resilience is a board-level financial risk. Focus on making backups untouchable.
- The Hidden Tax of Bloatware: Organizations waste $750 million annually on unused software features. Complexity you don’t need is cost you shouldn’t bear.
- Integration vs. Consolidation: Prioritize integration of specialized tools (SIEM talking to backup) over full consolidation into an all-in-one vendor. Maintain specialized excellence.
- Recovery as Strategic Priority: Focus on recovery capabilities (RTOs, RPOs, and validated testing) over long feature lists. Simplicity and reliability trump bloat every time.
About Storware
Storware is a backup software producer with over 10 years of experience in the backup world. Storware Backup and Recovery is an enterprise-grade, agent-less solution that caters to various data environments. It supports virtual machines, containers, storage providers, Microsoft 365, and applications running on-premises or in the cloud. Thanks to its small footprint, seamless integration into your existing IT infrastructure, storage, or enterprise backup providers is effortless.
About Version 2 Limited
Version 2 Digital is one of the most dynamic IT companies in Asia. The company distributes a wide range of IT products across various areas including cyber security, cloud, data protection, end points, infrastructures, system monitoring, storage, networking, business productivity and communication products.
Through an extensive network of channels, point of sales, resellers, and partnership companies, Version 2 offers quality products and services which are highly acclaimed in the market. Its customers cover a wide spectrum which include Global 1000 enterprises, regional listed companies, different vertical industries, public utilities, Government, a vast number of successful SMEs, and consumers in various Asian cities.
