Backend as a Service (BaaS): 4 Ways It Can Benefit Your Organization

A website is composed of multiple different parts, each essential in its own right. One of the most important is the backend, where your team creates the operations that form the foundation of your online presence. However, just because it’s important doesn’t necessarily mean you need to take the entire task into your own hands. In fact, by choosing to use Backend as a Service (BaaS), you can make the production process easier, more efficient, and better prepared for growth.

Let’s take a look at what backend as a service is, how it can help your organization, and if it’s the right choice for you.

What is backend as a service (BaaS)?

Backend as a service (BaaS) is a development option where another party takes care of all the essential behind-the-scenes activities for you. This approach offers a few key advantages, including:

• Heightened developer focus. Most activities that happen on the backend are fairly standardized and predictable. Outsourcing these means that developers are freed from managing monotonous tasks, leaving them more time and energy to focus on the more unique aspects of frontend construction.
• Resource efficiency. When you choose backend as a service, you’re letting someone else actively manage your resources. Thus, you can make sure you’re only paying for the resources you need without having to consistently monitor them.
• Scaling capabilities. With BaaS, you never have to worry about the logistics of scaling up. That all happens behind the scenes so your developers can keep their focus on growing and not the potential roadblocks.
• Less time to market. Since BaaS will be taking care of a heavy share of the workload, developers will have less work to do and thus will be able to do it in less time.

Additionally, in order to take advantage of BaaS strategies, users must naturally sever the connection between the frontend and the backend. Thus, BaaS is built upon an API-first approach. This means that all parts of your website will be connected through APIs, so each one can act independently while still being part of the same ecosystem.

An API-first approach offers many concrete benefits. For one thing, it means you can use a best-of-breed approach. As such, you can curate your system to rely on the exact tools that you need. Additionally, the fact that each piece of technology is not intrinsically linked means you can remove or add new programs as necessary without worrying about disrupting the entire system.

4 ways that backend as a service can benefit your organization

There are several specific use cases where backend as a service can directly improve your website’s performance. Here are a few examples.

1. User authentication and remote updating

User authentication is an important security measure that verifies a user’s ID before giving them access to the requested content. This simple yet effective layer of security is not one you want to forget! Remote updating is also a security aspect that shouldn’t be taken lightly. These periodic patches are necessary to make sure that the most current safety features are protecting your users.

BaaS makes sure both of these processes happen automatically. Your developers don’t need to interfere or worry about them falling through the cracks. Instead, it’ll occur instantly as necessary in the background. Your team will have peace of mind to work on the frontend knowing it is constantly being safeguarded on the back.

2. Database management

Database management refers to the process of maintaining sorting, storing, and retrieving essential information. This can include anything from customer information to automated processes. Given that this process impacts almost every aspect of your website, finding a way to organize all of this information is essential to a smooth-running website. Poor administration over it can lead to slow service or even losing track of essential data.

Unfortunately, successful database management requires a significant amount of developer time and energy. However, it doesn’t have to. With backend as a service, this process happens automatically. You can rest assured that you’ll get a top-tier system that doesn’t require your developers' constant attention, maximizing efficiency and minimizing time to market.

3. Push notifications

Engaging your customers is an essential part of obtaining conversions. Push notifications, which can deliver important information about your brand to users instantly, can be a way to consistently keep your content at the top of their minds.

The fact that you can automate this tool is doubtlessly helpful, but it doesn’t negate the fact that you’ll still need to carefully craft the program that will provide it. With backend as a service, you don’t have to worry about the routine technical aspects. All you’ll need to do is customize the messages to best support your content strategy.

4. Cloud storage and hosting

Cloud storage and hosting offer organizations many benefits, including:

• Increased security and disaster recovery capabilities
• Easier scaling of resources
• Better handling of traffic and higher rates of uptime

Backend as a service builds on these benefits by offering them all while also taking away the need to monitor the process yourself. Take scaling for example. Cloud hosting makes this easier as adding new resources is simple, but BaaS takes it a step further because you don’t have to be the one managing the exact amounts. That means you can focus more on building an effective digital experience for your users and less on struggling with the mechanics of supporting it.

Should I use backend as a service?

No matter what kind of business you run, backend as a service is worth your consideration. It improves efficiency, flexibility, and overall performance in your system. At the same time, it does this all without requiring the intervention of your developers, leaving them free to focus on the frontend of your digital experience.

However, that doesn’t mean it’s a one-size-fits-all solution. For example, you may want to keep a very close eye on how your backend operates. If you’d prefer your developers to have full control over data management, for example, and you have the resources to support it, backend as a service might not be the best for you.

If you’re still not sure which is right for your organization, talk to your developers! If they feel their workload is too heavy or they could benefit from fewer maintenance tasks, it might be time to switch to a BaaS model.

Key takeaways

Backend as a service can simplify your content operations by taking care of everything that goes on in the background. Whether you’re looking to make life easier for your developers, speed up time to market, or ensure efficiency behind the scenes, BaaS exists to make your life easier and allow you to focus entirely on your content operations.

Storyblok’s backend as a service design ensures that every CMS user has the opportunity to take advantage of these benefits. To learn more about how we leverage BaaS to benefit our customers, contact our sales team today!