THE SCENARIO COULD ACTUALLY PROVIDE ORGANISATIONS WITH AN OPPORTUNITY TO ENSURE PROTECTION , GUARANTEE UPTIME AND MANAGE DATA EFFICIENTLY .
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HEIDI WEYERS , GENERAL MANAGER FOR SALES AT REDSTOR IN SA
EDITOR ’ S QUESTION
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Given the exponential growth of data and increasing threat of sophisticated cyberattacks , there is absolutely no doubt that a secure backup is essential to any credible data management strategy .
Backup is required to ensure data can be recovered when it is most needed ( for compliance due to loss or deletion or as part of a recovery test ).
It is the first step in securely managing and protecting data .
Redstor has over 20 years industry experience and is an internationally recognised specialist in helping organisations keep their data secure in line with data protection laws .
Data is invaluable to organisations . Protecting it adequately is not only part of a successful data management strategy , it is also vital to meet compliance and regulatory guidelines ; and ensure business continuity .
However , with some 2,500 PTB of data created daily , data is also exploding and forcing organisations to deal with capacity challenges , management issues and added security complexities .
There is a need to control data and monitor it correctly .
The cybersecurity threat landscape has changed in recent years . Ransomware is a major factor and cybercriminals are often well organised and sometimes even state-sponsored . With this in mind , there are multiple ways that organisations can choose to perform a backup to safeguard their data .
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THE SCENARIO COULD ACTUALLY PROVIDE ORGANISATIONS WITH AN OPPORTUNITY TO ENSURE PROTECTION , GUARANTEE UPTIME AND MANAGE DATA EFFICIENTLY .
The increased adoption and application of cloud technologies in organisations means that data can be stored in numerous places .
This is a challenge for many organisations . However , if administered correctly , the scenario could actually provide organisations with an opportunity to ensure protection , guarantee uptime and manage data efficiently .
Traditional backup technologies often output data to removal storage media for it to be securely stored offsite . To ensure data protection , any removable storage media must be securely encrypted .
Modern day cloud backup solutions offer the benefits of flexibility and scalability in addition to increasing availability , ensuring protection and helping to decrease data loss .
Cloud backup solutions easily handle the challenge of protecting data which is spread across multiple sites , servers or machines and be centrally managed . This allows IT teams to securely monitor and report on full data sets from one central place .
However , it is important to consider other implications . Downtime is costly for organisations ; what happens if you lose data stored in the cloud ? Can you get it back ?
While many cloud storage platforms will likely keep an additional copy of data , this may not be the most secure method of recovery .
For one , this could be a replicated copy and should the data become corrupted or completely deleted , the replicated copy is likely to mirror that . For compliance or regulatory needs , retention of data stored in the cloud can become an issue .
It is vital when implementing cloud solutions , public or otherwise , to understand where data will be stored : ‘ in the cloud ’ isn ’ t an adequate answer and data protection regulation will likely state where data can and cannot be stored .
Understanding what security levels are in place and who , if anyone , has access to data at the back-end will help prevent unauthorised access . • www . intelligentcio . com INTELLIGENTCIO
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