Data Protection and Cloud: A Hybrid World Deserves Hybrid Security

By CIOReview | Tuesday, April 17, 2018

Using only cloud storage can significantly complicate data access, protection, and backup as the data is being stored in a remote location managed by a third party and connected by a network. In the case of a network getting disrupted, data becomes inaccessible, unless it has been backed up on-premises, either in a data center or some other local storage such as an appliance or employee workstation. Further, a company using only cloud storage relies to a large extent on a third party to physically protect its data. Service-level agreements may specify promised levels of data protection and cloud uptime, but these are hardly guarantees.

To ensure complete data protection for data stored in multiple places locally and remotely, companies need a hybrid cloud data solution that can copy data to and from various cloud deployments, as well as in local and remote locations, PCs, and virtual servers. By backing up data automatically in multiple locations, companies can safeguard their valuable business data while providing secure access to employees, partners, customers, and applications.

Effective data protection also means protecting the identities of people (such as customers or employees) associated with your company’s data. This can be done by storing ownership information separately from the relevant data, preventing a hacker from linking banking or financial data to a name. In many cases data protection also involves ensuring the company is meeting data privacy and compliance standards. This is a major issue for healthcare companies required to meet federal patient data privacy requirements.