Backup and Storage – Why is it Necessary For Enterprises?

Data is the most precious enterprise resource currently, and it is important to protect it from all aspects of loss and theft. All enterprises have to deal with data, and few would have to deal with highly sensitive data. For example, financial, health, aerospace and defense enterprises, government agencies, etc. deal with confidential data that cannot be compromised at all. You may be surprised to know that 75% of the healthcare industry has been infected with malware at some point in time. This is just one such statistic; a closer look at the various data breaches that have happened across the past decade or so clearly tell a tale on why enterprises should pay more attention to data governance policies. Data storage and backup is of course, a huge part of the data governance policy.

The consequences of any unforeseen events happening can be far-reaching and highly damaging for all enterprises. Disasters are waiting to happen, and they could be man-made or natural. Natural disasters like floods, fires, earthquakes, Tsunamis, etc. are threats to the physical servers where enterprises store data. Intentional malicious attacks on the server for theft or harmful manipulation of data, careless exposure or oversight of personnel handling the data, or silly mistakes leading to loss of data, also form some other forms of threat to the data. Many employees handling such confidential are not sensitized about the gravity of the matter. Interestingly, in 2019, 31% of organizations have experienced cyber attacks on operational infrastructure and 95% of data breaches have causes attributed to human error. All these statistics highlight the need to have strong data storage and backup policies in place.

Since all data ultimately is residing on some hardware, aided by some software for its management, even hardware and software failures can result in a crisis. The loss of reputation, revenue and goodwill, apart from the time and money in fines and litigation that ensue any data breach, can even be irreversible for many enterprises. Over time, enterprises realized that data needs to be protected at any cost, and a few enterprises have learned it the hard way. Hence, data backup and storage is a huge part of the enterprise data governance policy being put in place nowadays.

What is enterprise backup and storage?

It is imperative to protect data from all forms of harm and this gave birth to the concept of enterprise backup and storage. Typically, enterprise storage and backup would involve moving the data to one or more secondary backups, that may be physically located at other locations. This would keep the data safe at all times, as it can be recovered to ensure business continuity, even in the worst case, of one physical location being compromised due to any unforeseen event. Enterprise data backup and storage can, therefore, be defined as an enterprise taking into account all possible forms of harm that can befall their data and planning for recovery and continuity of services. It is part of the organizational risk management and business continuity policy.

How is it done?

The enterprise data backup and storage would be a combination of software, hardware, and policies put in place for the same. The backups may be scheduled periodically, or incrementally by the administrators. The backup policy usually also covers the data maintenance periods as well as the duration after which the data can be destroyed or purged, as per agreed terms or regulations that govern the same.

Data storage and backup should always take into account any regulations that require specific compliances that apply to such industry sectors. The backups should also be done with extreme care with audits and logs that make retrievals easy in the worst case of any disaster striking.

There are multiple ways in which data storage and backups are implemented like data replication, clustering, Cloud storage with auto backups, virus and malware protection, and more. The backup and restore mechanisms could be at the file, database, folder, and disk levels or more. Multiple layer backup mechanisms can be put in place to ensure that recovery is foolproof and covers all recent changes.

The Benefits

The main benefits of enterprise data storage and backup are:

• Protection from data loss or theft
• Intellectual Property loss prevention
• Insulation from financial loss
• Business continuity
• Safeguarding reputation and goodwill
• Customer trust and respect (leading to revenue)

Any enterprise that wants to be in business cannot ignore any of the above points. So, these are not just the benefits of implementing a good data storage and backup policy, but perhaps, an essential aspect of doing business.

Cloud-Based Solutions

Since many enterprises have already made the move to the Cloud, it is essential that Cloud service providers incorporate the data storage and backup needs into their Cloud infrastructure. Maintaining the sanctity of enterprise data is of prime importance, and prevention of data loss must form part of the Cloud architecture design.

A few methods which can be implemented are endpoint backups, file versioning, audits and log trails, remote wipes, file locks, recovery of recycling bins, and prevention of data leaks. Cloud-based solutions may provide enterprises with the required flexibility and agility, cost-effectiveness, ease of use, adherence to requisite compliances, and more. For many enterprises, Cloud could be the ideal answer to their enterprise data storage and backup issues. Perhaps, this is what has driven this industry and its growth in the past decade or so.

As more needs emerge and more regulations come into place, the Cloud solution providers are also innovating and more than meeting the challenge. Enterprises small, medium or large, are slowly shifting to Cloud-based operations and made it a competitive field. Flexible options in storage, usage, and billing are being rolled out by Cloud service providers to ensure that the enterprises can choose what they want according to their business needs. As a result, the choices are many, and CISOs/IT managers of enterprises have a tough task of evaluating Cloud service providers on various parameters to zero down on their choice. Preparing a checklist beforehand and then ticking off the boxes helps make the right choice.

The FileCloud Advantage

FileCloud understands and addresses most of the data loss related issues so that enterprises using their solutions can be rest assured about the safety and security of the data. Online storage and backup by FileCloud allow enterprises to back up on cloud whenever required. These backups are automatically created at scheduled times and prevent data loss and avoid accidental deletion. Authorized users of the enterprises can access this data anytime, from anywhere using any modern device, and the information will be in sync. It can also be restored across all platforms (Windows, Mac, Linux) as well as devices (Desktops and Smartphones). The backups also include database backups, and this is very essential in High Availability scenarios.

The FileCloud online backup and storage automatically copies files and stores them via a highly secure internet connection. The enterprise admins and users will have control over the data storage and usage, including for the database backups. The backup and retrieval happen according to customized policies set up based on organizational needs. This option from FileCloud is not just cost-effective, but also secure and scalable, and also provides a unified interface for enterprises to easily manage their storage and backup needs. Besides, it comes with unique capabilities to monitor, prevent, and fix data leakage assure enterprise data is protected across all devices. This is done with the help of activity logs and powerful admin features.

Additionally, FileCloud provides automatic backup of endpoint data across all devices and platforms. Not just this, it also automatically stores versions of files as they change and makes it easy to get back to a previous version. Besides, accidentally deleted files can also be recovered from the recycle bin, by the users or the administrators. Above all this, FileCloud also offers a FileCloud Backup Server, which backs up your entire FileCloud installation as a Disaster Recovery solution. This makes for hassle-free and easy restoration of the complete server data, including settings.

By Team FileCloud