No Storage Is An IslandIs your data fully centralized in one physical location? If it is, your operation is the exception rather than the rule. Much of a business' data, sometimes up to three quarters of it, will be found at remote sites, a remote office, branch office, or home office. This is even more apparent if you consider the spate of merger and acquisition activity in the business environment. Sign a contract and presto, a new pool of remote data to be managed somehow. These islands of data in your operation are horribly vulnerable in a number of ways. Too often, the remote office personnel are not trained IT types and have no real consciousness of the business or the legal consequences involved in handling data. Additionally, sending backup tapes run the risk of miscarrying and the penalties are high. In 2005, Bank of America, Citibank, and Marriott Corp. suffered embarrassment and a measure of financial liability from lost tapes that exposed customer's data to misuse. The tip: Consider recentralizing the control of these digital assets by transferring data over a WAN. There are numerous intelligent software products appearing to manage remote backup and WAN-based transfer. Working from the data center gives control of that remote data to in-house IT staff. Making sure that data is encrypted will protect the enterprise from identity theft and other malicious attacks. Another tip: If the first tip is not practical and remote backup is still your best option, select a software package that emphasizes ease of use, a comfortable GUI and easy installation. Remote offices in the insurance industry, for example, are run by insurance professionals, not IT experts. In the same way, expecting doctors, nurses, administrative assistants, or other executives should not be assumed to be IT-handy. These personnel assets need solutions that they can easily and reliably work with. The alternative is a risk that is less and less capable of justification. |
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