{"id":4449,"date":"2021-07-07T11:47:44","date_gmt":"2021-07-07T15:47:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/solutionsreview.com\/backup-disaster-recovery\/?p=4449"},"modified":"2021-07-07T11:49:26","modified_gmt":"2021-07-07T15:49:26","slug":"the-top-five-essential-components-of-a-data-protection-strategy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/solutionsreview.com\/backup-disaster-recovery\/the-top-five-essential-components-of-a-data-protection-strategy\/","title":{"rendered":"The Top Five Essential Components of a Data Protection Strategy"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"TheThis is part of Solutions Review\u2019s Premium Content Series, a collection of contributed columns written by industry experts in maturing software categories. In this submission, Diana Salazar of Quantum<\/a> outlines the five essential components of a data protection strategy.<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"PremiumFor every IT department,\u00a0protecting\u00a0its\u00a0organization\u2019s\u00a0critical data\u00a0is imperative.\u00a0Secondary storage continues to grow as more and more data is being generated, and many organizations are finding that the value of their data can also grow along with size. This tier of data also needs to be protected.\u00a0Over the past five years, legislation like the General Data Protection Act (GDPR) and the Data Care Act has\u00a0been\u00a0rolled out\u00a0to protect customer\u00a0data, reflecting the growing importance of data protection.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Organizations face a wide range of threats to their data,\u00a0from natural disasters\u00a0and\u00a0nefarious\u00a0cyber-attacks\u00a0to unexpected\u00a0events\u00a0like the\u00a0current pandemic\u00a0or simple human error.\u00a0Yet Contingency Planning and Strategic Research Corporation reports that 96 percent of all business workstations are not being backed up, leaving organizations open to risks that could threaten their very existence.\u00a0According to the University of Texas,\u00a094 percent of companies suffering from a catastrophic data loss do not survive \u2013 43 percent never reopen and 51 percent close within two years.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The\u00a0following five\u00a0steps are essential\u00a0to developing an effective data protection strategy:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div><\/div><\/span><\/p>\n

Know your data<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

First,\u00a0understand\u00a0your data. As the digital universe grows, so too does the volume of data that must be managed. But\u00a0not all of\u00a0it\u00a0is critical,\u00a0so the question we need to ask is, should it all remain in the fastest performing tier? Many enterprises understand the potential value of their data for future business endeavors. Tiering data to a more cost-effective solution presents a good opportunity to save long term and capitalize on its undiscovered value.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Many\u00a0organizations\u00a0struggle with\u00a0their\u00a0data protection\u00a0plan\u00a0and\u00a0recovery of their data because they\u2019ve never classified it. Classification entails categorizing\u00a0the data\u00a0and prioritizing its importance to the organization.<\/span> \u00a0<\/span>Simple data classification enables\u00a0an organization\u00a0to distinguish between critical and non-critical data\u00a0and\u00a0prioritize\u00a0what\u2019s\u00a0essential based on its lifecycle (hot, warm, or cold).\u00a0Aim to boost your data protection strategy by combining data classification with well-defined recovery objectives.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Protect your assets<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Organizations should tier their data in order of importance\u00a0when developing their data protection\u00a0strategy. Data that needs to be accessed quickly and frequently should be stored on a faster storage medium\u00a0(hot)\u00a0compared to data that rarely needs to be accessed\u00a0(cold)\u00a0and can therefore be stored on a more cost-efficient medium.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

By incorporating the best practice\u00a0backup rule\u00a0of\u00a0the 3-2-1-1 (three copies of critical data stored in two different mediums\u2014with one copy offline and one copy offsite) in your data protection plan, you\u00a0can\u00a0ensure that you\u2019ll always have access to the data you need, when you need it.\u00a0The best practice rule enables you to withstand an attack even as criminals get more\u00a0creative and persistent. Anything connected to a network is at risk of being breached.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Understand your recovery time<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

One factor that mustn\u2019t be overlooked when deciding on a data protection strategy\u00a0is how\u00a0any unforeseen downtime\u00a0will\u00a0impact\u00a0business operations.\u00a0<\/span> Unfortunately, some organizations are tempted to take a simple \u2013 and possibly expensive \u2013 approach to protecting their data. They\u2019re so busy running their business operations that it\u2019s hard to find time to research the nuances of different types of storage\u00a0tiers available.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For example, it can take several days or even months to fully recover from a ransomware attack, especially when targeted campaigns wipe out clusters of servers. In such cases, there is no remedy except to rebuild.\u00a0Avoid choosing\u00a0convenience over complexity\u00a0as it may make a bad situation even worse as lengthy data recovery\u00a0times\u00a0can\u00a0add days (and even weeks) to an already stressful situation.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Know your backup options<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

It\u2019s\u00a0important to\u00a0understand the range of\u00a0storage\u00a0options available as well as the benefits and drawbacks of each:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n