t cht lk available around the clock . This includes the availability of emergency backup services , such as batteries and generators , in case of power outages . Agreements are also in place with energy suppliers for redundant energy connections that enter the data centre from different locations , redundant Internet connections and an agreement with local authorities for evacuation work to reduce possible damage to any important cables . In the event of a disaster , it ’ s important to keep in mind that a proactive plan for backing up data to ensure Business Continuity always has multiple moving parts to consider ; working with the right providers and products can help you rest easy at night .”
John Day , Sales Engineering Leader , UK & I and Nordics at Commvault
Tom Cotton , Agile Workspace Technical Director at Six Degrees , encourages businesses to be fully informed about their public cloud choice before pressing ahead .
“ If your organisation is transitioning workloads to public cloud , you may well have concerns around losing control of your data . These aren ’ t unfounded – SaaS providers take backups to ensure the integrity of their services , but they will not take responsibility for data loss that results from accidental deletion , malware or operational errors .”
vulnerabilities in security posture go far deeper than phishing attacks . The cognitive bias of the human brain can lead to a false sense of security around prevention strategies and a lack of focus on backup and recovery . From overconfidence bias to loss aversion , humans are innately more likely to focus on avoiding negative outcomes – prioritising prevention over backup and recovery provision . These solutions provide continuity in the case of what is fast becoming an inevitability for most organisations – they should be seen as essential components of any IT security plan but are often overlooked .”
Keep cloud security top of mind
A report from Flexera revealed that optimising existing cloud use remained at the top of companies ’ 2020 priority list for the fourth year in a row , followed by migrating more workloads to the cloud . Terry Storrar , Managing Director at Leaseweb UK , explains how backup makes the move to the cloud easier than ever .
“ One benefit of modern cloud backup solutions is that they are suitable for businesses of any size , enabling data backup from any server or device , anywhere with an Internet connection . Cloud backup solutions are easy to manage and their providers offer reliable , hands-on customer support .
“ At Leaseweb for example , we take every necessary precaution to ensure that our customers ’ data is
Cotton advises organisations to consider how they protect data stored in public cloud environments . “ I recommend partnering with a trusted data protection provider to hand control of your mission-critical data back to your organisation .”
Backup 101
To conclude , Commvault ’ s John Day adds a final comment on best practices around data backups .
“ Businesses should backup their data by starting in reverse . Effective backup really starts with the recovery requirements and aligning to the business needs for continued service . Ensuring you have the right recovery solution that aligns to the criticality of the application and data , while balancing the cost to the business , as well as the simplicity of operations . For example , with Office 365 , protecting email and information held in collaboration tools , using an SaaS solution enables customers rapid deployment of protection capabilities , without the overhead of building and maintaining traditional , self-created data protection services .” p
Tom Cotton , Agile Workspace Technical Director at Six Degrees
Effective backup really starts with the recovery requirements and aligning to the business needs for continued service .
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