• Read-only scenarios – Read-only copies are created
in a similar manner to transactional ones, usually for
performance reasons in systems doing heavy analy-
sis. In most cases, applications can fall back to the
active master system if the read-only system is not
available.
Security and Privacy Considerations
One of the critical pieces that is often not addressed, or
even considered, when implementing replication/entangle-
ment scenarios, revolves around data security and privacy.
When data is replicated from one environment to another,
the security requirements surrounding that data must fol-
low it. Many times, people assume security constraints are
set up identically in both environments, but this is not nec-
essarily the case.
A second challenge in replication revolves around data pri-
vacy issues. As an organization, you are responsible for any
data passing through/replicated into your environment. A
simple example is the GDPR “right to be forgotten” rule. If
your system has personal information about an individual
who has requested to be removed from your system, that
means their data must be deleted from any and all systems
where it resides. If their information is entangled through-
out your environment, you must make sure you have identi-
fied all those connections in order to remain compliant.
The best way to address both these considerations is to
have a comprehensive data governance process in place.
With copies of data moving throughout your system, it is
critical to know what data you have and where you have it.
In many organizations, data replications and entanglements
have grown organically, and without good governance, data
can be forgotten, putting the organization at risk.
No Technology Negates the Need for
Good Design and Planning
In the rapidly changing world of digital disruption, the ever
growing number of technology tools available, along with
the pressure to quickly implement new solutions, makes it
easy to fall into a “ready, fire, aim” approach. Hybrid cloud
and huge volumes of data provide tremendous opportuni-
ties to add value to your business. But the need for speed
does not negate the need for good design and planning.
We as technologists have a responsibility to make sure we
understand where the entanglements of data are, what the
impacts are and what the requirements are to replicate that
information to the right place, at the right time, taking into
account performance, cost, security and privacy. Only then
can we truly provide lasting and scalable business value.
SPRING 2019 | THE DOPPLER | 77