CIO BEST PRACTICE: Addressing 3 Common Enterprise IT challenges with a smart Data Protection Solution BEST PRACTICE.

Transcription

1 BEST PRACTICE: Addressing 3 Common Enterprise IT challenges with a smart Data Protection Solution BEST PRACTICE

2 2 Table of ontents > EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1 NEW METRICS FOR SUCCESS > CHALLENGE 01 ENDPOINT DATA PROTECTION 1 USER-MANAGED BACKUP: WHY IT DOESN T WORK i IMMEDIATE ISSUES WITH USER-MANAGED DATA PROTECTION: ii THE FACTS AROUND USER-MANAGED DATA BACKUP: LONG-TERM ISSUES 2 DATA BACKUP & RECOVERY SOLUTION REQUIREMENTS 3 SHORTLIST: CHOOSING THE RIGHT DATA BACKUP SOFTWARE > CHALLENGE 02 CYBER SECURITY 1 NO USER INVOLVEMENT 2 CENTRAL DATA CONTROL & MANAGEMENT 3 CENTRALIZED & GRANULAR DATA ACCESS CONTROL 4 DATA ENCRYPTION 5 THE ABILITY TO TRACK DATA CHANGES 6 SAFE & SIMPLE DATA RECOVERY > CHALLENGE 03 USER DATA MIGRATION 1 COMMON DATA MIGRATION CHALLENGES 2 PLANNING FOR DATA MIGRATION: 3 IMPORTANT STEPS 3 DATA BACKUP & RECOVERY SOFTWARE: 3 WAYS IT SIMPLIFIES USER DATA MIGRATION > GETTING THE RIGHT DATA PROTECTION IN PLACE: WHY SHOULD YOUR CEO AND CFO CARE? 1 ENDPOINT DATA PROTECTION - NO LONGER JUST IT S PROBLEM

3 3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: NEW METRICS FOR SUCCESS success used to be measured on the more basic business IT requirements, such as application functionality, delivery, spam filtering and network connectivity. } In the modern business environment, IT management has not only become an increasingly important cornerstone of business continuity but what is required of those employed to manage business IT operations is exceptionally more demanding, and more complicated. The fast paced changes in technology have introduced multiple new tick-boxes in the job spec as well as creating new challenges in the workplace. Big Data, BYOD, Remote workers, multiple device proliferation, Corporate Governance Compliance, Cyber security, Bandwidth costs & constraints, Workflow automation and operational efficiency are all integral requirements for success. The new metrics for performance are based on infrastructure and application success in an environment with constant change and on a s ability to introduce policies and procedures that reduce overheads and increase profits- while keeping up with the latest enterprise technology developments and requirements. We ve spent 2011 investigating the challenges surrounding data management for s. Many s have identified data management as one of their most important job requirements. They have also stated that smarter data management has resulted in better IT performance, reduced support costs and has made a measurable difference to business operations. In this White Paper we uncover 3 common enterprise IT challenges and identify how s can address these more effectively with a smart data protection solution.

4 4 CHALLENGE 01 ENDPOINT DATA PROTECTION The most obvious enterprise IT data management requirement is protecting the business data on user laptops and desktops. This requires backing up endpoint user data and making sure that it s easily recoverable. There are many different data backup strategies and solutions employed by organizations, some of the most popular of which are illustrated in our 2011 Data Loss survey results below. We have seen that over the last 5 years, while a fileserver policy used to be a popular method of data protection, it has become much less so as it has proven ineffective in most environments. HOW DO COMPANIES PROTECT USER DATA? (2010) HOW DO COMPANIES PROTECT USER DATA? (2011) A backup solution for desktops and notebooks 30% Company policy instructing users to backup to an external hard drive 10% Company policy instructing users to copy their files to a file server 36% Folder synchronisation 16% We have no user data backup solution in place 8% A backup solution for desktops and notebooks 33% Company policy instructing users to backup to an external hard drive 16% Company policy instructing users to copy their files to a file server 31% Folder synchronisation 14% We have no user data backup solution in place 6%

5 5 USER-MANAGED BACKUP: WHY IT DOESN T WORK Many organizations employ file server backup that relies on users to copy their data as per the policy onto the server. This may at face-value seem like a quick and cost-effective solution, however, as revealed in our 2011 Data Loss survey, 87% of organizations using this data protection strategy are experiencing significant issues. While such a strategy may be an acceptable solution for a small business with user s who have minimal amounts of data on their devices, in an enterprise environment there are substantial resulting risks, costs and operational consequences. i IMMEDIATE ISSUES WITH USER- MANAGED DATA PROTECTION: The reality is that users do not follow backup policies- IT manager s almost always recognise that organizations cannot rely on the end user to diligently follow policy and backup the correct files. The key issues experienced with user-managed file server backup are: 1 Users forget to backup regularly. 2 The process of selecting and then copying files to the server is time consuming. 3 As there is no central control, user s abuse storage space and backup the incorrect files such as music, movies and photographs. 4 Users don t want their sensitive or confidential data in a central location unencrypted. 5 Lack of central management and consolidated data reporting results in IT having no data control or visibility, and thus being unable to effectively protect files. 6 Inevitable loss of sensitive business data if a device is lost/stolen, resulting in the associated recovery costs & interrupted productivity. 7 Bandwidth costs are hugely inflated and there is a significant impact on the network, specifically in enterprise environments with multiple users. 8 The infrastructural impact of multiple users backing up to the file server without any data compression or central control can be detrimental to business operations. 9 Recovery of data cannot be ensured and users blame IT when their data is not available for recovery. 10 PST files are not always included or copied to the server, resulting in lost s. 11 Remote branches / users can, in most situations, not make use of the service as the daily copying of data to a central server requires significant bandwidth. Expecting users to manage their own data protection and to copy their business data to a file server has proved ineffective in most environments. Not only is business data unprotected from data loss, and accessible to unlawful parties but there are hugely inflated storage and bandwidth costs and IT has no central control over these overheads or over the organization s endpoint data. WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING ISSUES ASSOCIATED WITH USER DATA BACKUP DOES YOUR COMPANY EXPERIENCE? Users do not consistently follow our policies 34% The infrastructure (bandwidth and storage) cannot cope with large backup volumes 12% Security concerns (users dont want sensitive information on our servers) 11% Upgrading users desktops and laptops takes a lot of time 17% There are no issues 13% High impact on user computers 13%

6 6 ii THE FACTS AROUND USER-MANAGED DATA BACKUP: LONG-TERM ISSUES Gartner and multiple other analysts have identified that successful and compliant data protection should not be left up to the user; there are multiple long-term consequences to employing this data backup strategy: User-managed data backup is not compliant with Data Protection Law and Corporate Governance Compliance. File server backup and ineffective data protection leaves organisational data vulnerable to unlawful data access, data theft, industrial espionage and data corruption. Inability to obtain the required evidence of data loss, data leakage, industrial espionage, or any other data breaches, prevents the business from taking legal action against perpetrators. Data migration projects (such as PC refresh and OS upgrades) take a significant amount of time and require multiple IT resources as locating user business data, ensuring the correct data is backed up on the server and then restoring the data to the new machine or OS is a complicated and expensive exercise. Increased support requirements DATA BACKUP & RECOVERY SOLUTION REQUIREMENTS A backup solution for notebooks and desktops has increased significantly in popularity, due to the obvious benefits of choosing tailored data backup and recovery software for enterprise data protection. SHORTLIST: CHOOSING THE RIGHT DATA BACKUP SOFTWARE 10 REQUIRED FEATURES 1 Simple enterprise-wide installation & deployment (Active Directory integration) 2 Central control & data management 3 Easy & customizable backup policy setting across departments / groups 4 Data encryption & secure data transmission 5 Transparent to users no interruption or user involvement required 6 Low impact on the network through data compression & bandwidth throttling 7 Automated data backups with scheduling options 8 Intuitive interface 9 One-click data restores fast data recovery with support for simple data migration 10 Consolidated reporting with actionable metrics and the ability to monitor multiple branches 10 REQUIRED BENEFITS 1 PC refresh projects (even for thousands of users) are easier, faster and less resource intensive 2 IT can effectively monitor and manage data across all endpoints, centrally 3 Regulatory Corporate Governance Compliance is easily achieved 4 Industrial espionage and data corruption threats are significantly reduced and data corruption can be tracked and prevented 5 OS upgrades are much easier 6 IT support costs are decreased due to lessened support requirements 7 Reduced storage and bandwidth requirements and costs 8 IT can effectively and easily report on data protection to executives, to the board or to audit committees 9 All endpoint business data is securely backed up 10 All endpoint business data is available for fast recovery

7 7 CHALLENGE 02 CYBER SECURITY The cyber threat landscape has matured significantly over the past 10 years, due in part to the proliferation of new technologies and an increasing reliance on the Internet for personal and business needs. Not only are Governments looking for ways to improve the security of their critical infrastructure systems, enterprises have become increasingly aware of the obvious real threat of data security breaches. The recently released MessageLabs Intelligence 2010 Annual Security1 report highlights the fact that the 2010 cyber security landscape was shaped by the technological advances made in more sophisticated forms of malware as the cyber criminals continued to find new and innovative ways to attack computers and businesses. Risk management and improved security ecosystems are high priorities for IT. The 2010 CDW Security Straw Poll2 has illustrated not only the increasing focus on data security in enterprises, but how business data loss is seen as the number one cyber security challenge. The majority of organizations have dedicated IT security support in place, but nearly all see room for improvement in their business IT defences. The increasing mobility of workers and the resulting business data spread has required faster security innovation and an IT mindset change looking at enterprise data architecture from the outside inwards, instead of the inside outwards. So what are the basic endpoint data protection requirements for improved enterprise Cyber Security? 01 NO USER INVOLVEMENT The reality is that users should not be involved in the security of business critical data. When organizations rely on a data backup policy where users are instructed to backup to a central server, they expose themselves to data loss risks. Removing user involvement in data backups and putting IT in control is vital for effective data security and foundational protection against cyber security threats. 02 CENTRAL DATA CONTROL & MANAGEMENT Central control over data backups not only ensures that user data is secure and available for recovery in the event of a laptop or desktop being compromised by a virus or other failure, it increases endpoint security and disaster recovery preparedness and decreases the risk of cyber threats. In order to enforce the company s data backup policy, IT needs to have a complete oversight over the endpoint data backup environment.

8 8 03 CENTRALIZED & GRANULAR DATA ACCESS CONTROL Central control over user data backups is a paramount foundational consideration when addressing cyber security. However, once the data is backed up and secure, controlling access to this data is an equally important measure. More granular and refined data access and web security policies are a certain requirement for enterprise data protection. MessageLabs Intelligence 2010 Annual Cyber Security report shows an average of 30 custom policy rules per organization in 2010; with a rise to 50 this year. Company policy should limit access to secure data based on business roles. 04 DATA ENCRYPTION Research shows that attacks on thousands of business computers are becoming less frequent, with targeted attacks on a single company or even one individual, becoming increasingly common. These attacks require access to this individual or organization s data. To prevent such an attack and effectively protect user data from any unauthorized access, enterprises need to implement appropriate security measures. Controlled access is a partial measure and should form part of addressing security in information architecture, another one of these measures is reliable and secure data encryption. LOCAL DISC ENCRYPTION: Products like Safeboot, PGP and open source options like TrueCrypt encrypt the data on an individual s notebook or desktop, in addition to the data being backed up and encrypted by an effective data backup and recovery software solution. BACKUP ENCRYPTION: The backup and recovery solution you use should automatically encrypt your data. This is an especially important feature when it comes to compliance and data breach notifications. Anyone with IT access can access data stored on the server, which is why encryption of user data is vital in preserving data integrity. Effective encryption aids in ensuring that confidential user information can t be accessed by unauthorised parties.

9 9 05 THE ABILITY TO TRACK DATA CHANGES For many institutions, security threats and suspected breaches in data security where a document has been changed or edited are difficult to prove as they don t have access to previous versions of user data. A recent example of this is a financial institution suspected unauthorised access to their books where changes were made to spreadsheets. Unfortunately, as they couldn t restore previous versions of their data they could not legally prove their case. A backup solution that provides previous versions of files to be restored removes this risk, improves corporate governance compliance and provides an audit trail. With access to this information, enterprises have greater control over data, and security risks are substantially reduced as past versions of user files can be easily restored. 06 SAFE & SIMPLE DATA RECOVERY Despite high-profile news coverage of botnet attacks, botnets showed as the top concern of only 14 percent of respondents in the 2010 CDW Security Straw Poll, however if user data has been compromised or a user machine has been infected by a virus, data recovery is a of obvious importance. Products like Net Trace also allow for asset tracking and remote deletion of the information but then the data is lost forever. If your endpoint business data is backed up you can go ahead, destroy the data on the user s machine in the knowledge that the business data is accessible and can be restored. An endpoint solution that provides simplified, safe and reliable data recovery is paramount for enterprise cyber security, ensuring authorized data recovery, increased operational benefits and reduced required resources- ultimately lowering overhead costs.

10 10 CHALLENGE 03 USER DATA MIGRATION PROJECTS Migrating data from old to new hardware or changing over to a new software operating system while trying to make sure that all the correct data, from all the company s users, makes that journey successfully, is a challenging project for IT. Historically, data migration projects have a tendency to fail, as a Bloor Research white paper suggests: Approximately 60 percent of data migration projects have overruns on time and / or budget, which affect business continuity and disrupt operations... Some projects fail completely. Three aspects need careful consideration so that data migration best practices can be followed and you can simplify data migration in your business: Data migration projects are time dependent and usually executed when the least impact on the business is expected. Any overrun has a negative effect on the business. The majority of business critical data does not sit on the company s servers, but on the user s desktop or laptop, which further complicates matters. Data migration projects differ from the usual as they are not implemented and then maintained. They are once off (hopefully) with the project drawing to a close when the new system is live.

11 11 01 COMMON DATA MIGRATION CHALLENGES Data corruption, missing data or data loss Extended or unexpected downtime Application performance issues Technical compatibility problems Data isn t restored to original location on a new OS 02 PLANNING FOR DATA MIGRATION: 3 IMPORTANT STEPS 01 DEFINE YOUR SECURITY AND AVAILABILITY REQUIREMENTS: Sometimes called data classification, this requires the security and infrastructure teams to jointly identify the needs of the IT environment and ways in which data may be segregated and protected. Data classification describes conditions for data access, retention requirements and security measures such as encryption. 02 DETAIL YOUR USER DATA MIGRATION REQUIREMENTS AND YOUR SUCCESS CRITERIA: These may include objectives such as reduced management costs, reduced storage expenditures, greater insight into expenditure, a simplified vendor model or greater technical flexibility or stability. 03 SURVEY AND DEFINE THE IT ENVIRONMENT: IT departments often use tools and scripts to do this. But migration requires a complete understanding of the technology involved. The location of data is just as important: Without providing sufficient bandwidth capacity to support heavy network access, relocating data could have adverse effects.

12 12 03 DATA BACKUP & RECOVERY SOFTWARE: 3 WAYS IT SIMPLIFIES USER DATA MIGRATION THE RIGHT DATA IS SECURELY BACKED UP & READY FOR MIGRATION Employ a solution that automates daily backups and allows IT centrally set backup policies- this simplifies data migration by ensuring that user data is securely backed up and ready for migration. This also prevents time wasted on locating data stored in non-standard locations. REDUCED BANDWIDTH & STORAGE REQUIREMENTS } FASTER & SIMPLER DATA RESTORE Software that makes data restores faster and easier will have a significant impact on time and resources required. One-click data restores that can take place unattended are vitally important in speeding up user data migration projects. Consolidated data backup reporting provides an audit trail of the data migration process that that postproject reporting and analysis is easier. The right data backup & recovery software will compress user data reducing overhead costs associated with the migration project. A centrally set backup policy also prevents user s from backing up personal data (such as movies and music) removing wasted storage & bandwidth on transmitting this data during an enterprise user data migration to a new PC or OS.

13 13 01 ENDPOINT DATA PROTECTION - NO LONGER JUST IT S PROBLEM } GETTING THE RIGHT DATA PROTECTION IN PLACE: WHY SHOULD YOUR CEO AND CFO CARE? Once you ve selected the solution that offers your business the required features & benefits, it s time to get buy-in from other C-level execs. Enterprise organizations are beginning to become aware of the inadequate protection of important data on corporate laptops and mobile devices. As mobile workers are integral to the success of many businesses and carry data that would be nearly impossible to reconstruct if their corporate device were damaged or stolen. - Sheila Childs, Vice President of Research at Gartner Business owners are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of endpoint data protection. While data backup and recovery was once solely an IT pain point and responsibility, effective protection, risk reduction and data loss prevention have become top of mind for CEO s and shareholders due to a number of impossible to ignore realities: Corporate Governance compliance & risk management Data security threats, business information confidentiality and reputational damage of customer data loss. The costs associated with lost data The potential operational benefits and bottom-line effect of an endpoint data backup solution Technology risks should form an integral part of a company s overall risk management strategy, says Richard Dewing, CEO of automated data backup and recovery solutions company, Cibecs. Legislation, like Sarbanes- Oxley, makes it imperative for companies to carefully manage the kind of information they have, how it is used, how it is stored and how it is secured. Business owners are beginning to understand that data protection- particularly endpoint data protection has a direct effect on integral aspects of the company as a whole- as well as having bottom line consequences. Conclusion: Cibecs offers complete control over endpoint data and is the simplest way to manage the data on user laptops and desktops Cibecs is an automated data backup and recovery solution, specifically developed for endpoint devices, that offers tangible operational benefits over and above the insurance benefit of quick and easy data recovery. Counting the National Prosecuting Authority, Gijima, Unisys, Ingram Micro, Business Connexion, and several major financial institutions amongst its loyal clients. Visit to download your Free Trial

14 Cibecs Best Practice ABOUT CIBECS Trusted by thousands of business users worldwide, Cibecs is the simplest way to ensure end-user data continuity and recover data residing on user laptops and desktops. Visit for more information 14 }