MARCH 2013 Top 10 Endpoint Backup Mistakes And how to avoid them
Backing up and protecting sensitive corporate data has become more challenging because of several trends: exponential data growth, the rise in endpoints, BYOD, and SaaS applications. Avoid the following ten endpoint backup mistakes to ensure that your critical corporate data is protected and end user productivity is improved. 1. Backing up only desktops and servers In a recent report on endpoint user data, Gartner reported that 28% of corporate data resides exclusively on laptops, smartphones, and tablets 1. As the modern workforce becomes increasingly mobile, companies that rely solely on desktop backup put over a quarter of their enterprise data at risk. This is a common mistake according to ESG - only 35% of enterprise laptops are backed up 2. 2. Using legacy server backup solutions repurposed for endpoints Solutions originally designed for server backup are only effective in highly predictive environments where devices are backed up on a schedule and over a secure high-bandwidth LAN. When repurposed for endpoint backup these solutions perform very poorly because endpoint backup environments are highly unpredictable. Faster, non-intrusive backups, the ability to work over VPNless networks, and flexible, opportunistic scheduling are critical features for endpoint backup that are not available in legacy server backup solutions. 3. Believing all deduplication technologies are created equal Endpoint data is doubling every 18 months while bandwidth speeds have only grown 10x over the last 10 years 3. In order to deal with this large gap between data growth and bandwidth and computing resource limitations, look for solutions with efficient deduplication technology. These solutions work on the client side, dedupe objects within files, and eliminate data duplication across all users within the enterprise. Up 28% of corporate data resides exclusively on laptops, smartphones, and tablets 1. Gartner: Endpoint User Data Backup Report (ID# G00211731) 2. ESG Report 3. IDC: Digital Universe report
to 80% of an organization s data is duplicate, so enterprise-wide deduplication can provide large bandwidth and storage savings. 4. Forgetting about the end user experience Users frequently disengage backup software when the backup process interferes with their ability to work. In fact, 51% of end users found their current backup solution to be intrusive 4. An effective backup solution must include bandwidth and CPU throttling capabilities, efficient deduplication, and WAN optimization to provide end-users with a non-intrusive user experience, resulting in successful backups and protected data. 51% of end users found their current backup solution to be intrusive In addition, solutions that allow self-restore not only empower the end user but also save IT support time and resources. 5. Underestimating security Endpoints are prone to theft and loss, and if not secured expensive data breaches are expensive imminent. In a recent study, Intel concluded that the average cost of data breach on a lost laptop is over $39,000 5. Prevent such serious financial consequences by looking for solutions that encrypt data on the device, in-transit, and at-rest on the server, as well as provide remote wipe and geo-locate capabilities as an additional layer of security. Enterprises evaluating cloud endpoint backup solutions must ascertain that the provider satisfies physical data center security requirements and has appropriate 3rd party security certifications. Some leading endpoint backup solutions use sophisticated two-factor encryption mechanisms that prevent even these solution providers from accessing your data on the servers. $39,000 avg. cost of data breach for every lost laptop 6. Thinking short term and limited scalability Consider both your current and future business needs and don t limit yourself to consumer-grade solutions that work adequately in the short term but may not scale in the long term. Look for an enterprise endpoint backup solution that provides scal 4. Ponemon Institute: Quantifying the Benefits of Unified Endpoint Data Management 5. Intel: Billion Dollar Lost Laptop Problem
able storage, advanced deduplication to deal with exponential data growth, and the ability to support a geographically distributed organization. 7. Not picking the right deployment model The decision to go with a cloud or on-premise deployment should be based on business factors such as budget, timeline, corporate policies, and external compliance regulations among others. Define your deployment requirements first or you may be pigeon-holed into managing a solution that does not align with your organization s IT strategy. Cloud-based solutions offer you on-demand scalability and allow shifting of capital expenses to operating expenses. On-premise solutions may provide higher performance along with cost advantages from hosting infrastructure behind your corporate firewall. 8. Not understanding the total cost of ownership (TCO) Comparing up-front costs alone when evaluating solutions could mean you pay more in the long term. Consider total cost of ownership: opportunity cost of the initial setup time, hardware costs, deployment time, and cost of resources to manage the solution. For instance, a solution that has low upfront costs may require weeks of initial setup time and effort which not only increases the time-to-value but also increases TCO from the enormous amount of IT man hours required. Also, solutions that do not support mass client deployment impact both IT and end user productivity severely, again increasing TCO. Some other features to consider are centralized policy management, automatic client upgrades, on-demand scalability, user self-restore options, and optimized storage and bandwidth utilization. 9. Not preparing for BYOD BYOD allows employees to maximize their productivity and can t be taken lightly by IT departments even if it creates numerous challenges to keep corporate data secure. Look for solutions that provide end users with mobile apps to access their data but allows IT to set up profiles to limit access on BYOD devices.
10. Not looking beyond backup The needs of today s mobile workforce requires IT departments to consider how to improve productivity while maintaining control over corporate data. For instance, knowledge workers see immense productivity gains from popular consumer file sharing solutions, which in turn put the enterprise at serious risk of data breach because of the lack of security of these applications. Additional integration with data loss prevention tools that enable remote wipe and geo-location for lost or stolen devices can also assist IT in mitigating risk. IT can further ensure regulatory compliance by using features such as e-discovery enablement, legal hold, and federated search. Solutions that integrate these features into their endpoint backup provides huge efficiencies for saving cost, time, and effort involved in endpoint data protection and management. A recent study by the Ponemon Institute quantified that an enterprise can save up to $8100 per user each year by employing a solution that integrates endpoint backup, secure file sharing, data loss prevention, and analytics 6. $8,100 savings per user each year by employing a solution that integrates endpoint backup, secure file sharing, DLP, and analytics 6. Ponemon Institute: Quantifying the Benefits of Unified Data Management
About Druva Druva offers a full suite of endpoint data management solutions for enterprise laptops, PCs, smartphones, and tablets. Its flagship product, insync, empowers an enterprise s mobile workforce with award-winning backup, secure file sharing, data loss prevention, and rich analytics. Deployed on the cloud or on premise, insync is the only solution built with both IT needs and end-user experiences in mind. Druva has over 1,500 customers and protects a million endpoints across 46 countries. With offices in the United States, India and the United Kingdom, Druva is privately held and is backed by Nexus Venture Partners and Sequoia Capital. Information on Druva is available at www.druva.com. Druva, Inc. Americas: +1 888-248-4976 Europe: +44.(0)20.3150.1722 APJ: +919886120215 sales@druva.com www.druva.com