05/10/2012
WHY DO I NEED DATA PROTECTION SERVICES?
Data processing operations have evolved with breathtaking speed over the past few years, expanding from very large mainframe operations to small business networks. Today, most business enterprises, whether large or small, cannot function without their electronic data; ushering in a new age of risk and vulnerability to their continued existence. Critical data loss is expensive, may involve illegal acts, and can seriously threaten the continued survivability of the unprepared business. At a minimum, recovery of lost data can be very expensive. Moreover, the recently enacted Sarbanes – Oxley law provides civil and criminal penalties for some companies if data supporting financial reporting cannot be recovered on a timely basis. Protection of critical and compliance data must be taken very seriously. Your job may depend upon it.
•A large distributor of periodicals and newspapers operated via branch offices throughout the United States and Canada. The home office relied on wide area networks to receive critical data input from the field, but depended on each branch to protect its own locally produced data. One branch, located in a downtown office, was destroyed by a fire, which consumed the entire row of buildings in the block. Having faithfully backed up their critical data, the staff relied on a fireproof safe in an upstairs office for protection. It took seven days for the fire department to cool the ashes enough to permit a search for the safe. It was found in the basement cavity; and when opened the company found the plastic covering for their media had melted and the tapes were unreadable.
•The State of Ohio backed up critical data from one of their networks to a removable storage device, but delegated responsibility for offsite storage to an IT intern. Sadly, one night the intern’s car was broken into and the device stolen. It was soon discovered that the device contained personal data of a very large number of state employees. The state incurred a huge unbudgeted expense estimated to be in excess of $3,000,000 to implement identity theft and credit monitoring measures for the affected employees
•Careful advance planning can make all the difference. Soon after word of the 9/11 World Trade Center disaster began to spread, a data protection company contacted an affected client to offer assistance. As a result, the client declared a disaster and began to activate their disaster recovery plan. The data protection company delivered critical media to the client’s recovery site located on Long Island in time for recovery operations to begin by 3:00 PM the same day. The company survived and has now fully recovered.
Past studies have shown there is a 100% certainty of losing critical data from every computer enterprise at least once in a five year period. For those businesses that follow “best practices guidelines” for protecting their data, recovery can be simple and easy; those who don’t are very likely to cease operations within two years.
