It can’t be said enough that safeguarding our data has become a top-tier worry for both individuals and organisations. It’s vital to keep on top of potential stumbling blocks that could jeopardise the reliability and safety of the organisation’s data.
Let’s dive into key 5 risks in data protection:
Cybersecurity Threats:
The digital realm is rife with malicious actors seeking to exploit vulnerabilities. Cyberattacks, such as ransomware and phishing, pose significant threats to data integrity. A single breach can compromise sensitive information, leading to financial losses and reputation damage.
Recently, I wrote an article on how BDRSuite can safeguard your environment from ransomware, as just one of the risks organisations face when protecting and storing their data. Quick recoveries are a massive business enhancer when ransomware becomes evident in your environment.
Compliance Challenges:
With the implementation of stringent data protection regulations like GDPR, compliance has become a minefield for organisations. Failure to adhere to these regulations can result in hefty fines and legal consequences, making it imperative for businesses to stay abreast of evolving compliance requirements. A very well-known compliance regulation when it comes to data is around retention and being able to produce clean historical data should an organisation be audited for compliance reasons.
The answer is that many organisations looking to cloud storage solutions to host this archival data which are separate from the local copy (and network) thus guaranteeing its immutability whilst still facilitating remote, point-in-time recovery options.
BDRSuite effortlessly integrates with a range of cloud storage solutions, encompassing AWS S3, Azure, Google Cloud, and S3-compatible storage providers such as Wasabi.
Data Governance Gaps:
In the same vein as compliance challenges is also having inadequate data governance frameworks can lead to a lack of transparency and accountability. Organisations must establish comprehensive policies for data collection, storage, and sharing to mitigate the risk of data misuse or mishandling.
Immutable storage is a core principle of data protection, ensuring that your data remains unchanged and unmodifiable. As mentioned before, BDRSuite has support for immutable cloud storage on platforms like S3, Azure Blob, and Google Cloud. Even in the face of a ransomware attack, your backups stored in immutable cloud storage will stay reliable, enabling swift recovery.
Insider Threats:
Not all data breaches are external; insider threats, whether intentional or unintentional, can be equally damaging. Employee negligence, unauthorised access, or disgruntled staff members can compromise sensitive data, emphasising the need for robust access controls and employee training.
While user errors are always going to be a risk (big or small), having features like automated scheduled backups which BDRSuite has can reduce manual human intervention thus reducing the risk of user errors, coupled with the security measures with RBAC (BDR users) – you can ensure the right user with the right role has access only to the data they are meant to.
Emerging Technologies:
Though not entirely new, recent advancements like artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things present unparalleled opportunities.
However, they also usher in fresh risks. Insufficient security measures in these technologies open the door to vulnerabilities, potentially paving the way for data breaches and unauthorised access. Over the years, I have closely followed BDRSuite’s unwavering dedication to fortifying their solution, ensuring its robustness through continuous software enhancements, encompassing major and minor version releases, as well as timely patches when vulnerabilities are discovered.
In closing:
There are many risks when undergoing any ICT infrastructure project, security, compliance, governance and unknown threats all play a big part in any IT project. By addressing these top 5 risks head-on, organisations can strengthen their defences and navigate the digital ICT landscape with confidence.
