Business critical data storage needs better back-up

So says North America-based remote office online backup and recovery specialist Asigra. It cites a recent report from analyst IDC showing industry recording its 14th consecutive quarter of significant storage revenue growth. Pundits also still expect storage capacity to continue to double every 18 months due in part to the introduction of systems for information lifecycle management (ILM) and continuous data protection (CDP) strategies. The increase in data growth is also leading to more demand for utility-computing services, says Asigra, which analyst Gartner says could make up 50% of all data centre activities by the end of the decade – rising from $15bn in 2004 to nearly $80bn assets by 2008. For Asigra, the issue is an upsurge in outsourcing storage tasks, especially back-up, to managed service providers (MSPs), especially from SMEs. Why does that matter? Asigra points to remarks by Heidi Biggar, researcher at analyst Enterprise Strategy Group: “An estimated 60—70% of mission-critical data is stored and used at off-site locations – the bulk of which is likely unprotected,”1 she says. “And these numbers don’t include information that is considered business-critical. Remote data is subject to the same regulatory compliance and corporate governance requirements as on-site data, and therefore needs the same level of protection. When it comes to remote data protection, ‘out of sight, out of mind’ is no longer acceptable.” A case in point is Iron Mountain, a Boston data storage firm, which suffered a number of headline-producing losses due to the theft of personal data of thousands of Long Island Railroad employees and fire damage at storage facilities in London, England and Ottawa, Canada, which destroyed paper records and data stored on tape cartridges. “What the Iron Mountain incidents showed is that even though companies might have some data protection in place, they need to constantly be evaluating their storage protocols to make sure that their corporate data is truly safe and secure,” warns Eran Farajun, executive vice president of Asigra. “By backing up mission-critical information from all of a company’s remote office and branch office locations – in addition to corporate headquarters – to an off-site location, organisations can further ensure that it will be available to help quell concerns of loss, theft or natural disaster.” He insists that as storage capacities continue to grow, the ability to safeguard data from man-made or natural disasters needs to keep pace. “2006 showed that the industry is posed for further success, as the supply of innovative storage solutions is a necessity to satiate the demand of businesses of all sizes. “Security and regulatory issues will also weigh heavily on companies’ needs to protect customer information, satisfy privacy concerns and enable business continuity. Learning from the year’s missteps and piggybacking on the successes, the storage industry will continue to show strength in 2007 and beyond.”