Devastating Sony Hack Unveils Need for Secure Data Storage by Jennifer Burl

By now, you've probably heard/read about the major cyber-attack on Sony Pictures, in which several un-released films were leaked and highly sensitive company and employee information was compromised. The identity of the hacker has yet to be discovered, but there is a lot of speculation circling around the issue, and new updates are emerging every day.

Of course, Sony hasn't been the only big company to be in the news lately because of a hackers, but this may well be the most devastating hack so far, and Sony admits that it is not yet sure of the full scope of information that the attackers have or might release. That's enough to make any enterprise more than a little nervous.

So what can you do to keep such valuable data safe? There are a number of ways to protect your assets, but only a few that have stood the test of time. Sending physical media offline, for example, is an excellent way to keep your data secure, away from hackers and ensure that you always meet compliance regulations.

Storing vital information on media and sending it offsite ensures the protection of at least one copy of your data from being destroyed by disaster or hackers. Google's recent Gmail case is a good example of this. In addition, choosing to utilize offsite tape storage can also prevent illegal access to the data in the first place. For Sony, that may have been an ideal choice. When media is offline, it can't be hacked-a smart safeguard for any organization.

However, tape won't create the security separation that companies need when it's used by itself. Companies still have their primary backup copy of their production data stored typically on hard drives for fast access and daily business use, making a hybrid data strategy the best strategy.

But let's say that Sony did use offsite tape storage. If hackers destroyed every copy of certain crucial data that they could get access to in Sony's network (which seems likely based on how deeply they have penetrated so far), then the one thing they couldn't get to is a copy that is on tape and not inside of an automated tape library (which could be accessed on-line along with other stolen data).

Offsite tape storage may not be the only answer, but it is a great place to start.

Protecting your company's and employees' data is really about finding a balance of the secure storage solutions that work best for you and provide the most security and degree of access. For more information on creating a plan that works for your unique goals, contact Iron Mountain, today.

LINK:	http://blogs.ironmountain.com/2014/service-lines/data-backup-and-recov...
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