Offsite Data Protection: the Case for Data-Defending Experts by Jennifer Burl

Your data is important. Though it might not be of interest to hacktivist groups or top the list of tempting targets for cyber criminals, you can't afford to lose access to critical information, customer files and proprietary technologies. While it's tempting to keep your data in-house, owing to the inherent comfort in having sensitive information kept close, there's a compelling case for offsite data protection.

Overloading Your IT Admins

In a world where cloud technologies are becoming commonplace, virtualization is altering the way data is stored. Big Data means every bit of information a company creates has value; the job of your IT administrator looks nothing like it did 10 years ago. Tasking them with the protection of your data makes sense at first glance this is what you hired them to do, after all but adding data protection to an already full plate often means something has to give. And that may be your data security.

Part of the problem is that onsite data protection is a massive undertaking. This is true in part because of the need for access; administrators, executives and front-line employees all need access to different parts of a database, making protection a difficult if not impossible job for IT. Some companies try to address this problem by creating a local backup, which they keep separate from their common access servers in the event of data corruption or sudden data loss. While this stopgap can prevent obvious disasters, it does come with problems: it's one more thing on the plate of an overworked IT admin and more importantly, it is not a best practice to store data onsite.

Expert Storage Advice

Offsite tape vaulting services, like those offered by Iron Mountain, offer the obvious benefit of securely storing your data in a protected location and the advantage of trained experts who ensure that your data is safe from environmental hazards, trackable and accessible whenever you need it.

By choosing 24/7 management by professionals who have the singular job of ensuring your data is transported, stored and managed properly, you make sure your IT professionals are able to best use their time managing your local network access and security measures. Rather than locking down a backup and trying to protect against unpredictable environmental hazards, a solid offsite data protection solution frees your IT admins to be proactive rather than reactive.

Your IT staff are experts at actively working with your data; Iron Mountain brings expert knowledge in offsite storage and protection, letting you concentrate on running your business rather than running after your data.

LINK:	http://blogs.ironmountain.com/2013/service-lines/data-backup-and-recov...
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