September 30, 2014 at 14:29Things to remember when choosing a cloud for backup
In the age of information technology, there are more and more companies for which data is their bread. Losing data for them means losing everything. There are cases when entrepreneurs and small companies went broke due to an incorrectly organized approach to backup. That is why we told and continue to tell both our users and the entire community of readers about the importance of backups and the correct approach to their creation and storage. Today we want to take a look at such a wonderful backup tool as cloud technologies and present you some fairly obvious, but sometimes forgotten recommendations for choosing the best cloud for your data and its use.
Encryption is vital for data security and most backup services offer it. However, encryption is not always a guarantee of the security of your work data. Are you sure that your data is safe if one of the employees has access to encryption keys?
Some providers reacted to this situation in this way: they transfer the key to storage separately from the data and periodically change it. However, regardless of the steps taken, while the backup service provider has access to the encryption keys, your personal data is still not personal. And any subpoena, for example, will force providers to submit decrypted data, even if the keys were deposited.
Another way to store keys is to place them on the server behind the client’s firewall to ensure exclusive ownership. But for cloud backup this solution is not suitable, because this still requires hardware for configuration and management, which in itself contradicts the idea of a cloud service. In addition, an additional point of potential failure appears on the server, requiring additional data protection.
For maximum security, two-level encryption key management is recommended. The key is additionally encrypted using client credentials, and only the token is placed in the cloud. Thus, the provider does not have access to client encryption keys, and the user avoids the hassle of server support. Only the user after authorization has access to the keys and, accordingly, to the data. And for even greater security, the access token is destroyed after each session.
Naturally, most clouds are actually located on the ground and are supported by many servers and other devices that require energy and protection from natural phenomena. Even though the reliability of the data center has greatly increased over time, the servers are still prone to failures related to energy, sabotage and natural disasters.
Therefore, it is important to understand what kind of service level all the providers in question offer. Many of them do not provide data backup across multiple data centers. In the event of a power failure, the server crashes and the files become inaccessible until the problems are fixed. Natural events, such as floods, can completely destroy your critical corporate data.
Leading providers offer data backup for individual facilities, each located in areas with the lowest risk of flooding and connected to unconnected power sources. These capacities are connected to different networks to provide the greatest possible reliability and stability of the data center.
Typically, cloud backup providers create a number of data centers and deploy them within a specific country. And the expansion of capacities in such conditions is a multi-stage process, cumbersome and gradual. If you are conducting an international business, then such providers cannot provide you with premium premium service without trouble. By definition, international enterprises have a staff that ensures the operation of the enterprise in accordance with the laws of each particular country. Attracting localized cloud reservation providers to work is not only inefficient, but can also violate the laws of the host country.
In contrast, the leaders of the backup industry have equipped DCs around the world and allow the client to receive information about which DCs are used to store their data. These providers also adhere to the concept of “resilient placement,” allowing customers to increase capacity as needed without worrying about increased storage requirements.
One of the reasons why backups are slow is because the software needs to compare the previous file and directory structure with the current goal of identifying what has changed. Unfortunately, at least 80% of the data is duplicated within an average enterprise. This is because, usually, users have multiple copies of the same file located locally, also in the public domain or on removable drives. This significantly slows down the transfer of cloud data, incredibly expanding storage requirements.
When deduplication occurs, the time it takes to reserve is reduced incredibly, because a lot of identical data is deleted.
For fast enterprise recovery, backups must be made over multiple channels in order to ensure the parallel transfer of multiple files. Using multi-channel recovery, you can significantly speed up the process of data recovery on a user's PC. Optimization of the global computer network (WAN) will also accelerate the backup recovery of recent changes, because an optimized network provides greater bandwidth. In the event of a network failure, you are guaranteed to be able to recover the latest data.
Using the old reservation principles, some companies cannot carry out a federated search, which quickly determines the location of information anywhere on the network. It is a risk to try to track down the file or introduce new methods. Because federated search searches for files immediately across the network and across all devices in the enterprise, the location of the file is easily identifiable and files can be collected for legalized storage and to prevent data from being accessible for electronic search.
On the other hand, modern solutions for data backup gives the IT sector transparency and simplifies the practice of backup, storage and access to data. Leading companies in this area maintain strict records to ensure enhanced IT supervision to preserve the integrity of information, such as intellectual property, from the possibility of unauthorized access in the context of the growth of mobile work resources. Detailed audit logs store data about the activities of all users and administrators, enabling real-time review and allowing organizations to fulfill their management and coordination needs.
If the activity of the enterprise is subject to industry regulation, then you should turn to providers who have already passed the necessary certification (HIPAA, PCI-DSS, ITAR) of their data centers and activities.
Take care of the security of encryption keys
Encryption is vital for data security and most backup services offer it. However, encryption is not always a guarantee of the security of your work data. Are you sure that your data is safe if one of the employees has access to encryption keys?
Some providers reacted to this situation in this way: they transfer the key to storage separately from the data and periodically change it. However, regardless of the steps taken, while the backup service provider has access to the encryption keys, your personal data is still not personal. And any subpoena, for example, will force providers to submit decrypted data, even if the keys were deposited.
Another way to store keys is to place them on the server behind the client’s firewall to ensure exclusive ownership. But for cloud backup this solution is not suitable, because this still requires hardware for configuration and management, which in itself contradicts the idea of a cloud service. In addition, an additional point of potential failure appears on the server, requiring additional data protection.
For maximum security, two-level encryption key management is recommended. The key is additionally encrypted using client credentials, and only the token is placed in the cloud. Thus, the provider does not have access to client encryption keys, and the user avoids the hassle of server support. Only the user after authorization has access to the keys and, accordingly, to the data. And for even greater security, the access token is destroyed after each session.
Find out who you trust data
Naturally, most clouds are actually located on the ground and are supported by many servers and other devices that require energy and protection from natural phenomena. Even though the reliability of the data center has greatly increased over time, the servers are still prone to failures related to energy, sabotage and natural disasters.
Therefore, it is important to understand what kind of service level all the providers in question offer. Many of them do not provide data backup across multiple data centers. In the event of a power failure, the server crashes and the files become inaccessible until the problems are fixed. Natural events, such as floods, can completely destroy your critical corporate data.
Leading providers offer data backup for individual facilities, each located in areas with the lowest risk of flooding and connected to unconnected power sources. These capacities are connected to different networks to provide the greatest possible reliability and stability of the data center.
Specify the nuances of the legislation of the country of location
Typically, cloud backup providers create a number of data centers and deploy them within a specific country. And the expansion of capacities in such conditions is a multi-stage process, cumbersome and gradual. If you are conducting an international business, then such providers cannot provide you with premium premium service without trouble. By definition, international enterprises have a staff that ensures the operation of the enterprise in accordance with the laws of each particular country. Attracting localized cloud reservation providers to work is not only inefficient, but can also violate the laws of the host country.
In contrast, the leaders of the backup industry have equipped DCs around the world and allow the client to receive information about which DCs are used to store their data. These providers also adhere to the concept of “resilient placement,” allowing customers to increase capacity as needed without worrying about increased storage requirements.
Take care of no excessive duplication
One of the reasons why backups are slow is because the software needs to compare the previous file and directory structure with the current goal of identifying what has changed. Unfortunately, at least 80% of the data is duplicated within an average enterprise. This is because, usually, users have multiple copies of the same file located locally, also in the public domain or on removable drives. This significantly slows down the transfer of cloud data, incredibly expanding storage requirements.
When deduplication occurs, the time it takes to reserve is reduced incredibly, because a lot of identical data is deleted.
For fast enterprise recovery, backups must be made over multiple channels in order to ensure the parallel transfer of multiple files. Using multi-channel recovery, you can significantly speed up the process of data recovery on a user's PC. Optimization of the global computer network (WAN) will also accelerate the backup recovery of recent changes, because an optimized network provides greater bandwidth. In the event of a network failure, you are guaranteed to be able to recover the latest data.
Keep track of redundancy trends
Using the old reservation principles, some companies cannot carry out a federated search, which quickly determines the location of information anywhere on the network. It is a risk to try to track down the file or introduce new methods. Because federated search searches for files immediately across the network and across all devices in the enterprise, the location of the file is easily identifiable and files can be collected for legalized storage and to prevent data from being accessible for electronic search.
On the other hand, modern solutions for data backup gives the IT sector transparency and simplifies the practice of backup, storage and access to data. Leading companies in this area maintain strict records to ensure enhanced IT supervision to preserve the integrity of information, such as intellectual property, from the possibility of unauthorized access in the context of the growth of mobile work resources. Detailed audit logs store data about the activities of all users and administrators, enabling real-time review and allowing organizations to fulfill their management and coordination needs.
If the activity of the enterprise is subject to industry regulation, then you should turn to providers who have already passed the necessary certification (HIPAA, PCI-DSS, ITAR) of their data centers and activities.