Why backups are not just insurance policies in 2021
In an ideal world, backup data should be equally important, if not more important than production data. Production data is essential for day-to-day tasks and processes and often given the white-gloved treatment as it must be readily and efficiently accessible. Backed up data are often seen as a safety net and unbeknownst to many Enterprises, backed up data often account for 3x to 4x the size of their production data set. However, many enterprises do not often give enough attention to backups as they would production data.
Today, modern day backups are no longer just an “insurance policy” waiting to be activated.The “dark data” sitting in all enterprises often forgotten in the past, is now seen as an opportunity. The promise and ability for enterprises to harvest powerful metrics and insights to create new digital transformation ventures, gain competitive edge and generate new revenue streams from dark data is on every CIO’s mind in the post pandemic world. For most enterprises, the largest repository of dormant data that fits this category is often the data that you have backed up and retained for the past 10 or more years. Next generation backup solutions will not only protect this data but also have the capability to make sense of it and creating value to ensure the enterprise stays competitive tomorrow.
With the changing landscape of security and ransomware attacks, attackers are constantly looking for new ways to infiltrate enterprises. All systems in the enterprise are adapting to the new norm and backups are no different. In the past, perimeter security and dedicated security solutions were good enough but what if attackers compromise your backed up data? To my earlier point, if backed up data is as important a determinant of success in the enterprise today and tomorrow, it becomes imperative that a modern backup infrastructure should also have a robust intrinsic security capabilities within their offerings.
So, is your backup ready to be 1st class citizen?
