| Did you know that about 60 percent of corporate | | | | or outright eliminates the predominance of user |
| data is out of your IT department's control? | | | | compliance issues. |
| "Distributed data" lives at the edge of the network | | | | 2. Protect PC/laptop data from falling into the wrong |
| on remote servers and PCs - typically outside the | | | | hands |
| layers of traditional security afforded to a data | | | | Encrypting sensitive data on laptops is a good first |
| center. The challenge with distributed data is that it's | | | | step, but is often burdensome to implement and |
| easy to ignore up until a point of failure. Distributed | | | | requires end-users to comply with good-intentioned |
| data is vulnerable to a host of threats including | | | | policies. Consider more active technologies that |
| inconsistent backup practices, hardware theft and | | | | ensure complete data security on PCs and laptops by |
| loss, viruses and human error. Whenever a company's | | | | monitoring for abnormal or threatening behavior and |
| important or sensitive data is lost (or worse, | | | | acting on those behaviors to destroy sensitive data |
| exposed) the company can face serious | | | | before unauthorized parties have the opportunity to |
| consequences including loss of business, legal liability, | | | | access it. This type of solution should be transparent |
| and negative publicity. | | | | to the end user and centrally implemented and |
| So how does an organization best protect and | | | | managed by your IT organization. |
| manage its growing amounts of data in an | | | | 3. Secure data on distributed servers with continuous |
| increasingly distributed environment? Central IT | | | | online backup |
| control and automation are your keys to taming the | | | | Vast quantities of data now reside in remote offices |
| distributed data beast, so begin with these three | | | | and branch locations, making backup of distributed |
| critical steps: | | | | data an important but difficult task for IT groups. |
| 1. Secure PC/laptop data with a centrally-managed | | | | Although tape backup methods are still relevant in |
| online backup solution | | | | many instances, they are not always ideally suited to |
| Traditional save-to-server practices are expensive, | | | | this challenge. Once-a-day backups can leave you |
| ineffective and burdensome for end users. Distributed | | | | vulnerable to data losses, and the lack of adequate |
| data protection [ must be easy to deploy and | | | | IT staff can result in inconsistent procedures and |
| manage, be seamless for end users and result in your | | | | failed backups. Automatic, online backup helps to |
| organization saving money. | | | | mitigate or eliminate these problems because it |
| Thus, organizations should utilize automated online | | | | alleviates the need for onsite backup support and |
| backup solutions that take the onus off the | | | | gives central IT staff control and ease-of-mind. |
| employee and give control back to the IT | | | | In today's mobile and dynamic work environment, it is |
| administrator. Choose licensed software or a | | | | crucial for employees to have regular, reliable, and |
| managed service that gives employees access to | | | | remote access to stored data. Equally paramount is |
| their laptop/PC data at any time through a secure | | | | an organization's ability to protect its data whether it |
| Internet connection, and the ability to retrieve their | | | | resides on the central server or on employee laptops |
| data even when the data becomes lost, damaged or | | | | and remote servers. Various technology solutions |
| corrupted. Recovery becomes a self-service activity, | | | | exist, and the organizations that utilize them will |
| reducing the requirements for IT support - but at the | | | | better safeguard not only their data, but also their |
| same time ensuring the company always has control | | | | enterprise. |
| over its data. The automated functionality minimizes | | | | |