Data storage disasters come in all shapes and forms. Still, a look at security indicates the size of the problems businesses must tackle. In 2021, there was a 17% increase in security breaches in the US.
Losing access to data and losing customer data are two of the most catastrophic problems a modern company faces.
Make sure you manage that risk by having the right technical solution. Read on to learn how to ensure you have proper data storage management in your company.
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Do a Data Audit
Not all business data is the same.
You need to know what you have and how critical each data set is to your business. You should also understand any data dependencies between different systems if you have a problem with one platform.
The best way to get this information together is to task an analyst in your organization to get these answers together in one spreadsheet.
Hiring an external consultant is worthwhile if you don’t have someone internally who can do this. It will save you lots of problems later on if issues with data do emerge.
Don’t forget to cover other relevant questions when auditing this data. For example, what is the security level? And are there any external laws or regulations governing how your business holds that information?
Choose Trusted Third Party Companies
If you use external companies to manage and store your data, recover your data, or audit it, first check their security credentials.
Many IT providers have high levels of security to give them the proper credentials to work on sensitive systems like banks and government (e.g., defense).
This due diligence is more than a tick in the box for your company. You may need to do this to comply with data laws.
Have a Data Retention Procedure
You’ve probably heard of the EU laws for GDPR. One of the main principles behind this was giving customers the ability to remove their data from any business database when requested.
These are legal requirements, and you must have strict written procedures about archiving data, how long you hold data on customers and handling deletion requests. You’ll also need an audit trail.
And you must think about where data might exist across multiple locations.
Consider De-Duplicating Your Data
Deleting data is an excellent example of how two copies of the same information can pose a problem to companies’ data storage solutions.
Your best option is to remove identical data copies and streamline how you store information. By doing that, you will save yourself from issues and additional complications in the future, such as data recovery.
Life Guard Data Recovery has some further information if you have recovery questions.
Use the Cloud
Cloud storage offers lots of cost savings. And data security for many cloud solutions is now so advanced that it’s superior to having physical storage services in a local data center.
Review cloud options for your business and whether you can use those to cut your data storage costs.
When you’ve audited your data, you’ll also be able to create tiered requirements for your storage. You’ll have data that are business-critical and require fast access.
And at the other end of the spectrum, you’ll have archive data you only need to store for regulatory requirements but don’t need to access quickly.
Make Data Storage Management a Priority
Data is one of your business’s most important assets. So take the time to make sure you future-proof your data storage management and ensure it’s fit for the modern business world.
Our tech section has lots more recommendations about how you can store your data safely, so head there next.
