If your business isn't protecting endpoint user data, the latest Intel report is certainly a financial incentive for finding an effective solution. The report shows that the average costs of a lost or stolen business laptop is $50 000, due to the value of the business data residing on user machines.
Most enterprises assume that their current business data backup solution is protecting this data. However, legacy solutions which often regard endpoint user data as an afterthought aren't providing a reliable enterprise solution to laptop and desktop data protection.
What are the features and benefits that organisations should be looking for in an end-user data continuity solution?
Number one: full control with central management
In order to enforce the company's data backup policy, IT needs to have a complete oversight of the end-user data backup environment. Central control should include the ability to centrally define data backup policies, central management and customisation of configuration and settings, and the ability to centrally pinpoint potential data loss risks and act on these.
Number two: simple and reliable data recovery
Automated backup, secure storage and wizard-driven data restore ensure that data is easily recoverable when lost or corrupted, while data encryption safeguards files from unauthorised access during the data recovery exercise. The solution must ensure that all organisational data is backed up and available for quick and easy recovery when and where required.
Number three: faster data migration during hardware refresh
Endpoint data backup solutions can offer operational benefits that ensure cost saving and reduced required resources during data migration projects such as hardware refresh. How can an endpoint solution simplify data migration?
* Reduced data migration risks with support for restoring data in original location, the ability to overcome incompatibilities and Microsoft Outlook restore support.
* Prevented user downtime with automatically backed up user data and simplified recovery.
* Minimised impact in infrastructure during the migration through central control and data compression
Number four: reduced need for end-user support
With an endpoint data backup solution, data should be recoverable at all times and IT able to rebuild the data from recovery, rather than having to attempt a fix if a problem occurs.
Number five: minimal bandwidth utilisation
An effective product should significantly reduce the impact of user data backup and recovery on company bandwidth and storage infrastructure by providing:
* IT with central control over what data is backed up and when (no wasted infrastructure)
* Data compression during the backup procedure (reducing data backup size)
* After the initial backup, only changes in documents are subsequently backed up and compressed
Number six: smarter storage
To further minimise the size of data that is transferred and stored, a backup solution should allow the administrators to centrally define a data selection policy. This policy will allow IT to select what data should be backed up and what should be excluded. Setting these policies will ensure that only business-related data is backed up, decreasing the storage requirement.
Number seven: gaining operational value from compliance
Compliance regulations can be better adhered to with an effective user data backup solution through ensured data protection, the ability for the board to demonstrate a policy-based, working data backup solution and with data encryption.
Number eight: no risk of unauthorised access to business data
All backup solutions must address the risk of data security. Enterprises need a solution that not only ensures that user data is backed up, but also encrypts the data and prevents any unauthorised access to private records, personal e-mails and other data that resides on user computers.
Organisations employing endpoint data continuity can look forward to complete control over their business-critical data.
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