The collapse of the World Trade Centre has broadcast a wake-up call to the business world.
The message emphasises the importance of backing up critical data more than just once, a message that PricewaterhouseCoopers digested and actioned several months back. Companies like financial giant Morgan Stanley were only able to function immediately after the tragedy because, in addition to having the traditional data backups that most companies keep internally, they also created copies of their data in a second location, miles away.
"An awareness of just how crucial such a function can be has prompted us to adopt Backup5, a data protection system designed and perfected by Cape-based company Attix5," says Colin Beggs, South African chief executive officer of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), the world`s largest financial services group.
Backup5 is believed to be a world first in terms of features that include painless protection of data that has hitherto been at the mercy of viruses, disc crashes, laptop theft, hacking and white-collar fraud.
PwC has embraced Backup5 following extensive checking and testing of the system within its own organisation and among its clients.
Beggs is confident that the product has the potential for major international application. "The possibility of rolling it out to our global practice, with its 150 000 people in 150 countries, is very much on the agenda."
Roy Davies, chief of corporate affairs for Attix5, reveals that installations of Backup5 at PwC offices outside SA have begun.
He points out that the market for the Internet storage industry is expected to grow to $2.7 billion in 2004.
"Against this background, it should be a source of concern to every business organisation that more than 50% of critical business data is currently generated and stored on remote desktop and laptop devices," says Davies.
He notes that the concern stems from the spiralling capital expenditure on storage equipment, an increasing dependence on user compliance, the overburdening of expensive IT resources and a decreasing control of corporate data.
"Aware of the global need to reduce capex requirements, the mundane IT workload and a reliance on users, we developed Backup5 with a view to increasing system automation, data security levels, user access to stored data and total corporate control over data."
Davies emphasises that Backup5 is the ultimate in automatic critical data storage, encapsulating:
-- Automatic backups of all critical data;
-- 24/7/365 data access and recovery to any point in time;
-- Remote access to backup and recovery procedures;
-- Centralised control and aggregation of valuable company data;
-- Secure encryption and storage of sensitive data;
-- Easy installation, deployment, control and use; and
-- Reduced file server and network loads.
In short, says Davies: "All your information, all the time, automatically. Anywhere, anytime access."
PwC`s Peter Goldhawk draws attention to the manner in which the Draft King II report has highlighted the responsibility of all directors to protect company data. "It is therefore incumbent on all boards to follow this route, not only from the standpoint of corporate governance compliance, but because it makes good business sense."
Roelou Barry, Attix5`s chief executive officer, refers to a recent Gartner estimate that two out of five businesses that experience a major disaster go out of business within five years. "By contrast, businesses with recovery plans and systems can get their computing capabilities restored remarkably quickly."
Barry draws attention to recent Wall Street analysts` reports identifying companies such as Comdisco and Veritas Software, among the world`s leading backup companies, and data storage companies like EMC, as operating in tech sectors expected to do well in coming months.
He cites comment in the Financial Times: "Although corporations have significantly reduced their information technology budgets this year, the recent tragic events in New York and Washington are expected to focus attention on the need for improving the security of company data -- core to their ability to continue in the event of a disaster."
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