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Cloud file data requires backups?

The cloud is not immune to data loss, but with automated backup of all data stored in your OneDrive space, recovery will be possible, says Gerhard Conradie, managing director of Evolv Networks.


Johannesburg, 29 May 2018
Total data recovery is possible.
Total data recovery is possible.

There are many ways data can be lost. Sometimes technology just fails. Computers freeze and backup copies are lost. Servers crash and the information contained is lost. These are all potential sources of data loss which are normally associated with on-premises file storage systems, and unfortunately, the cloud is not exempt from technology failure, malicious damage or human error, says Gerhard Conradie, Managing Director of Evolv Networks.

Risks involved with data loss

* Whether it is your own data lost or that of clients, the effect can be widespread and cost the business large sums of money.
* If the loss was caused due to a hack or zero-day event, there is potential for litigation if negligence is present, never mind the public relations nightmare such a challenge creates.
* The lost data recovery involves additional expense, whether it's having to re-collect the data or have technicians/programmers recover it.
* An often-unspoken point is that of lost productivity due to data loss. Someone in the business needs to fix the mess and the time spent to solve the issue is time that could have been allocated to far more productive endeavours. It can take as much as six engineer hours to recover a single file.

Between lost productivity and IT costs, a single recovery can be more expensive than the cost of one year's worth of cloud backup.

The cloud is not immune to data loss

About 75% of data loss is due to people deleting content: accidentally or intentionally. Many customers assume wrongly that their data in Dropbox and OneDrive for Business has adequate backups in place to recover to the exact point they want it to. But these assumptions can have disastrous consequences. Without a cloud backup solution for Office 365, you are missing a foundation piece of data protection to complement native Office 365 features.

Causes of data loss in SharePoint and OneDrive For Business include:

* SharePoint site admins permanently delete their data, making it unrecoverable.
* Items in recycle bin are uncoverable after a certain amount of days.
* Corrupted files can take hours to rebuild.
* End users can permanently delete data in their One Drive for Business account, making it unrecoverable.
* Ransomware can encrypt data beyond the restoration retention window and is often only detected many days or weeks later.

So, is data actually safer in the cloud?

The short answer is YES.

Every day billions of pieces of information are added to cloud networks; the vast majority of this data is safe and secure. As mentioned above, loss of data is more likely to occur due to human error. As with airline safety, accidents do happen, but as a percentage of total operations, they are small.

When you upload data to the cloud, you expect some privacy and security, which comes in the form of encryption. And not only transit encryption but resting encryption for older files that are already saved in the cloud and can only be accessed by those with permission.

This process works fine for most businesses, but there is still a problem: the cloud service provider holds the key to the encryption and if they are compromised, your business data can be exposed.

Major cloud providers should give you the option to manage your own encryption keys, meaning no-one inside the provider could get access, even if they wanted to. Therefore, instead of trusting the cloud service to safeguard the key to your data, take matters into your own hands by encrypting sensitive files before they even leave your PCs.

You can also opt for a ''mixed'' encryption system, whereby most of your needed data is accessible via a public cloud security system, while an extra level of individualised encryption is in place for the most sensitive data points in a private cloud.

These mixed systems can easily be integrated with existing Microsoft Office 365, OneDrive and SharePoint cloud services.

Data Protection and recovery features

Evolv Networks, together with cloud services provider SkyKick, can ensure you stay productive no matter what happens. With automated backup of all data stored in your OneDrive space you can rest assured that recovery will be possible.

What you can expect:

* No data caps. Whether you have spikes in traffic daily/weekly or monthly or whether it's a steady stream of data being uploaded; all your data will be moved in a secure and timeous manner.
* Six back-ups a day, including the option to automatically add new users and sites as the technology keeps pace with your business throughout the day.
* Unlimited data retention.
* Reliable and secure.
* Easy set-up, nothing to install
* One-click, rapid restore lost Office 365 data.
* Recovery from ransomware corruption of cloud copy.
* Protection from immediate, permanent deletion of OneDrive for Business content by end user.
* Simplified viewing of multiple versions of the same file.
* Auto discovery of SharePoint Site.
* Auto discovery of OneDrive for Business Accounts.
* Backup and restore SharePoint and OneDrive for Business files.
* Deleted item retention.
* Protection from immediate permanent deletion of SharePoint site content by Site Admin.

Contact Evolv to discuss a solution tailored to your needs.

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Evolv Networks

Evolv Networks was founded in 2005 with the goal of supplying superior IT consulting and support services to SME and large companies. Equipped with industry-leading technical skills it has remained committed to this strategy. It strives to better understand its customers and through this it can align technology with their business needs and processes.

As an IT service partner, it also knows that technology never stands still and through its own evolution it has brought value-adding technologies to its customers. With careful maturity testing and entrenching new technology in its environment, it ensures that the solutions it supplies are business-ready. This methodology originates from deep technical roots guaranteeing that solutions are tried and tested.

As experts in the design, deployment and support of IT infrastructure, it continues finding innovative ways to use technology to solve the business challenges of its customers.

http://www.evolvnetworks.com/

Gerhard Conradie, a certified MCSE (Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer, NT4/2000) and CNE (Certified Novell Engineer, Netware 5), is the MD of the Cape Town-based business IT solutions provider Evolv Networks.

Editorial contacts

Louisa Oschmann (41nine progressive media)
evolv networks
(+27) 83 455 1038
louisa@41nine.com