Ensuring Comprehensive Cyber Resilience and Business Continuity
Sasan Moaveni
Global Business Leader - Platforms & Solutions
May 09, 2024
Guarantee Business Continuity: Build a Comprehensive Cyber Resilient Strategy
When a data breach occurs, your response is critical. What do you do first? Do you have a plan for communicating with business units, regulators and other concerned parties?
The integrity and security of data infrastructure stand as paramount concerns for business leaders across all sectors. As technology evolves and threats become more sophisticated, the pursuit of an unbreakable data infrastructure remains an ongoing challenge.
In the world of data integration and protection, the aspiration to build an unbreakable data infrastructure is akin to calculating Pi. It is an endless pursuit, and achieving absolute invulnerability is an elusive goal, but we can strive to get as close as possible. The question is, what constitutes ‘good enough’ – particularly where data security is concerned?
Read our Insights Article to learn how to Build an Unbreakable Data Infrastructure in the Age of AI and Hybrid Cloud.
Identifying and protecting data assets
The first step in designing an unbreakable data infrastructure is identifying your data assets, understanding their risk profiles, and knowing who has access to them. This process allows for cost-appropriate decisions making around how to protect these assets.
Each organization possesses a unique set of data assets with varying levels of importance and sensitivity. By conducting a comprehensive risk assessment, businesses can tailor their protection measures to align with specific needs and priorities. There is no shortage of techniques and technologies you can deploy, from replication to redundancy, snapshots to backup, and firewalls to erasure coding.
While these solutions offer valuable layers of defence, implementation must be balanced with associated costs and resource allocation. Partnering with reputable vendors can also provide invaluable support in navigating the complexities of data protection.
Once you have classified your data assets and implemented appropriate data protection policies, the next challenge is detecting when something goes wrong. A robust governance framework and detection mechanisms are essential for promptly identifying and addressing potential breaches. Without clear protocols, even the most advanced technologies may prove ineffective in mitigating the impact of data incidents. Per a McKinsey survey, to strengthen resilience in the future, most risk managers (75 percent) believe that the most important actions will be to improve risk culture and strengthen the integration of resilience in the strategy process.
Timely communication is also a critical component of an effective data protection strategy, ensuring stakeholders are informed and empowered to take appropriate action. When a breach in your data protection policy occurs, the response is critical. Do you know who to call? Do you know where the problem lies? Do you have a plan for communicating with the concerned business units or external entities, such as regulators? Without adequate processes and procedures to respond to a breach, even the most sophisticated technologies can be rendered useless.
Building toward cyber resilient data infrastructures
Prevention is always better than cure, and this is why we aspire to build unbreakable data infrastructures. However, the purpose of having this infrastructure is to be able to recover your data should the need arise, and to do so promptly.
This recovery process needs to be robust and well-tested. It is surprising how many people talk about protection and backup, but not as much about recovery and how long it takes to get the data back. If your data is not where you need it to be, it is useless.
As we speak, traditional architectures are slowly moving towards more robust and efficient models. For instance, the D2D2T (Disk to Disk to Tape) architecture is evolving towards D2D2All, which brings much lower Recovery Time Objective (RTO) compared to tape. This architecture also provides immediate protection against threats like ransomware and offers a comprehensive package for operational, archival, and strategic recovery. This trend is shaping the future of data protection, and it is an exciting journey that we are all part of.
The pursuit of an unbreakable data infrastructure is a multifaceted endeavour that demands careful planning, investment, and vigilance. While a completely impenetrable data infrastructure may not be possible, organizations can mitigate risks and enhance resilience through proactive risk assessment, robust governance, and tested recovery procedures. By embracing innovation and strategic partnerships, businesses can navigate the evolving threat landscape and safeguard their most asset: their data.
Learn how Hitachi Vantara Solutions can help you ensure comprehensive cyber resilience and business continuity across your environment.
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