Cloud storage and a robust network can strengthen a business

The problem with data – and what to do with it

Data, one of the most valuable digital assets for conducting business, is exploding in scale globally. In 2016, 16 zettabytes of data (over 16 billion terabytes) was created worldwide. This compares to just over 2 ZB five years prior and is forecasted to grow to 24 zettabytes in 2018.

As organizations decentralize and redefine the physical makeup of their workplace, more data is collected, stored on mobile phones, tablets, laptops, workstations, servers, USB sticks and in the cloud, and accessed every day.  The explosion of unstructured data, stored on numerous devices and in multiple locations makes data extremely vulnerable and loss inevitable.

A recent IDC Infobrief looks at how the exponential growth of unstructured data is one of the greatest hurdles to Canadian organizations succeeding in digital transformation – and a major threat to their security.

Canadian companies are at great risk of data breach

Hardware and software failures, a lack of backup practices, and a combination of hacking, malware and ransomware incidents are on the rise - and Canadian businesses are paying the price. The average cost of a data breach suffered by a Canadian organization in 2016 was $5,780,000.

Automated enterprise-wide backup to an offsite provider via the cloud can be an effective tool to reduce the risk of data loss, rendering a ransomware attack essentially toothless, while protecting an organization’s reputation and getting back to business quickly.

Why cloud storage makes sense

Cloud storage transforms the way data is stored, secured, managed, searched and shared. Cloud can play a role in nearly every organization for various workloads such as file-sharing, big data analytics (BDA), business intelligence (BI), web-based commerce, and a variety of data management and protection tasks including archive, backup and disaster recovery.

Cloud storage makes businesses agile with the ability to right-size storage requirements as needed. Mission critical data is fully secured and supported by backup and disaster recovery, which greatly reduces the risk of financial loss during unforeseen disturbances. Overall, cloud storage increases productivity by minimizing downtime and making data available and accessible to teams anywhere, anytime.

Organizations may also want to consider a fully managed cloud storage solution – particularly those without internal expertise required to develop, deploy and manage a company’s migration to cloud.

Support cloud storage with robust network connectivity

Migrating to cloud is only part of the solution. Robust network connectivity is required to provide flexible, reliable and secure access to cloud-based applications and services. The network must enable new and innovative technologies rather than block progress, and it must meet or beat the performance criteria of every application run today and expected to run tomorrow.

Choosing the right cloud storage partner

The IDC InfoBrief outlines the main considerations when choosing the right cloud storage partner. The cloud storage partner should have expertise in providing both the cloud infrastructure and the network enabling cloud services, plus management and professional services wrapped around these technologies.

Download the IDC InfoBrief for more guidelines on ensuring your data is properly stored and protected.