What makes security good, makes operations better
Recently it was announced that the UK will be getting a new James Bond-style data centre, which will use biometrics, weight-sensitive entrance floor panels, bullet-proof glass, ‘man traps’, CCTV for security and namely high-end server and data back-ups. Opening later on in the year, the site in Slough will cost upwards of £35 million. But with SMEs across the midlands not having the budget to employ security straight out of a blockbuster spy movie, what are the essentials for securing and protecting data?
It is in the best interest of SMEs that they establish a trusted, secure state (a secure starting point from which to manage change), which can be used as a baseline for before and after comparisons of their data and servers. Without a way to know when change occurs and whether it’s intentional or accidental, those supporting IT have few options for preventing negative consequences and minimizing damage.
A useful tool for SMEs to use is server imaging. Windows for back-up can be small and usually there is a limit of space on the back-up tape meaning operating systems may get excluded in this process. This is fine as long as you never have to restore anything but the data, but the time lost through manually restoring applications and operating systems can be costly to SMEs.
Disasters are bound to occur. Your company’s response to attacks by hackers, computer viruses, power failures, and natural disasters is directly proportional to your preparation. By using server imaging software, should a fatal system failure occur, you can restore the entire server contents to a known, working state or simply replace the lost or corrupted files and folders.
This should be paramount for protecting customers’ data as well as your own as companies involved in the compromise of customers’ data could face costly consequences in the form of customer concessions and Service Level Agreement (SLA) or legal penalties.
If you require any more information please contact us on 0121 248 7931.
2008.10.10 (LM)
