Cloud Services, Software, Hosting, Storage, and the list goes on. Many organizations are asking if Cloud Storage can solve their storage issues. Data growth for many organization is double digits and sustainability of that growth has quickly become a concern.
A couple of things to address, one is the data growth itself, and getting a Information Lifecycle Management (ILM) project stated right away. Get a solid process in place to deal with archive, retention, and unstructured data. Next, look at your physical infrastructure and develop your storage strategy. Should that strategy include a "cloud" component? Perhaps.
The biggest drawback on Cloud storage services is the security. All data in transit to the cloud service provider and at rest should be encrypted. You are still responsible for your data protection, and if your data is lost or stolen while at the service provider, having it encrypted is essential. The contract with your cloud service provider must include the ability for you to audit their environment, process, and DR plans. Don't forget their financial stability.
My recommendation is to proceed with caution. Determine your Cloud Service Provider stability, security, availability, and get everything in writing. I also would look at archive data as the first candidate to utilize a cloud storage service. It still comes down to bandwidth and performance, so don't forget the network component of these strategy(s) and plan(s).
Keep it positive!
Scott Arnett
scott.arnett@charter.net
About Me
- Scott Arnett
- Scott Arnett is an Information Technology & Security Professional Executive with over 30 years experience in IT. Scott has worked in various industries such as health care, insurance, manufacturing, broadcast, printing, and consulting and in enterprises ranging in size from $50M to $20B in revenue. Scott’s experience encompasses the following areas of specialization: Leadership, Strategy, Architecture, Business Partnership & Acumen, Process Management, Infrastructure and Security. With his broad understanding of technology and his ability to communicate successfully with both Executives and Technical Specialists, Scott has been consistently recognized as someone who not only can "Connect the Dots", but who can also create a workable solution. Scott is equally comfortable playing technical, project management/leadership and organizational leadership roles through experience gained throughout his career. Scott has previously acted in the role of CIO, CTO, and VP of IT, successfully built 9 data centers across the country, and is expert in understanding ITIL, PCI Compliance, SOX, HIPAA, FERPA, FRCP and COBIT.
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