Backup Storage Security has Many Meanings...Consider them all.

Hard Disk Backup Storage Security has Many Meanings
From the IT Engineer to the business continuity team at a large enterprise, the meaning of storage security has a wide variety of connotations. Facilities managers often conclude that this means physical security, locks, secure storage racks, or a data center that has the proper access control is rightfully secure. When looking at the larger picture and considering business goals it's important to take every point of view into consideration. When analyzing new hardware purchases across the enterprise or for a pilot testing program it's a safe bet that many people in the chain of command will take part in the decision making process.

The IT Security Perspective
Network files services and security are usually a primary concern at an IT level. Whether that means encrypted network logins, secure socket layer (SSL), NFS (v2, v3), HTTPS, or share and user level domain security level access, the meaning of disk storage security is certainly far more technical. As business data storage requirements grow and technology changes, the IT personnel should be getting a few more pats on the back for their input on analyzing new disk based data storage hardware.

When you think about this in more detail, even the backup options for redundancy are a measure of disk storage security. Can the hardware be used with the current data backup software that is already in place? Does the backup hardware have built-in Snapshot Support in case of a complete server crash? Is there an integrated backup manager for ease of use?
This of course includes options for RAID 0,1, or 5 as well as removable disk backup for scalability as your data storage requirements continue to grow.

Ultimately what is important is that the IT team works together and has a great synergy with the rest of the company who must also evaluate the storage hardware on different levels.

The Regulatory Compliance / Security Perspective
Today, more than ever, it's crucial to manage your IT infrastructure and comply with Federal Regulations (HIPAA, SOX, California Privacy Act, Payment Card Procession, etc), while maintaining a solid plan for data backup security. Most enterprises are faced with a myriad of regulations to ensure both physical security and limited access control, but must also demonstrate the importance of data disaster recovery. Best business practices include fire protection as well as waterproof or flood protection to ensure availability of data in a natural disaster to meet federal regulations. From a security perspective this can even mean that data must be kept on site or at least secured within a WAN between neighboring data centers.

While the team members understand that the federal regulations do include their fair share of red-tape, it's vital to the business to keep working together and understanding the business needs from this point of view. Ultimately a large enterprise can save millions of dollars by implementing the right data storage hardware across the enterprise the first time.

The Physical Security Perspective
Storage security analysis from the physical perspective in the simplest of terms means theft protection and access control. Storage hardware that is rack mountable, removable storage disks that have limited access or a data center with tight CCTV or digital video recording systems to monitor who can access the data on a daily basis are all part of the this process.

When considering the physical security of storage hardware your facilities managers' input is crucial to remember, and by doing so at the start of storage hardware evaluations you'll have less hassle and headaches in the end.

What is the Point?
The point is that best practices should include disk backup systems that are trouble free, dependable, scalable and require no additional training or staffing, meeting storage security requirements across the board.

Plug and Play solutions that dovetail into your current IT environments and platforms are key to leveraging your disk storage hardware investments in ways that achieve compliance across multiple sets of regulations and drive the business forward - meeting goals and objectives for growth and success.

Aligning the business IT systems with overall business objectives and goals is of great importance as storage gets cheaper and data becomes priceless.

Small office, home office backup: Which method is right for you?

2007 (Computerworld) -- There are many techniques and technologies for implementing a regular and sound backup regime at a small office or home office (SOHO) and while on the road. But there are also many hazards. Small devices, such as portable disk drives, are exposed to conditions that cause failures far more often than business-class systems, and while portable units are convenient, they sometimes lack security features such as password protection or encryption that could leave your data open to theft.

Read the Complete Computerworld Story

If you already have a good backup regime, look to see how you can improve it to protect more data in a shorter amount of time. If you do not have a regular backup regime, now is the time to start.

Greg Schulz is founder and senior analyst at The StorageIO Group and author of the book Resilient Storage Networks (Digital Press, 2004).

Considerations of Fireproof Hard Disk Drive and NAS Technology

Reliability of Hardware a Top Concern Among IT Professionals
What happens when you take active computer electronics and put them inside a fire safe? Most IT professionals would agree that you get a build up of heat - one of the top reasons for hard drive failure and a core reason for fan cooling of servers, laptops and business class computer equipment.

As the new industry of disaster ready data storage emerges there are several considerations that need to be taken into account. When engineering a reliable piece of data storage hardware that can also withstand a raging fire, flood, or even water sprinkler systems there are many fundamental concerns that come to mind.

Heat Build Up / Heat Transfer
Cooling the backup hard disk drives is of utmost importance inside a fireproof safe - whether by fan or other means your hard drives don't like heat!

Storage Capacity
Your data storage requirements are continually growing. When your business invests into data storage hardware a scalable solution that allows for this growth provides the greatest return on investment (ROI). Consider a product that allows room for growth!

Data Disaster Recovery
When your primary or even your backup disk goes through a disaster like fire or flood how will you get your data recovered? What type of data recovery service is available? Can data be recovered from a disk that has been through a fire or flood? Yes it can, and here is a very interesting video example on YouTube told by Steven Hill of Network Computing Magazine.

Hard Disk Recovery
Everyone knows that hard drives fail, it's the nature of computer hardware. But how do you recover your data if your drive fails inside a fireproof hard drive or NAS?

Data Redundancy
Even if your business has invested money and time into a data backup device and plan for recovery you still need to consider your strategy for recovery from fire or flood. In this type of situation you can simply add a fireproof hard drive to your current system and store your most business critical data on this external backup device. This will ensure that you are prepared for any disaster that might occur.


Every day there are examples of business fires occurring in the local newspaper and while your insurance policy can replace your desks, tables and chairs, how can you replace your data? This question alone should raise a few eyebrows as according to various studies 90% of businesses fail after a data disaster.

Plan ahead and prevent business data loss from disaster. When you consider the purchase of a fireproof hard drive or fire safe NAS (network attached storage) device make sure you take the above points into consideration.