Peace of mind about data safety is phone call away

Apr 30 2008 By Neil Stephenson, Onyx Group

Digital information and technology have become the lifeblood of business. This technological focus is creating tremendous opportunities and adding considerable value, but it also brings significant challenges and risks. Neil Stephenson, CEO of the Onyx Group, examines the issues.

THERE are a number of emerging issues that modern organisations are facing increasingly frequently. It is important that business decision makers are aware of these so they can be prepared to deal with them.

Data including work documents, databases and email are imperative for the day-to-day running of any organisation. However, as applications become more sophisticated, the volume of data continues to grow. Add to this legal requirements, such as the necessity to retain your data, and the need for extensive and reliable storage methods is of paramount importance.

Off-site hosting and remote data back-up has become essential to cater for this exponential growth of data. Companies should recognise that by backing up their data with automated remote methods using private networks or even the internet, they can overcome many problems associated with traditional techniques. Also, if this data is stored in a secure, ISO 27001-accredited offsite location, they will be relieved of the burden of hosting and maintaining their own servers.

We rely increasingly on the confidentiality, availability and integrity of data. However, these pressing issues are made more pertinent by the complex laws, regulations and standards the European Commission, UK Government and US Government are introducing. The Sarbanes Oxley Act, UK Data Protection Act, ISO 27001 and Basel II are but a few of the standards being enforced that affect businesses.

Compliance with these standards is not only becoming a legal necessity but is also good business practice. Security of your data is an essential part of becoming a compliant organisation. About 75% of UK businesses have had a security incident involving data loss, including some high profile cases such as HMRC, Nationwide and TK Maxx. Seek active advice on security safeguards and systems that can help and not only will you become a compliant organisation, you will really see the business benefits.

Security-related business disruptions are also a major concern as organisations become more reliant on technology. Effective security requires clear strategies, procedures, responsibilities and accountability.

A security breach can have extremely detrimental effects and in some cases are impossible to recover from. Continual due diligence on your network security is highly recommended and both internal and external measures should include: firewalls, virus protection, authentication, web filtering and email security at least.

When you have security measures it is important to make sure they are performing correctly by running a penetration test which gauges vulnerability.

Being prepared for the unexpected is essential in today’s uncertain environment. Recent flooding, fires and earthquakes have left many organisations without a place to work. Can you imagine the effect this would have on your business?

Workplace recovery facilities let you mitigate the risk and they act as an insurance policy that enables you to carry out your normal business activities and also complex IT requirements.

As the IT market becomes commoditised, organisations are driven to buy their solutions purely on price. However, this can be a false economy as comparing like for like is not always simple and dealing with a number of suppliers can be time consuming. This can lead to lack of focus on the core strategy as organisations spend precious time organising their numerous products from various suppliers rather than using an integrated system.

Many economies can be gained by finding an experienced supplier who can offer a one-stop-shop for a number of related services. Make sure they are focused on selling you a solution to a need rather than just a product and confirm that they have a long-term view on your relationship.

Support is vital in any association, so choose a company with low-cost support and service agreements across all services.

It is common practice to employ experts to look after specific areas of business. However, such resources can often be difficult to find and expensive. To reduce the financial burden but also attain the skills needed to manage infrastructure, many organisations now look to outsource many non-core services.

Outsourcing to industry technology experts who can provide support onsite and via a helpdesk and consultancy is becoming the norm, so why not source a supplier that can cater for your technology needs, so you can look after what is most important to you – your business?

It is no longer acceptable to be reactive in dealing with your technology challenges. It is the responsibility of everyone in a company to ensure the business is protected from risk as ultimately, everyone will pay the price if it isn’t.

There are many organisations that can help you face the challenges. The Onyx Group is one such company.

With a wealth of experience dealing with businesses, relationships and accreditations with technology leading lights such as Microsoft and Cisco, its own resilient network and facilities and some of the best people in the industry, the Onyx Group can provide a complete and integrated solution to all your technology needs.

:: Call for professional advice on 0800 970-9292 or visit www.onyx.net