Is data forever, and other middle-of-the-night questions.

Data is a big conversation for many reasons. It’s the lifeblood of your business, but it can also be its Achilles heel. And, of course, it’s a golden goose for cybercriminals. (But that’s a topic for another day).

We don’t tend to think too much about our data until we run into problems with it or need to make big decisions about it. So, what can prompt us to pause for thought, and what are the answers to those deep data questions that hold us back from sleep?

Data lives as long as its storage media. Just as paper fades and disintegrates over time, so does most – if not all – digital media. If you’re interested in the evolution of storage media and don’t mind feeling a bit old, this timeline from the Museum of Obsolete Media is well worth a scan!

While manufacturers make a wide variety of claims about the longevity of their media (from flash storage to hard disk drives, M-Disc to Blu-Ray, DVD to magnetic tape), every media comes with conditions. Despite every claim otherwise, those promises of long life are only as good as the paper they’re written on when subjected to harsh environmental factors (think humidity or high temperatures), excessive usage rates, or poor manufacturing quality.

The lesson in all of this? Don’t take the longevity of your data for granted. No matter which storage media you use, always – but always – ensure your data is protected, backed up, and recoverable.

Have a chat with us about our Managed Backup Services to alleviate your sleep loss.

No, it’s not. If you accept that data storage media has a ‘use by date,’ then you also need to accept the necessity to back up your backups to mitigate risk.

The best practice approach is based on the longstanding 3-2-1 Rule, a data protection strategy that recommends keeping three copies of data stored on two different media types and keeping one copy off-site.

Now, this rule was created when tape was the backup media of choice and cloud backups weren’t a ‘thing,” so it’s been updated to the 3-2-1-1-0 backup rule. The new rule stipulates that you need three copies of your data besides your original data. As for the offsite backup, given that your data is most likely in the cloud, your ‘offsite’ backup can be stored in an alternative cloud to ensure all your data eggs aren’t in one basket. The ‘0” in the updated rule stands for zero error tolerance in your backup – otherwise, it may not restore properly.

Backup frequency also matters – the last thing you need is a two-day gap between backups.

We offer a range of offsite and secure data centre storage services. So yeah, kiss that sheep counting goodbye.

Great question. Where does your data go when you cancel your cloud storage data retention and data security plan? Is there an offboarding plan to move it somewhere else, or does it just disappear into the ether?

The future of your cloud-stored data will depend on the specific T&Cs set by the cloud storage service provider you have been using. In other words, there’s no one right answer.

Some providers give you a grace period after cancellation that allows you continued access to your data (but no ability to update it), but typically, after this period has expired, your data may be permanently deleted.

However, as a business, unless you forget to pay or cancel your subscription and ignore the urgent reminders, you won’t want to risk your data. Your IT services partner or new cloud storage service provider will provide an offboarding plan to move your data from one place to the next safely.

If this has been worrying you and even bothering your sheep, give us a call – but please wait until morning.

Getting overwhelmed with the sheer volume of data you’ve collected?

Unless it’s a legal or compliance requirement, think long and hard about how much data you hang on to. And what you are going to use it for. Unless you are going to use it to generate value business and market insights, you’re usually storing it for no good reason.

What’s worse, you are putting your business and customers at risk. We’re all familiar with the recent high-profile data breaches at Optus and Medibank in Australia and Latitude Financial in New Zealand. Each instance illustrates the dangers of hanging on to data you don’t need.

Disposing of old data should be done with care. And this includes those 20 years of emails you’ve archived ‘just in case’. And what you do keep needs (by law) to be stored, encrypted and protected from unauthorised interference or access.

In short, if you’re not going to use all of it, dispose of that obsolete data carefully and correctly (we can help). If you need or want to retain your data, show it all the love and care it deserves – back it up, keep it clean, and make sure it can be restored word- and number-perfect every time you need it.

We’re always happy to help you make sure your data is safe and secure and you can sleep at night. Just give us a call.