This is the final part in a series of 4 editorials that aims to look at the need to ensure the integrity and availability of data stored on tape within YOUR organisation. Each part has taken an in-depth look at the products, processes and services that are available to you to help ensure data integrity, reduce risk, improve performance and ultimately, lower cost of ownership.
Whilst it is generally understood that investing in a resilient storage infrastructure is half of the battle, the way in which the information is then managed throughout its lifecycle remains a crucial factor if it is to ever be retrieved. The implementation of Corporate Governance policies and procedures requires organisations to look at the whole process – including data archived on tape; tape issues range from the quality of the media in the first instance through to the conditions in which it is stored, the policies and processes set for backup and archive, through to the measures that are in place to ensure business continuity and third party neutrality should the data need to be extracted and presented in court.
This series of editorials were broken down into the following sections:
1. The legislative environment: internal and regulatory compliance – what are the challenges facing UK organisations today?
2. The proactive approach to media management: defined product selection, management of operational performance and efficiency, post operational risk reduction. Programmes that include sample archival testing, library audits, environmental audits, performance analysis and physical tape management (through MM/TMS).
3. The reactive approach to media management: data recovery, tape analysis/technical support, data conversion/migration, legal restores & file restoration.
4. eDiscovery – why would my organisation need a third party organisation?
eDiscovery: why would I need a third party organisation?
Tape is a vital – if unglamorous – part of the IT infrastructure in almost every business and is routinely used to make copies of all information, and then stored away. It is for this reason that tape can be so crucial in the investigation of an organisation or persons within it. With all this said, you may think that should you be required to extract targeted data quickly, you have the infrastructure in place to support this, but what if the data required goes back 10 years? What about the legacy media that you no longer have the drives to be able to read? What if the timescale allowed for retrieval is relatively short and involves filtering through literally thousands of emails? And most importantly, even if you do extract the data you need, how can you guarantee to a court that the data has not been tampered with?
There are a number of benefits to using a third-party provider of eDiscovery services, the first being that data can be restored non-natively ? i.e. without having to recreate the environment in which it was first created. This can often save time, money and resources when the organisation is under pressure.
Similarly, a third-party can be highly advantageous when investigating breaches of internal policy or procedure. Being the neutral, third-party investigator enables us to look at the evidence from an independent viewpoint, thus enabling you to determine the facts whilst the organisation continues to run smoothly. This will result in no disruption to your IT infrastructure (we are able to restore data non-natively away from your IT environment) or the departments concerned in the investigation. In addition to this, discretion when dealing with sensitive information under investigation due to breach of internal policy, (especially if the employee still works at the firm, or more problematic ? is at the top of the hierarchy) is of utmost importance.
Not only do we overcome the challenges associated with the retrieval of information ? i.e. discovery, authenticity, legibility and auditability; we also overcome the burdens of lengthy investigations and the difficulties that this can cause within the organisation, such as time lost and distraction from your core business activity. The information produced will then be culled and only data relevant to the investigation will need to be examined. This means that large amounts of archived media can be searched quickly and inexpensively to ensure that every avenue has been covered and the facts produced are accurate and relevant to the situation.
This discreet, cost-effective and accurate extraction of data has helped many organisations like yours to achieve compliance across all levels of the organisation. The overall topic of compliance gives an organisation the opportunity to fine-tune its practices and internal controls. This then leads to improved performance, operational efficiency and an organisation that has control ultimate control over its data ? no matter what problems may be encountered.
This concludes the 4th part of our data integrity throughout its lifecycle series. For more information on this part or any of the previous, please contact us where we will be happy to discuss your requirements in more depth. Alternatively, all 4 parts are available on our website under the news section.
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