The pressure of keeping data secure in the digital age is only becoming more intense. To ensure customer and business data is stored and secured effectively, organisations need to implement a data protection strategy that will withstand future challenges. When considering the most vulnerable industries, the legal sector is one that is certainly in the firing line.
Managing the evolving workforce
For all businesses, managing the increasing data levels while catering for both office-based and mobile workers who are constantly utilising the storage system is a challenge which could spiral out of control without the correct solution in place. Data storage, management and accessibility is a concern for many organisations, particularly when considering the associated costs and location restraints of authorising access for the entire workforce. Yet, as the mobile worker becomes the normality among small to mid-sized organisations, immediate access is crucial.
The increase in data levels and multiple means of access increases the pressure on business networks, meaning reliance on storage solutions will only become more complex. This demands the implementation of a long-term backup and recovery strategy which incorporates both flexible storage and disaster recovery. The efficient use of this storage with minimal impact to computing resources should be a priority of any IT department.
Ensuring data integrity
Data integrity is set to be an even bigger trend in 2016, especially with the arrival of the EU General Data Protection Regulation. For compliance and customer satisfaction, businesses in the legal sector that hold such confidential data need to have complete confidence in what is stored and how. Putting a long-term and scalable data storage strategy in place is instrumental to an organisation’s success and its ability to remain compliant with increasingly stringent regulations - a key factor in customer retention. Thus, giving customers peace of mind that their personal data or details of a confidential case are secure, leading to a more efficient and confident organisation.
Gain more by cutting cost
With the connected workforce growing and reliance on a secure, yet accessible, storage solution a necessity, cost is the first thing on an IT department’s mind. As every business technology solution is considered to come with a significant price-tag, it’s no surprise that many hold back from implementing what can mistakenly be considered as non-compulsory.
Businesses should instead focus on how much could be saved in time, money and reputation. Investing in a secure storage solution with high-end data enterprise class features doesn’t need to have a reflective cost out of reach for a typical SME. Bringing in a backup and recovery solution with the capability of unified storage could essentially save business expenditure on technology and overheads.
The legal industry is one particularly vulnerable to the consequences of loss of data, so it needs to take its storage infrastructure seriously. With the relevant solution in place, one company we work with, Lee & Thompson, has found that over-storage could be reduced by up to 54 times, cutting overhead costs by 50 per cent - thus significantly boosting ROI. With full backups of servers, desktops and laptops created every 15 minutes, organisations across all industries can rely on this technology to save them hours of labour costs while, most importantly, preventing permanent loss of data. Data integrity solutions with cloud-based management are the future, so they need to be considered now, before it’s too late. Quickly and reliably restoring files, folders or systems to any platform, physical or virtual, from any point in time could cut a business’s costs while fundamentally protecting its reputation.
Businesses no longer want to have to rip and replace every few years, but require long-term solutions which can be built upon as needs change. SMEs need to consider storage, backup and recovery as a compulsory element in a business continuity strategy. Investing correctly means businesses can differentiate from their competitors by assuring customers of their data integrity - a rarity in an age of digital distrust.
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