This past week, a major data center owned by OVHcloud went up in flames, destroying the servers within and destroying the security of redundancy in the cloud.
OVHcloud is a global cloud, dedicated server, and managed bare metal services provider with in excess of 1.5 million customers. The company manages 27 data centers in diverse countries around the world, including the US, UK, France, and Australia.
Many companies have shifted over to the cloud in order to protect their information and records, especially as experts have recommended moving such data offsite for redundancy and security. However, the fire at OVHcloud proves that one level of protection is likely not enough for today’s 24 x 7 digital world. The company advised clients to invoke their individual disaster recovery plans – leaving anyone who considered the cloud as invincible and therefore did not have any other plans in a lurch.
The reality is that no matter how big and how protected a data center may be, there is always a chance of failure. Therefore all companies should take another long, hard look at how their data and information is being protected.
Redundancy is the Key
When companies look to protect their data, the first line of defense is getting a copy of such data offsite. In the past, organizations with onsite data centers would store copies of the data in another geographical location. This was done in order to guarantee that the same event would not take out both copies of the data at the same time. When people began migrating many of their applications to the cloud, many thought that their obligation to protect their data was now shifted to the cloud provider – but this week’s fire proved that a company needs to look to multiple levels of redundancy to keep information safe.
Whether or not a company has an onsite data center, they may wish to maintain both an offsite and onsite copy of all pertinent records. If they have their information in the cloud, they should also look for other options. One solution may be to outsource network operations to a managed services firm, who also manages your cloud services. They can keep a copy of your data for you should the cloud network be compromised – and reroute information if need be.
We understand that this may all seem very complicated, and we are here to help. Whether or not you ultimately decide to contract for managed services and outsource your data processing, the team at Alliance IT can provide consulting and technical guidance you need to come to your best solution for business continuity and disaster recovery plans.
For more information, call our expert IT professionals for a technical assessment and consultation. Alliance IT is a Sarasota-based managed services firm dedicated to the success of your IT networking operation.
