Given ever-changing trends in cloud computing, security, and more, it can be difficult to plan with certainty. However, knowing what developments might arise, both now and in the future, is vital to preparing your organisation and maximising cost efficiencies.
One thing is certain, the need for dependable data stewardship has never been greater!
According to Cyber security Ventures research, total global data storage is expected to exceed 200 zettabytes (for those curious, a zettabyte is 1 billion terabytes!) of data by 2025. Unfortunately, global cyber crime damage is projected to reach?USD$10.5 trillion annually?by the same time, while ransomware is expected to impact a business, consumer, or device?every two seconds?by 2031.
The more data we produce, the more valuable it becomes — making your ability to properly secure it paramount.
Per?Veeam’s 2022 Ransomware Trends Report?that polled 1,000 IT leaders whose organisations sustained a ransomware attack in 2021, 73% suffered two or more in the last 12 months. On average, 47% of production data was affected when a bad actor penetrated an environment, while just 67% of the affected data was recoverable using backups.
Cloud adoption continues to rise at a fast and furious pace.
Foundry’s 2022 Cloud Computing research?revealed that 69% of businesses sped up their cloud migration over the past year. W, while worldwide spending on public cloud services is projected to reach nearly USD$600 billion in 2023, according to?Gartner. Additionally,?Veeam’s 2023 Data Protection Trends Report discovered that more than half of all organisation’s production workloads are now hosted in the cloud.
The pandemic accelerated the shift to cloud-hosted workloads as organisations required fast access to data and applications due to restricted physical operations. However, this trend is not a one-way path — and many are finding that their original “cloud-first” strategies may need adjusting due to the complexity of managing risk across a distributed computing environment.
For this reason, amongst others, organisations are increasingly turning to hybrid computing and managed backup services to ensure the continuity of data protection, security, and assurance. As businesses navigate the complexities of hybrid computing infrastructure — including a much broader attack surface and greater requirements for protection — they must take a comprehensive approach to ensure data can be protected and secured regardless of where it is located.
This requires modularising applications so they can move between clouds, understanding which parts need to go together if certain pieces are moving around, and using cloud-based backup solutions for maximum protection.
Just as important is understanding that this hybrid approach is fluid. It is about moving the right workloads onto the right?clouds?(and potentially back again), as it makes sense for the business, ensuring all cyber security requirements are met.
By using the right tools and technologies, you can ensure your organisation’s data is always secure and protected regardless of where it is located.
The biggest lesson learned is simple: You don’t have to do this alone.
Experience equals better business and mission outcomes, and you should seek out specialists who can handle many of your critical needs for you.
Some other pieces of advice include:
Technology is constantly evolving, and IT departments must work tirelessly to keep up with the changes. Staying informed about industry trends will help you stay ahead of the curve and ensure your infrastructure can meet its current needs as well as any future developments.
