In today's digital age, the importance of protecting your data from cyber threats and disasters cannot be overstated. Two key components of any comprehensive data protection plan are cyber recovery and disaster recovery. While these terms may sound similar, they serve distinct purposes and play unique roles in safeguarding your valuable information.

As we look ahead to 2021 (and continue to navigate through a global pandemic), organizations of any size are faced with two major challenges: data protection and cyber security. Modern data and analytics have steadily become the ‘gold’ in the era of continuous technological innovation.

According to a recent report from the Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG), approximately 68% of organizations use data stored on a secondary server for more than just recovery. A recent survey conducted by the Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG) asked C-level IT professionals what their top data protection concerns were. 

The ‘new normal’ is more than a catchphrase at this point. It's a whole new way of life. And the reality is that we really don’t know exactly how our businesses will be affected long-term. However, one thing we can predict is that staying flexible using scalable solutions and creating a solid online presence are two things that will help businesses navigate the current crisis and beyond.

IT organizations have been working hard for the last 20 years developing and updating their Disaster Recovery Plans.  An effective DR plan included strategy for remote working, oftentimes presumed to be caused by a local geographical constrained issue around an office or area. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has global impact and the most readily felt impact on many IT departments pertains to physical distancing.  This includes resources not able to travel to the office, supply chains being disrupted and business processes being changed.  IT departments and organizations that are further along the digital transformation journey are likely to be less negatively impacted by COVID-19.

As a new year begins, I find it helpful to get a pulse on the Canadian IT Industry to get a feel for what’s important for our customers. Sentia helps CIOs plan for the future but more importantly, we help them address their concerns with effective solutions.

For a third consecutive year, ITWC (formerly known as IT World Canada), in conjunction with Rogers Communications, surveyed 147 Chief Information Officers (CIOs) and their equivalents to find out more about their day-to-day challenges and published the 2015 CIO Census Report Canadian CIO. This showcases how CIOs execute their mandate within their organizations and offers insights into what matters most to our Canadian IT leaders that you could leverage.

Data loss and natural disasters have increased the importance of having a well planned and effective IT disaster strategy for your business. New capabilities provide companies of all sizes the potential for a less costly, faster and more flexible recovery solution for backing up data.

If you’ve been in IT long enough, then you’ve had a server crash on you and had to fix it.

Now how about rebuilding that server?  If it was easy, then kudos to you and your IT team - you have an excellent backup strategy!

Today, backing up to disk vs. tape has become a popular alternative to the traditional tape methodology. For many computer applications, it's important to have backup data immediately available when the primary disk becomes inaccessible. In this scenario, the time to restore data from tape would be considered unacceptable. Disk backup is also a better solution because data transfer can be four-to-five times faster than is possible with tape.

Data backup and developing a plan to restore aren’t the first steps in business continuity planning. However it's still a critical element. Without a solid backup and disaster recovery plan, your organization could face important risks and stand to lose financially due to downtime or data loss.