Tackling Data Protection Alphabet Soup
Mar. 14, 2007

When you start to drill down, you quickly realize that there’s nothing simple about technology. That’s certainly true of the discipline we call data protection, a mélange of competing solutions, all of which can be boiled down to alphabet soup. Confusing? You bet.

There’s SRM software to manage data classification and management; RAID arrays, SATA, iSCSI and DLT IV tape/WORM drives (bad pun) on which to store data, VTL appliances for performance, CDP for critical applications and ILM for managing information. And before you get started, you should determine RTO and RPO (that’s Recovery Time Objective and Recovery Point Objective).

But don’t let this intimidating laundry list of acronyms and geek-speak stop you from taking action. Remember, there are experts out there who can help you sort out the solution that’s right for your business.

The important thing is to get started with a plan for protecting your critical data. That should start with a close look at your business processes and the identification of your critical data. Whether done internally or with the help of a consultant, you have to methodically examine and prioritize your key information assets. Then you can go ahead and develop a backup plan for each critical business process.

An effective data protection program doesn’t have to be convoluted or complicated. If you approach it rationally, it’s as straightforward as ABC.

Posted by Andy Mazer 03.14.07

Previous Blog Posts
03.07.07 - The Cost of Not Protecting Data
02.28.07 - Going Green to Conserve Energy in the Data Center
01.30.07 - Global Warming in the Data Center
12.02.06 - Open Standards Is for Systems Management Too
11.22.06 - Virtually Ready for Primetime
11.14.06 - Technology No Substitute for Communication
10.16.06 - Running a Data Center? What's Your Problem?