Part I - Compliance
In June, The Data Center Journal published an article written by DSI’s Leo Savaggio discussing virtual tape storage becoming increasingly more mainstream. Now more than ever, organizations are turning to virtual tape libraries (VTL) to upgrade physical tape solutions. When transitioning to a VTL storage solution, many considerations must be taken into account. We decided to break the key considerations of compliance, scalability and reliability into three parts. In this post, we will discuss data storage compliance regulations to consider.
Because our world is becoming increasingly virtual, all levels of business will continue to implement strict compliance guidelines. Compliance agencies such as HIPPA, PCI DSS and FISMA are regulating industries with strict compliance guidelines due to the sensitive nature of information they are collecting. However, this trend is entering into all industries; new regulations and mandates will continue to be implemented across all sectors. Companies are dedicating positions and entire departments to handle compliance standards.
Regulatory constraints can have a major impact on organization’s data storage plan. Changing storage solutions to fit compliance regulations often requires organizations to retrofit their current solution to meet regulatory standards, which is an incredibly risky endeavor. That is why it is important to identify a VTL solution that takes a layered approach to data storage. Teaming up with a data storage company that has support staff and technology available to work with requirement changes is imperative.
Compliance regulations often require organizations to have the ability to access historical documents at any time. Examine VTL solutions for ease of referencing historical documents, and determine the level of interaction that will need to take place with historical documents before making a technology decision. How long must these documents be stored? What will be referenced most often and what is less likely to be referenced but is required to be archived for a certain amount of time? It is vital to determine how the VTL solution interfaces with the various levels of historical documents.
Transitioning from physical tape to a VTL speeds the process of backing up data and of retrieving stored data. Disk storage compresses backup processes and administration, and manual backup operations are reduced significantly because of replication and automation features; many jobs can also run simultaneously.
All of this means a more efficient and reliable storage solution so you can spend less time worrying about compliance and more time running your business in 2015.