Data being the biggest asset of an organization, there should be a practical and successful way of managing it. When paper-based data exists in large quantities, businesses can consider utilizing bulk document scanning services and get it all digitized. Data loss can prove detrimental to the organization and therefore data security is indispensable. Now, data management more than data security is the topic of discussion everywhere with the ever increasing amount of data, expanding multi-cloud infrastructures, new stringent regulations like the GDPR and increasing business needs. We see many data management system vendors, including cloud service providers, investing heavily on platforms that are above and beyond traditional data protection.

Vendors have discovered that concentrating backups on a single platform is the best way to have all your data in a single logical place. Now, the focus is on developing software architecture that enables to do much more with backups than what was possible in the past. When the backup infrastructure is developed to store more data, the new nodes would also facilitate increased CPU power and memory capacity. This will in turn ensure a big data reservoir with data collected via backup and other means, which can be transformed into a highly effective Big Data analytics cluster. Once the Big Data platform is ready, vendors can build something useful on top of it such as an analytics workbench and other innovative solutions with an easy-to-use user interface. This will make data management within everyone’s reach in an organization and consequently data governance, data security and other aspects of the business will benefit from it.

Advanced data management platforms can also ensure data security; meanwhile companies must ensure efficient data management with their existing platforms until they adopt highly sophisticated data management platforms. So here are some tips for 2019:

• Backup is a must: Backup is vital for any organization and it should be performed by the IT department. A copy of all important data is saved and stored in a secure place to avoid loss of data in case of system failure, or by natural or manmade disaster, or cyber attacks. With advanced technologies like cloud storage, companies can safely store data as backups with authorized and secured access to prevent any damages.
• Data Analytics: To know what is happening in the market, the trends, patterns etc., it is important to stay competitive. With data analytics, you can analyze behavioral data, patterns, trends and techniques to predict revenue and growth of the business. The right strategy and modern tools help to take control of data and exploit its value, transform it from a liability to an asset and contribute towards improving competitiveness. By analyzing stored data, you can get a better understanding of the logical organization of large and complex IT infrastructures and what areas to invest or intervene in to cut costs.
• Ensure compliance: You must have a detailed understanding of what you need to remain fully compliant in choosing your data management solutions. Healthcare services and the financial industry are highly regulated and have to follow strict protocols. Publicly traded companies also must adhere to certain laws to stay compliant or face huge penalties down the line.
• Let go of unnecessary data: Analyze your data and find out which data is valid and which is old or dated. Choose the most reliable data source, and delete all extra copies.
• Have a solid data recovery plan in place: You should know what steps to take when the need arises to activate your data recovery steps. It is best to do regular and random testing, maybe on a weekly basis. Also, include an auditing team to look at your data pools.
• Use outsourced solutions for data management: This will allow you to focus on your business’ core competencies while data management experts take care of your data storage needs. They will keep your data safe and secure at affordable pricing. A good vendor can also advice you on the best course of action to take.

Document scanning services can help with digitizing your paper-based data. Data management experts use advanced tools that provide excellent backup solutions and also ensure security, e- discovery and so on. In the face of Big Data and its immense possibilities, businesses have to find the proper way of managing their data. In this context, we are seeing a natural shift towards automation for basic operations with system administrators having to manage petabytes of data instead of hundreds of terabytes.

Data security being important in view of new regulations, organizations must be extra careful about the way they use and share their data. Here are some data protection predictions worth knowing.

Global Data Protection Predictions

The EU General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) was implemented on 25 May 2018 to ensure data protection and the following are some of the data protection predictions for the year 2019.

• Implementation of GDPR in 2018 has resulted in increased levels of complaints to the regulator and data breach regulatory notifications. This resulted in significant resource pressures being placed on the national supervisory authorities. In 2019 there could be multiple supervisory authorities seeking additional resources and funding from national governments in order to be able to cope with demand.
• Use of new technologies and analytics could push the boundaries of persona data like increasing voice pattern and gait analysis recognition to identify and authenticate individuals.
• 2019 may be the year of the new ePrivacy Regulation.
• As technology continues to move ahead of regulation in 2019, we could see a legal review of the GDPR as an effort to ensure that privacy regulation does not prevent innovation.

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