Data Storage and protection

IT332_M5 Data Storage and protection

Purdue University Global

The proposed solution for data storage and data protection for Widgets, Inc. computer system

covers several aspects. When dealing with various operating systems and the applications they

work with it is easy to see they can always be reinstalled and work if there is a breach or

corruption of any kind. When you look at data on the other hand it is unique and not easily

replaced so it quickly becomes the key component of your system.

There are many ways in which you can protect the data you have from unauthorized access or

from a data loss. The first recommendation would be to back data up often so that you always

have a copy in case there is a loss or breach. Another key to data protection is the use of a

strong password this will help deter cyber criminals, but may not stop them so the next step is

data encryption which is a means of taking data and converting it into code .

Besides regular encryption you can also use disk encryption which is a way to lock down the

entire partition and is transparent to the user. If your data has public exposure it is extremely

helpful to use a public key infrastructure. The public key manages private and public digital

certificates and key pairs. The public key allows the intended recipient access to the data

because they are the holder of the private key that corresponds to the public key. Protecting

data is just one aspect of overall data protection. Another key piece is data storage and backup

solutions. Today’s world produces more data than anything else so having a storage repository

that is not only safe but cost effective is key to business growth. When looking at data storage

you have several options such as DAS, NAS, online storage, or private cloud. All have pros

and cons, but it is important to choose the one right for your business. Let’s look at DAS or

direct attached storage. These are devices that connect directly to your server or PC which

makes them easy to use, but they fall short because they require batch backups so they could

contain out of date versions. Next let’s look at NAS or network attached storage. This type of

storage is usually a device that connects to the network directly. NAS offers redundancy in

the form of RAID capabilities or redundant array of independent disks. RAID offers fault

tolerance and has abilities to survive disk failure. RAID comes in many levels depending on

the need of your operations. NAS also supports various file protocols and an ability to sync

folders with other NAS devices. Both are considered disaster protected storage and are useful

in protecting files from destruction. Online storage is another option there are a couple

options private cloud or regular cloud storage. Regular cloud can be expensive and may take a

long time for data recovery also you are putting your data in the hands of a third party. Now

private cloud is a means of building your own private cloud storage which gives the business

full control of their data . There are so many aspects of data security, storage,

backup, and redundancy. My recommendation for Widgets, Inc. would be to go with a NAS

data schema that offers redundancy by the way of RAID to protect against disk failure. I

would back our data up in a cloud format so that it is kept offsite, and your data can be

restored once your equipment has been replaced .