Data Vulnerability Analysis And The Need for Backup Software

Many data managers are well-versed in standard inventory storage, but do not have the same understanding of software data storage and its relation to backup software.  Here is an inventory analysis of software data.

Data Hardiness

Many inventory managers appreciate products that are made of hardy materials, such as cast steel, because they require so little inventory management.  Cast steel parts are not susceptible to damages by extreme temperature, humidity, or vibration.  In fact, if their wooden containers are destroyed, the parts themselves are still often pristine.  Many managers treat software as they do data, as a hardy product.  In truth, the data is only as hardy as the storage medium.  This is generally a solid-state device or a magnetic device.  Both are sensitive to high temperatures, particularly during power-on conditions (normal operation).  Media is also somewhat sensitive to humidity, vibration, and other environmental factors.  Therefore, software data should not be considered a hardy inventory item.

Data Spoilage and Required Overage

Companies that maintain an inventory of fruit must deal with a spoilage factor.  A certain percentage of their product will always lose viability due to age, temperature, and other environmental factors.  Companies meet delivery requirements by specifying an overage to compensate for the spoiled produce.  In comparison, data storage has a very low micro spoilage factor; however, it has a relatively high macro factor.  Although hard drives maintain integrity of the stored data for the years of its reliable lifecycle, it can suffer catastrophic failure: the entire “crop” could be lost at once.  For this reason, data spoilage has a factor of 100 percent, and the required overage must be a factor of two, that is, a complete copy of the original data.

Data Value

Another factor of inventory is its value.  Although gold is hardy and does not spoil, it still cannot be stored the same way as common cast metal parts.  Gold is valuable and gold is relatively easy to carry away.  Most business data has a value closer to gold than steel.  Online videos are very easy to appropriate, as recent news articles can attest.  In addition, for some companies, they form the lifeblood of the company.  In addition, unlike gold, data can be replicated.  A thief can steal a single video, and then copy, reproduce, and distribute it for free, destroying a huge potential revenue for the video company.

Data Replication

On the positive side, data, unlike gold, can be replicated for a modest value.  In other words, the data can be replicated, not at the value of the data, but at the value of the storage media, which is generally much less.  This means that backing up data is generally much less expensive than losing it.

The Need for a Backup System

The point is that software data is as physically vulnerable as produce, and as susceptible to theft as gold.  Companies that depend on business data, which comprises most modern companies, should have a secure and reliable backup system in place.  The heart of the backup system is backup media, to preserve the data in a secondary location, and backup software, to backup the primary data to the secondary data source safely and efficiently.  With this system, companies can protect valuable and vulnerable data from both environmental and human factors.

Presented by NovaStor