World Backup Day 2014

3 common misconceptions about the Cloud

Here's a reality check for you: don't be fooled by everything you read during this Cloud Computing hype. It's like Chinese whispers in the technology world. The Cloud is still one of those popular buzz words somebody created to explain a whole world of complex IT infrastructure. It is really just a metaphor for the internet, a fuzzy grey area that people cannot entirely explain easily yet. It goes back to the days of flowcharts and presentations that would represent the gigantic server-farm infrastructure of the Internet as nothing but a puffy, white cumulonimbus cloud, accepting connections and doling out information as it floats.

Nonetheless, it is easy to get drawn in to mythical facts and broad statements posted over the web as you try to grasp some kind of understanding about what the Cloud is and isn't. The truth is the Cloud is still a huge learning curve for even the most intelligent of IT experts. As we slowly discover more benefits, as well as the negatives, of Cloud computing, it is important to keep an open mind and digest all the information with a pinch of salt so that we do not get too carried away in believing 'facts' that sometimes end up evolving in to myths over time.

To try and help keep you on the right track and iron out some of the creases, here are three classic misconceptions about the Cloud:

1. It is always cheaper

Many factors come in to play when trying to evaluate the cost of Cloud adoption such as network and bandwidth requirements, special hardware needs, the Cloud service and application that are being considered, and, of course, what you’re comparing the Cloud to on the other side. Taking the latter comment, in some cases instead of a one-off perpetual license and a 15-25% annual support cost, with Cloud computing you will have an annual charge. At some point the accrued cloud cost must be more than the upfront perpetual cost and annual maintenance. The cost of the infrastructure is also factored into the cloud licensing cost. This may or may not be cheaper than the cost for the client providing an infrastructure. Therefore it is not a true or reliable fact that Cloud computing is always cheaper.

2. The Cloud is just a fad

The concepts and technologies behind the ‘Cloud’ have been evolving for years. The term may be new, but there is no denying that cloud computing has emerged as a game-changing technology, with high adoption rates and investment. According to Gartner, it is estimated that Cloud Computing will be valued at $240 billion by 2020 and that the bulk of new IT spending by 2016 will be for cloud computing platforms and applications with nearly half of large enterprises having cloud deployments by the end of 2017. This goes to show that the Cloud is definitely not just a fad.

3. My data won’t be secure in the Cloud

Many people are still wary of Cloud safety and are reluctant to store their data in the Cloud, relying on physical storage devices like portable USB drives, CD's, and hard drives. Even some business leaders are choosing physical data-centers with which they’re already familiar, rather than migrating their data-centers to the Cloud. Stored data on-premise still has more inherent risks (fire, water damage, theft, tampering, temperature etc) than Cloud. Being able to see and touch your data doesn't make it safe. Consumers and businesses should see an increase in emerging regulations over the next few years to strengthen the safety of the Cloud even further.


Although very realistic, this may seem like a somewhat cynical post, so to leave on a more positive note, here is a piece of advice: There is really only one compelling reason for implementing cloud computing: a business reason. The new application will either drive up sales or drive down operational costs. Ideally both. So don’t get carried away with the generalizations around the latest buzz word, but concentrate on evaluating your business processes and IF or HOW the Cloud really can enhance them.

Four aspects to look out for when comparing disaster recovery protection

In the past, the most common reasons for enterprises not investing in disaster recovery software to protect I.T infrastructure, applications and important data were because of cost, complexity and unreliability. 

However, today, more than ever, disaster recovery is a vital layer of protection for many organizations. With the growth of cloud enabled disaster recovery, which is much faster and less expensive than high availability disaster recovery systems, businesses nowadays have no excuse to not have a business continuity plan in place that will protect them if disaster strikes.

Just like the best insurance policies, the best disaster recovery software provides excellent protection with minimum hassle to recover when a disaster strikes. Therefore, the following four key aspects have been listed to help guide you about what to look for when choosing disaster recovery software. Consider these options so that you can make certain that you have the protection you need.

1. On demand and scheduled testing

You will want to make sure that your recovery procedures work as they should and that your systems can be successfully recovered if a crisis was to occur. This will provide you with confidence that your system backups will recover reliably and that you can continue business as usual with minimum downtime should disaster strike. With the new U.S. HIPAA compliance rules, businesses in the healthcare industry now need to be able to prove that their systems will recover reliably. The best disaster recovery software will allow you to have the option of automating vital disaster recovery testing throughout the year or test recovery fail-over at a time that is convenient for you. 

2. Recovery time objective

RTO is the target time for IT systems to be back up and running after a disaster happens. This is very important in a disaster recovery plan to reduce the amount of business that is lost due to system downtime. You will need to ensure that you choose software that will help make you certain that you can accomplish your business RTO goal. The best software will get your server operating system promptly up and running in less than ten minutes.

3. Batched recoveries

When an entire data-center worth of servers goes down the fastest way of getting the data-center up and running again is by simultaneously recovering the servers together. Therefore it is important if you have a vast quantity of servers within your business, that you choose software that can recover multiple servers at the same time. The best software should be able to get an entire data-center recovered in just a few hours.

4. Cloning vs. software re-installation

Software that can create an identical copy of the original system when it carries out a recovery should be considered rather than re-installing software on to new machines. This is vital for machines that have been fine-tuned over a long period of time, such as those in production lines, where a slight change in the setup can result in the creation of faulty products.

Business Continuity Awareness Week Promotion!

To find out more from Cristie Software, contact a member of our sales team on: +44 1453 847000 or by using any of the links below:

Security in the Cloud

By the end of reading this blog you should be able to:

• Understand the legislation that has previously been put in place to protect cloud consumer data
• Be aware of recent events that have shaken up security in the cloud computing industry
• Learn about the actions that are in progress and will be put in to place within the next couple of years to protect cloud consumers

Previous legislation

Firstly, the ‘Safe Harbor’ scheme was set up to allow personal data to be transferred securely from the EU to the U.S. where a previously screened company joins the U.S.-EU Safe Harbor Scheme.

Then, with the emergence and growth of e-commerce over previous years, http:// morphed into https: // (the “s” stands for secure) to give consumers and businesses an added degree of confidence in e-commerce transactions.

In addition to this, The Data Protection Act 1998 (an act of British Parliament), and the Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights (Obama administration, US government) were put in to place to protect businesses and consumers against credit fraud and identity theft. Both acts ensure that personal data is accurate, will be held securely, and is only used for its intended purposes at the time of (authorized) collection.

The Edward Snowden leaks

However, the leaking of classified documents in 2013 detailing the data collection activities of the U.S. National Security Agency reignited some long-standing concerns about the vulnerability of enterprise data stored in the cloud.

NSA successfully hacked right through Google, Yahoo’s and Twitter’s Cloud infrastructure, raising concerns about the security of consumer information processed and stored in the cloud.

With an industry clearly rife with ‘grey areas,’ it is understandable that cloud consumers are demanding greater cloud security. The aftermath of the NSA spy programs in the Edward Snowden leaks is driving some long overdue changes in enterprise and service provider security and privacy policies. The realization that it is now finally time to upgrade all legislation to create more strident regulations, in order to protect cloud consumers and meet their demands, has commenced.

Emerging actions to keep an eye out for in 2014-2015

1. The European Cloud Partnership (ECP) is in the process of being formed which will codify the location of data, decide who owns digital content, and establish equitable and transparent rules for accessing data.
2. Cloud service providers will have the option of becoming certified giving consumers a valuable means for determining which CSP they will choose as their provider.
3. The EU’s proposed Data Protection Regulation will come in to place in 2015 and apply to European businesses, businesses outside the EU that have personal data on EU citizens, cloud providers in the EU and those outside the EU. It is to be mainly aimed at tech and social media companies giving individuals a “Right to be Forgotten” by requesting that their personal data be deleted. Non-compliance with the regulation will result in a fine of up to 5% of the business provider’s annual worldwide turnover or €100 million.
4. The questionable ‘Safe Harbor’ scheme will be reformed or suspended. As a result, Cloud providers will look at alternative international data transfer solutions, such as Binding Corporate Rules, where a company adopts a global privacy policy that meets EU standards and is approved by relevant EU Data Protection Authorities (“DPAs”).
5. European Commission proposed the NIS directive after the UK Government ranked cyber security as a Tier 1 threat to national security, equal with terrorism. In line with regulations set by the NIS directive, Cloud providers will have to assess the risks they face, adopt appropriate measures to ensure network information security and to report to the competent authorities any incidents seriously compromising their networks and information systems.

It is clear that 2014 will prove to be a big year in data protection for the cloud computing industry. What are your thoughts?

To find out more from Cristie Software, contact a member of our sales team on: +44 1453 847000 or by using any of the links below:

Development update: CloneManager™