In recent years, enterprise sync and share solutions have become popular mechanisms for protecting endpoint data. Even so, sync solutions do not typically provide the same level of protection as a true backup solution. The reason for this is simple. Although there are undeniably some overlaps in functionality, sync software and backup software were created for completely different purposes.

Backup Software vs. Sync and Share Solutions

    Backup software has one purpose and one purpose only — to allow the organization to get its data back following a data loss event. While enterprise sync software may allow for data recovery in certain situations, data recovery is not the software's primary focus.

Enterprise sync software is designed primarily to make user data available in multiple locations. For example, copies of the user's data might reside on the user's laptop, a network file share, and perhaps the user's tablet. The synchronization engine is designed not only to copy data to each of the designated locations, but also to make sure that each copy of the data remains up-to-date and identical.

    Enterprise synchronization software primarily provides protection against data loss in the event of lost, stolen, or damaged hardware. If, for instance, a user accidentally drops and destroys their laptop, a copy of the user's data remains stored safely on a server. Even so, there are some major shortcomings to this approach.

The Disadvantages of Sync and Share

    One potential disadvantage to using sync software is that the software may not protect everything. Sync software allows a user to choose which data they want to synchronize between devices. It is somewhat common for a user to configure the software incorrectly or to accidentally create and store data in a folder that is not being synchronized. The end result is that some of the user's data may be left unprotected.

    Another disadvantage to using enterprise sync software is that such software may not offer point in time recovery capabilities. Suppose, for instance, that a user were to make an incorrect change to an Excel spreadsheet. That change would immediately be synchronized with the other copies of the data. In other words, unmodified copies of the spreadsheet would be overwritten by the copy containing the error. If the user were to later discover the error, they may not have a way of reverting to a known good copy of the spreadsheet.

    In all fairness, there are some enterprise sync applications that do provide point in time recovery capabilities. Even so, these capabilities may not be as flexible as what would be included in a dedicated backup application. For example, the software may only allow for a few recovery points to be retained or may not support point-in-time recovery for all file types.

Perhaps the biggest potential disadvantage to using enterprise sync software is that such software has been known to cause data loss in certain situations. There are documented instances of synchronization databases becoming corrupted. In most of these incidents, the synchronization process simply stopped working, leaving newly created data unprotected.

In other instances, however, database corruption actually caused good data to be deleted from synchronized folders. This happened because the corrupt database did not contain a record of the data and the software wrongfully concluded that the data must have been deleted from one of the other synchronized copies and, therefore, needed to be removed from the remaining copies.

Conclusion

    Overall, enterprise sync software does not typically provide the same level of data protection as would be provided by a dedicated backup application. Backup applications focus solely on data protection, whereas sync software is often treated more as a convenience feature that makes data accessible from multiple occasions.

To find out more, contact Az Datacom today. 

 "We're missing a laptop!"   These words are not something you want to hear, but the chances are, it's going to happen at some point. Unfortunately, data on the majority of SMB laptops is not encrypted, so what exactly does it mean for your company if this happens?

   It means that if the bad guys pull the hard drive from the missing laptop and plug it into a running system, then chances are they can access to your data. A simple user ID and password are not going to be adequate protection.

   Are the thieves going to bother even looking at the stolen laptop? Many years ago, the hardware itself would fetch a decent amount on auction sites as "previously owned." With the professionalization of cyber crime, oftentimes, the data from a professional firm is worth more than the hardware itself.

   Cyber criminals are very aware of the value of purloined data and a lost laptop can quickly turn into a serious incident. For example, the theft of personal information may lead to an extortion demand or blackmail attempt. Furthermore, a fine from a regulatory or governing body is frequently being applied to organizations that take a cavalier attitude towards laptop security.

In 2013, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) in the UK fined Glasgow City Council £150,000 for the loss of two unencrypted laptops, one of which contained personal details on more than 20,000 people.

In 2014, two entities paid the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights (OCR) $1,975,220 collectively to resolve potential violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy and Security Rules.

Stolen or lost laptops have become one of the most common business security incidents, according to the 2014 Data Breach Investigation Reportby Verizon, and depending on the regulations governing your business, the penalties and costs could be significant. These penalties and costs continue to grow as the individuals' privacy, which was violated, may seek additional restitution.

These major enforcement actions in the US and UK underscore the significant risk to the security of personal or medical information posed by laptop computers and other mobile devices.

Here are five precautions you can take to ensure you limit the damage of a stolen device:

1. Utilize Tools Such as Full Disk Encryption

   With the introduction of Windows 8.1 Bitlocker, Microsoft's disk encryption solution is bundled in the operating system (Windows 7 Ultimate had it as well). It takes some work to roll it out to an organization, but since it is included, your organization could find itself in a difficult legal position if a data breach occurs. There are also a plethora of third-party add-on solutions.

2. Physical Security

   The traveling or unattended laptop is one of the more risky situations any mobile device can find itself in. In public places or even hotel rooms, the corporate laptop or tablet should be, at best, secured in a safe and, at worst, stored out of site. In the office, a security tether should be used, especially if overall access control to the facility is weak or the organization is large.

3. Data Segmentation

   If storing all your data on a USB stick seems like a solution, think again. Your laptop may have an email client installed on it, and if those sensitive documents or information has been attached, the bad guys may get at those files. If you only utilize web mail and your documents are on an encrypted USB stick, this may be a useful technique to survive a lost or stolen device.

4. Disposal

   It may sound like something out of Mission Impossible, but the physical destruction of a device that falls into the wrong hands is best, but drive wipe with secure erase software should be your minimum. Always keep in mind that the data lives on the hard drive inside the device. If you plan on backing up user files or archiving the contents of the old device, first make sure that it's secure as well.

5. Avoid Logos

   Advertising whom you work for may not be the best idea if you are in a high-risk situation, like the world's largest hacker convention. Not the best time to bust out your NSA stickered Panasonic Toughbook.

Conclusion

   Ultimately, you need to remember that the security of your mobile device(s) is your responsibility. Folks' stolen property is returned by strangers, or found using technology, all the time. Unfortunately, if it's out of your control, the contents may be copied or malware may have been implanted — be careful.