Disaster Recovery Journal Spring 2024

EDITOR’S NOTE : DCIG empowers the IT industry with actionable analysis that equips individuals within organizations to do supplier and product evaluations. DCIG delivers informed, insightful, third-party analysis, and commentary on IT technology. As industry experts, DCIG provides comprehensive, in-depth analysis, and recommendations of various enterprise data storage and data protection technologies. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in all Disaster Recovery Journal articles belong solely to the author. The information, product recommendations, and opinions in this article are based upon public information and from sources DCIG, LLC. believes to be accurate and reliable.

Storing data in any or all these cloud services does not absolve organizations of their data management and protec tion responsibilities. Rather, it represents the next frontier in data management and protec tion organizations must pre pare to address and conquer. More organizations now recognize they must protect data they store in office suites such as Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace. However, organizational responsibility for managing and protecting data in cloud applications does not begin and end with cloud-based office suites. This responsibility for them to protect data applies to all data they host in all cloud-based applications. DCIG is unaware of any provider of a cloud-based application that assumes responsibility for their cus tomers’ data. However, some do a better job of disclosing and informing their customers it is their responsibility. For instance, in its shared responsibility statement, Microsoft openly discloses “the customer” always retain Your Data, Your Responsibility

Data Stored in Cloud-based Applications: The Next Frontier in Data Protection By JEROME M WENDT A sk any organiza tion about which cloud-based applica tions, platforms, and resources they use, such as Dropbox, Salesforce, or Slack. Their develop ers may be aware they use S3 object cloud storage for application development and testing. Ask the firm’s accoun tants and they may acknowl edge they utilize QuickBooks Online and store corporate data there. However, the issue orga nizations face comes not from their use of these cloud applications, platforms, or resources. Rather, using all these services creates a bur geoning data management and protection dilemma. and their responses will vary. Some may immediately know they use Microsoft 365 and perhaps cloud applications

28 DISASTER RECOVERY JOURNAL | SPRING 2024