How to ensure data protection in a multi-cloud environment

Cloud computing is commonly perceived as a singular environment, however, this is not necessarily accurate. A hybrid cloud refers to a shared resource model, which is hosted either on-premises or in a data centre and utilises a combination of public and private providers. This amalgamated computing environment is an economical option for companies with multiple branches.

It is worth highlighting that hybrid does not imply relying on a single provider for all services. Instead, it entails utilising several providers to attain improved outcomes and productivity. Partitioning applications across multiple cloud environments presents several benefits, including enhanced scalability, redundancy, disaster recovery capabilities and optimised resource utilisation.

Hybrid clouds provide versatility and options for selecting the most suitable technology to meet your requirements. Additionally, they enable the utilisation of multiple providers if required, without having to be concerned about compatibility conflicts between various platforms or services. However, this distributed approach also poses challenges concerning data protection if not executed properly.

Securing data across multiple locations is the primary challenge presented by hybrid clouds. This can be challenging, particularly if your organisation lacks in-house capabilities, expertise or security measures at each location. The following recommendations are suggested to ensure data protection in your multi-cloud environment using best practices for disaster recovery services.

The importance of disaster recovery in a hybrid cloud environment

Disaster recovery is a vital component of any cloud strategy, but it becomes even more significant when multiple clouds are involved. To guarantee data protection and availability during an outage, it is essential to be equipped for disaster recovery across all your environments, both public and private.

Having multiple copies of your data distributed across various regions and availability zones can help lower the risk of losing access to essential business applications and workloads in case of a cloud failure. Additionally, it is crucial to ensure that each copy remains synchronised, so any updates made in one region reflect in all other regions where the data is stored.

Choosing a reliable cloud provider is crucial to ensure your disaster recovery strategies and tools meet the required standards. SEACOM, in collaboration with Redstor, offers comprehensive online backup and recovery services to businesses in East Africa. Their devices are designed to automatically back up files as soon as an internet connection is detected, which can then be recovered to Hyper-V, VMware, Azure and AWS.

Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) are combined to ensure that recoverable data remains free of infection whilst minimising the need for manual intervention to remove malware. Backup is also extended to Kubernetes and software as a service (SaaS) applications, such as Microsoft 365, Google Workspace and Salesforce.

In any organisation's business continuity strategy, a disaster recovery plan plays a critical role. This plan involves developing and implementing procedures that enable the business to recover from a range of disaster situations such as natural disasters or cyber attacks.

Best practices for ensuring data protection in the hybrid cloud

To ensure data protection in a hybrid cloud environment, it is crucial to begin with a comprehensive evaluation of the risks to your digital assets and vulnerabilities. Additionally, conducting a business impact analysis can provide a clearer understanding of the potential impact of a cyber attack on your organisation as a whole.

Following the risk assessment and business impact analysis, the next crucial step is to create a disaster recovery plan that incorporates a combination of cloud-based and on-premises resources.

This approach ensures redundancy and failover across multiple cloud providers and data centres. Additionally, regular testing, updating and validation of the disaster recovery plan are vital to ensure data protection in accordance with industry best practices for information security.

Implementing disaster recovery in the hybrid cloud

Before utilising hybrid cloud services, it is crucial to have a comprehensive disaster recovery plan in place. The initial step towards implementing such a plan is to select appropriate tools that align with your strategy. Various tools are available, each with its unique advantages and disadvantages.

When selecting a tool, it's essential to consider factors such as cost, ease of use, and the availability of support staff to ensure it meets your requirements. For instance, you may prefer a commercial software solution over an open-source one, depending on your budget and whether you want to use tools from a single supplier or a range of compatible sources.

Once your disaster recovery system is established, it is important to continue monitoring and managing it to ensure its efficiency. Monitoring refers to the regular collection of data on all project activities, which allows IT teams to track progress and determine if the security project is meeting its objectives.

The responsibility of monitoring and evaluating your disaster recovery system can be assigned to your in-house IT team. However, it is important to recognise that this task can be demanding on their time and resources.

To implement disaster recovery in a hybrid cloud environment, numerous tools and services are available to assist you. You can also consider utilising third-party solutions for ensuring data protection in such an environment, as well as integration with other systems.

SEACOM offers comprehensive disaster recovery and data protection solutions to businesses in East Africa. These solutions are well-suited for various cloud environments, including hybrid architectures. For more information or to get a quote for our cloud services and security solutions, email us at marketing@seacom.com or leave us a message.

SEACOM owns Africa’s largest network of information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure, including fibre optic networks and subsea cables. We offer a wide range of industry-leading scalable ICT solutions for large companies that operate throughout the region.

SEACOM is privately owned - making it adaptable to the needs of the client. We are the preferred ICT and internet connectivity supplier for African enterprises. We can guarantee fast, reliable and secure internet and networking services at affordable prices.

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