Monday, June 07, 2010

NISPOM & A look at Information Security Protection Measures

How ioSafe Hard Drives Improve Data Integrity & Availability
Military Grade Hard Drive
We often work with our clients to develop plans of action regarding NISPOM requirements, IPS containers and data backup, storage and disaster recovery. While on the surface these requirements and procedures can seem daunting, when they are broken down into attainable objectives, the mystery of these policies vanish and security and storage goals are met with ease.

In the private sector all of the the information systems (IS) that are used to capture, create, store, process or distribute classified information must be properly managed, protected and secured. Top priority is given to protect all IS systems against unauthorized access or disclosure of information (documents, data, etc) and to ensure availability and recovery of data in the event of a disaster. That said, data backup plans and a solid method for data recovery go hand in hand with NISPOM.

We regularly recommend the use of ioSafe hard drives to achieve a balanced approach to data backup, demonstrating improved security and data integrity as well as the ability to recover data in the shortest amount of time (RTO) and with the best availability (RPO)

When it comes time to implement ioSafe hard drives and systems into a NISPOM related plan the access control issues have already been addressed and the focus is strictly on backup, recovery and data integrity.

The procedures for data backup are documented in writing and sometimes include a tape rotation or archive if needed. By automating the backup process with ioSafe hard drives, regularly scheduled backups can occur incrementally during the day, nightly or automatically when any data is overwritten or saved.

One important note is that the data backups must be stored in an alternate location within the building or in an off site facility to ensure data availability in the event of a common occurrence disaster. When costs and budget are of utmost importance, the ioSafe hard drives serve to eliminate off site storage fees and reduce man hours for tape rotation $$$, all the while improving data security by eliminating the human element from the loop.

Pros to Backup Verification with ioSafe
By automating the data backup into a a disaster protected hard drive from ioSafe it is easier to verify data by simply looking at the backup logs.

Testing of ioSafe hard drives can be achieved at regular intervals and immediately verified for restoration more than once a year at a lower cost (less time and money versus tape testing and verification processes). The testing of data several times a year improves reliability and ultimately improves business continuity and operations.

For more information on ioSafe NAS storage and external hard drives for your NISPOM requirements call Toll Free 1-866-867-0306

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