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The Essentials Series: Achieving Continuous Data Protection

by Dan Sullivan

SYNOPSIS

Protecting data is a fundamental responsibility for IT operations support staff. This task is not easy. Hardware fails and data is lost or corrupted. Security breaches can result in tampering and data leaks. Employees can accidentally delete files. This guide discusses how to improve the ways you protect data, particularly for end users who access and inadvertently delete or overwrite files on network shared drives. This guide introduces the concept of a file server recycle bin to enable continuous data protection and self-service recovery, freeing IT from help desk calls to restore lost files.


CHAPTER PREVIEWS

Article 1: Streamlining File Recovery Operations while Reducing IT Workload

File recovery can be time consuming for IT support staff and frustratingly slow for users. The Windows Recycle Bin is useful for recovering many, but not all, accidentally deleted files. The ideal third-party tool provides a broader range of features and abilities to capture deleted files from network shares as well as previous versions of files. When access controls within the file recovery application mirror the access controls of the underlying Windows OS, systems administrators can enable self-service recovery while still protecting the confidentiality and integrity of users’ files.


Article 2: Limits of the Windows Recycle Bin: Improving File Recovery Options

The Windows Recycle Bin is a useful data protection tool, but it has significant limitations. Files deleted from network shared drives or from outside of Windows Explorer are not protected, nor are intermediate versions of files. Users and systems administrators have made do with the file recovery features of backups and snapshots, but third-party file recovery applications are providing an improved alternative.


Article 3: Continuous End User Data Protection

It is possible to offer end users continuous data protection. At the same time, those users can gain greater control over the recovery process with the use of self-service recovery features for all local and network files. IT administrators can still maintain control over file security while reducing their overall workload when it comes to restoring files. Continuous data protection provides for better RPOs and reduces the risk of losing substantial amounts of work. The Windows Recycle Bin has worked well for some cases of deleted files but not all, especially in large environments that normally use centralized storage. Third-party tools are now available to fill those gaps.