In recent years, cloud-first and cloud-native has become the default standard for building applications. Legacy systems are being done away with, replaced by new systems on the cloud, or migrated to the cloud. The Covid-19 pandemic accelerated this evolution like never before. Many organizations have even adopted a thorough cloud-first policy striving to leverage the scalability, flexibility, and cost-efficiency of cloud computing.
While cloud computing brings many benefits and advantages to the enterprises that use it, it also brings some challenges. The most important one is always the challenge to maintain security and compliance. Data security can be challenging in the cloud, if not rightly done, especially if not thought of from the beginning. This makes backups extremely important in a cloud-first or a cloud-native environment.
The Cloud Provider DOES NOT handle everything
It is a common misconception that the cloud provider would handle everything – from infrastructure to security. They offer some security features like infrastructure protection and encryption, but data protection is a shared responsibility of the user/customer and the provider. This is what is called the shared responsibility model in the SaaS space. So, for example, if an enterprise uses Microsoft Azure, Amazon AWS, or Google Cloud Platform, these platforms would offer the security of the cloud infrastructure but the security of the user data on the cloud platform would be the responsibility of the user/customer. To safeguard against data losses, having a robust backup strategy would be critical for the enterprise’s data protection efforts.
Cloud data can also be lost
You can lose a file or a document in the physical world. You can lose your phone or laptop on the train. You can also lose data stored on the cloud. Cloud data is not immune to the risks usually faced by on-premise stored data. Anything could happen – accidental deletion by the user, ransomware attack, system failures, data breaches, bugs in the code, DDoS attacks, etc. The cloud provider could also be facing an outage like the recent outage Microsoft faced due to the CrowdStrike issue. These factors could very easily compromise data availability and integrity. A cloud platform can give you resilience and redundancy but they don’t substitute a good backup plan. Relying on cloud storage alone and ignoring backup strategies, is a bad idea.
Redundancy is not a Backup
Redundancy should not be mistaken for a backup. The data redundancy offered by cloud platforms is not a complete data protection strategy, it is just one part of it. Redundancy can help sail through situations like hardware failures, but it can’t replace a data backup. In case of a ransomware attack or data corruption, redundancy would be of no help, but a backup likely would.
To explain this further, redundancy involves storing multiple copies of the data within the same system or region. In contrast, data backup involves making independent copies of data and storing it separately from the primary data environment. Thus, if an incident occurs, the backup will likely be unaffected and untampered, since it is in a different environment, while redundancy would be affected by the same incident as the primary data environment.
Cybersecurity threats are on the rise
Cyberattacks are an increasing concern for everyone across industries globally. Among cyberattacks, ransomware attacks are getting increasingly expensive and dangerous. Without a reliable and strong backup strategy, enterprises might end up permanently losing all their data or having to pay exorbitant sums to secure a release.
Moreover, experts opine that roughly 80% of data breaches occur due to human errors. This includes accidental deletion, cloud misconfiguration, improper data handling, clicking on unsecured external links, cyber threats, etc. Even highly experienced and accomplished professionals end up making mistakes they never imagined they could. The impact of these situations can be insanely expensive – monetarily and otherwise. However, having all the data securely backed up in separate spaces can be a saving grace.
Additionally, compliance and regulatory risks also require robust backup strategies to be a part of the plan, along with data retention policies, encryption standards, and audit trails.
The Four Steps to Building a Strong Backup Strategy
- Assess the cloud environment to understand the types of data being stored, the applications being used, and the backups you would need for each.
- Devise a multi-layered defense strategy to ensure comprehensive data protection, combining native protection as well as third-party backups. There is no such thing as being too careful.
- Automate the backups because the backup must take place consistently on a predefined schedule, it cannot be left to manual interventions. Eliminating human errors is crucial.
- Sync to the compliance requirements of the enterprise and the region to protect the enterprise from regulatory and legal risks. Also, keep all stakeholders informed about the strategies and plans, as well as reasons for implementing the same.
With a thorough & robust backup strategy, you can be so much more secure in the cloud-first environment. To get started on this path, it is important to thoroughly understand the cloud. Earning the AWS Certified Solutions Architect credentials could be a great path to take for this.
Get AWS Certified to Future-Proof Your Career
As businesses undergo digital transformation, their consumption of IT systems and services undergoes a parallel evolution. Simultaneously, major cloud providers release a staggering array of features and services every year, a pace that far surpasses the traditional hardware development cycles of the past.
Those entrusted with the responsibility of architecting solutions in this dynamic environment must continually adapt and equip themselves with the skills needed to thrive in this new landscape. The role of an AWS Solutions Architect has undeniably evolved over the years, shaped by the forces of technological innovation and the demands of the cloud-native era.
Embracing this evolution and remaining well-versed in the ever-changing AWS ecosystem is essential for architects tasked with designing solutions that meet the evolving needs of businesses in the modern IT landscape. By doing so, AWS Solutions Architects can navigate the complexities of this transformative journey and continue to deliver value in an industry defined by perpetual change and innovation.
Enroll in Cognixia’s cloud computing with AWS training course and upgrade your skill set. You can influence your career and future with our hands-on, live, highly interactive, and instructor-led online course. You may benefit in this competitive market by providing an extremely user-friendly online learning experience. We will assist you in improving your knowledge and adding value to your talents by offering engaging training sessions.
Cognixia’s AWS cloud computing certification course discusses the basics of AWS & cloud computing, then moves on to more advanced concepts, like service models (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS), Amazon Private Virtual Cloud (AWS VPC), and more.
This online AWS cloud computing course will cover the following concepts:
- Introduction to AWS & Cloud Computing
- EC2 Compute Service
- AWS Cost Controlling Strategies
- Amazon Virtual Private Cloud, i.e., VPC
- S3 – Simple Storage Service
- Glacier
- Elastic File System
- Identity Access Management (IAM)
- ELB (Elastic Load Balancer)
- Auto Scaling
- Route53
- Cloud Formation & Cloud Former
- Simple Notification Service (SNS)
- CloudWatch
- Relational Database Service (RDS)
- CloudFront
- Elastic Beanstalk
- CloudTrail
- AWS Application Services for Certifications
Prerequisites
All you need to know to enroll in this course is basic computer skills. Some experience with Linux would be advantageous, but it is not required.
The course is perfect for network engineers, system administrators, and aspirants who have a solid understanding of coding principles or procedures and wish to further their expertise.
