Earlier this year, Own Company (formerly OwnBackup) commissioned a third-party research report that surveyed 1,053 IT leaders responsible for data security and protection across the UK, France, Germany, Nordics, Benelux, and Italy. Through the research, we identified current attitudes and challenges to data protection and security, confidence in adhering to compliance regulations, approaches to data security, and cyberattack prevention.
As part of the research, we also asked respondents about their priorities for the future. Below is a summary of what IT leaders across Europe are most focused on in the coming year.
Improving Data Security Is The Biggest Driver Of Adopting More Cloud-Based Solutions
Across the globe, companies continue to move to the cloud at a rapid pace, and the individuals we surveyed in this research were no different. But what’s driving this change?
In our research, the need to improve data security was ranked as the top reason to move to the cloud, ahead of factors like better collaboration, cost savings, and scaling operations, among others.
Cloud service providers (CSPs) prioritize the highest security standards for their clients, employing advanced digital protections alongside state-of-the-art physical measures. The data centers operated by companies like Amazon, Microsoft, and Google are akin to fortified fortresses safeguarding your data. With access to top-tier cybersecurity professionals, these providers continuously enhance their security protocols, ensuring the safety of their customers' data.
When choosing a data protection solution, it’s just as important to prioritise security. While the security capabilities of underlying cloud infrastructures provide a great foundation for data breach prevention and detection measures, organisations considering cloud backup solutions should ensure that their backup providers take additional security measures as well, such as the use of monitoring tools, encryption, and regular testing.
Moving to the Cloud Does Not Eliminate Data Security Concerns Entirely
While the key driver of moving to the cloud is improving data security, many leaders remain concerned about data and cybersecurity. And rightly so. Just because your data is stored in the cloud doesn’t mean it is automatically protected.
Protecting data in the cloud is a collaborative effort between CSPs and customers. Typically, the cloud provider is responsible for the security of the cloud infrastructure, including the physical data centers, networking, and hardware. These responsibilities encompass data center security, network security, and the availability and maintenance of the cloud services.
On the other hand, the customers are responsible for securing the data and applications they store or run in the cloud, including tasks such as configuring security settings, managing access controls, encrypting data, and implementing security measures for the applications and operating systems they use within the cloud environment.
Digital Transformation Is Most Likely To Be A Strategic Priority Moving Forward
When we asked respondents to rank the top three strategic priorities for their organisations over the next 12 months, digital transformation was the most common response.
Digital transformation continues to remain crucial for organisations across various industries. As technology continues to evolve, businesses must adapt to stay competitive and meet the changing demands of the market and customers.
A major digital transformation may include various system implementations, migrations, and integrations that could impact your business data. Therefore, the first step on your digital transformation journey should be to set up a solid data protection foundation. In the chaos of building the infrastructure, digital transformation projects will need to grow and thrive, and accidental data loss and corruption could happen. If unnoticed, lost or corrupted data could become a permanent flaw in your cloud instance, potentially setting up your digital transformation for failure.
Make Data Protection a Key Priority in 2024
The evolving landscape of data protection and cybersecurity demands a proactive and collaborative approach between technology leaders and cloud service providers. As organisations continue to embrace cloud-based solutions to bolster data security, the shared responsibility model should serve as a guiding framework for delineating security responsibilities between providers and customers.
Click below to read the full report, and watch our on-demand webinar where speakers from Own and AWS shared how organisations can prepare for a data loss and prioritise data protection.
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