Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
On. the. other. hand,. the. organization. might. be. very. well.
established,.only.hire.employees.who.have.been.extensively.
background-checked,.regularly.back.up.their.(your!).data,.and.
have. well-established. and. regularly. exercised. security. and.
recovery.plans.and.procedures.in.place.
The.point.is.that.unless.you.are.very.cautious.and.do.your.
homework,. storing. your. data. on. an. Internet-based. service.
can.bring.a.whole.new.set.of.risks.to.consider.
All.of.the.regulations.and.requirements.we.have.discussed.
as.your.responsibilities.for.the.management.and.production.
of.your.data.are.still.yours.even.though.you.have.contracted.
with. another. organization. for. the. storage. and. backup. of.
your.information..As.such.it.is.inherently.your.responsibility.
to.ensure.you.know.how.your.data.are.being.protected.and.
secured.as.well.as.how.you.can.gain.access.to.your.data.at.
any.time.
The. best. way. to. do. this. with. an. online. or. cloud. service.
provider.is.to.ensure.that.you.have.strong.and.comprehensive.
contract. language. that. covers. all. of. the. issues. we. outlined.
above..Make.sure.that.you.have.a.signed.agreement.with.the.
provider.that.you.both.agree.to.regarding
•. Day-to-day. security. of. your. data—ask. for. a. copy. of.
their.security.policy
•. Vetting.of.their.employees
•. Backup.procedures.and.timing
•. Patch. and. coniguration. management. of. their.
infrastructure
•. Disaster. recovery. and. business. continuity. plans. for.
recovery.and.reestablishment.of.your.data
•. Notiication.procedures.if.any.data.are.compromised,.
destroyed,.or.lost.for.any.reason
•. Up-time. guarantees—should. be. as. close. to. 100%.
as.possible
•. Support. procedures. and. contact. numbers,. including.
hours.of.support.and.backup.support.options
