Data Leaks Seen Driving Cloud Storage
The leakage of corporate data though public file sharing services and the resulting security consequences are prompting more enterprises to consider cloud storage options such as storage gateways that are replacing file servers and tape storage, a new study finds.
The cloud storage survey of about 300 IT professionals released by vendor CTERA Networks found that nearly three-quarters have implemented or are considering enterprise file sync and share adoption. Sixty-three percent of respondents expressed a preference for cloud storage gateways, the survey found.
The shift is being driven by not only by concerns about data breaches but also data governance worries. The survey found, for example, that 35 percent of enterprises reported the "leakage" of corporate data last year as a result of employees using unsanctioned file-sharing services.
In response, many are establishing policies prohibiting the use of specific software-as-a-service (SaaS) file sharing offerings like DropBox. Hence, 73 percent said they were either implementing or considering a file-sharing alternative. Of these, 59 percent of these organizations indicated a preference for a private cloud solution running on either hosted (virtual private) infrastructure or in their own datacenter.
Adoption of enterprise file sync and share (EFSS) is growing, according to a survey released by CTERA Networks.
The survey concludes that market pressures are building for wider adoption of secure cloud storage that also complies with data governance regulations. The requirement is growing in sectors like financial services, government and life sciences along with large enterprises with more than 10,000 employers that are shifting from hosted to private cloud or hybrid infrastructure.
"An increasing number of data leakage events, and a desire to exercise more control over file sharing and data protection are forcing organizations to investigate and deploy alternatives to public cloud storage services," Rani Osnat, CTERA's vice president of strategic marketing, asserted in a statement releasing the survey.
Meanwhile, the survey found indications that cloud storage gateways are emerging as a replacement or backup for traditional file servers in the remote and branch offices where an increasing number of workers are located. The survey found that one-third of respondents with more than 50 branch offices said they have implemented on-premise storage gateways designed to support both private and public clouds.
Such "hybrid appliances" were found to be "attractive to enterprises seeking to combine local storage, cloud storage, data protection functionality and collaboration capabilities" on a single platform, the survey concluded. Along with faster on-premise storage that allows for local sharing of data, this approach leverages backup cloud storage, broader access and file sharing capabilities.
Hence, 36 percent of respondents said they are considering cloud storage gateways.
The upshot, the survey found, is that enterprises by a 2:1 ratio are showing a preference for private cloud storage as a replacement for SaaS alternatives. Hence, it argues that the market for cloud storage and related tools has reached a "tipping point."
