There’s no end to the amount of data being accumulated by companies.
How important is a data management programme? And when can a company safely delete data? These are some of the questions asked by Johan Scheepers, the new country manager of Commvault South Africa.
Speaking to The Margin at the company’s second annual Connections Live event in Johannesburg on July 16, he says if data isn’t properly managed, storage costs could spiral out of control, and for many companies it was easier to store it on-premises, or in the cloud. This will however eventually begin to affect a company’s storage budget.
He suggests that the deletion of data is undertaken with an organisation’s legal team, because some data may need to be kept for regulatory and compliance reasons, adding that he has some customers who still have data dating from 2000.
He says a disaster recovery plan is also important, and advises that a company ring fence its operating system. Recovery testing, too, should not be neglected, ‘so if disaster hits you know the automated plan will actually work’.
Scheepers says because of increased cyber-attacks, companies should test their disaster recovery and backup system as frequently as they can; he suggests at least once a month, or at the very least, once a quarter.
Partner-first programme
Commvault, a global data protection and information management company, also announced its new Partner Advantage programme, which provides for new financial incentives as well as easier access to training, sales enablement, marketing materials and real time support. Scheepers says it's also introduced simplified quoting, easier deal registration and deal protection.
“In a highly competitive marketplace, it’s critical that our partners evolve and align with us in order to drive new opportunities. Commvault listens to its partners and its new programme reflects their commitment to working with us to help customers get the most out of their data. We have built a stronger foundation for the mutual success of Commvault and its worldwide partner network based directly on this feedback.”