BYOD poses hurdles for data backup administrators
The BYOD trend presents a challenge for data backup administrators because of the many mobile device types they must deal with and general intermittence when it comes to network connectivity, observes freelance tech writer Brien Posey in a TechTarget article.
Enterprises use two approaches to protect mobile device data, explains Posey. One way is to automatically synchronize mobile device storage to cloud storage, making the data easier to protect in a central location.
The other way is to require users to establish remote connectivity directly to a central data storage mechanism instead of storing data on the device. That option makes data protection easier and prevents the loss of corporate data if the mobile device is lost or stolen, Posey says.
In addition, Posey notes that virtual data centers can also pose challenges for backup administrators, who need to maintain application awareness.
"Most modern backup applications use a snapshot mechanism to back up VMs. This approach works very well for protecting operating systems, but it can result in momentary outages or even data corruption for VMs [virtual machines] that are running an unsupported operating system or an unsupported application," says Posey. He recommends that administrators select a backup app that supports the OS and app sets running on their virtual machines.
"Backup administrators must adopt modern data protection mechanisms that can cope with these next-generation challenges," Posey advises.
- read Posey's article
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