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Lost in the Clouds: The Importance of Having an Efficient Cloud Services Data Management System
Organizations right now need to make significant decisions about managing their data as part of their ongoing digital transformation.
According to an Accenture study, nearly 90% of business executives believe big data is revolutionizing business the same way that the Internet did. 79% also agree that companies failing to embrace data will lose their competitive position or face extinction.
Data is playing an ever-increasing role in the management of customer relationships, product development, optimization of supply chains, and the way we do business day-to-day. Yet 95% of businesses say unstructured data is a significant problem for them.
Handling a large amount of data or digital assets gets complex — especially when security is a big factor.
A stable foundation and plan for your long-term data storage and management are essential. Whether you choose to manage your IT services in-house or turn to a Managed IT service provider, managing your data integrity, security, and organization is crucial to avoid mistakes that can have a lasting impact.
Common Mistakes in Organizing and Managing Cloud Data
Moving data to the cloud provides a host of benefits, including faster accessibility, scalable storage, cost efficiency, and greater mobility in this age of remote workers. However, it takes a well-structured cloud architecture to make it all work efficiently.
The most common mistake in organizing and managing cloud data stems from a lack of planning. You need an organized plan to dictate the structure, organization, and use of your data.
Other common mistakes include:
- Lack of a shared security plan
- Neglecting business continuity and disaster recovery
- Migrating poor quality data
- Failing to modernize legacy data
- Inadequate identity access management (IAM) solutions
- Ensuring your data is always in sync
These mistakes can cause serious and long-term problems for your organization. That’s why you need the right cloud services partner to help guide you through the process.
Achieving an Organized Cloud Data Management Solution
Data governance and data management strategy form the framework for creating an organized cloud data management solution.
Data Governance
This establishes who has control over data assets within your organization and how these assets can be used. Data governance sets a framework for who can do what with data.
Data Management
Your data management plan will establish the architecture for data handling, including cloud services and cloud storage. Your data management plan will encompass your entire data strategy, including where data is stored, processing, workflows, and integrations.
While there’s certainly overlap between data governance and data management, the two work together to form a holistic approach to your strategy. It’s especially important to have these two disciplines in place before cloud migration occurs.
Other Data Management Best Practices
Other best practices for storing and organizing your data in the cloud include your cybersecurity framework, managing data quality, future-proofing your data, and documentation.
Managing Security
Any cloud solution must contain a robust approach to network security and cloud computing security. You should couple your in-house security strategy with cybersecurity services through your cloud provider. Security is a shared responsibility. You can’t afford to delegate it completely to your cloud services provider.
Managing Data Quality
Correcting or deleting inaccurate data and removing duplicate data is an essential part of keeping your data organized. You need to validate data to ensure it’s accurate, contains the information you need, and conforms to your rules. Your data management strategy should include data scrubbing and data cleaning to eliminate poor data that can drive bad business decisions.
Managing Metadata
Requiring a consistent approach to managing your metadata will help organize your data for search and analysis. It can also help future-proof your data so that it’s structured for use regardless of the platform or software you are using for analysis in the future.
Documentation
It’s also important to document your practices, policies, and strategies. You can’t assume your IT and management teams will remain in place, yet your approach to data management must be consistent regardless of the personnel involved. Your plan should be well-documented for the next generation of employees.
How Global IP Networks Can Help
Organizing and managing cloud data can quickly become complex. You need a strategic plan and a partner that can help guide you. Global IP Networks provides managed IT services and operates its own data center to keep your data safe and secure. We offer enterprise cloud solutions to transform, manage, and support your business-critical IT infrastructure to help your business grow.
Contact us today and let us create a cloud computing environment for your business.
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