Spotlight on Data Protection | ChannelDrive.in
Driven by new age business needs and changing business dynamics, the need for digital transformation has become a necessity rather than a requirement today. However, businesses need secured ways to ensure that business critical data is secured and also put in place a smooth path to data recovery.
With its innovative software offerings, Dell Technologies is empowering its customers to protect, manage and recover their data across multiple locations including the edge, the core, and the cloud.
Ripu Bajwa, Director & General Manager, Data Protection Solutions, Dell Technologies, India speaks with Zia Askari from ChannelDrive.in about the increasing importance of digital transformation and the company’s strategy in data protection space.
What is the current data protection landscape in India?
The past year was a learning experience for organizations in India, as well as individuals due to the push, felt by the pandemic. Many businesses found themselves being forced to change their business models overnight which not only led to disruption in their business continuity but also opened the door to a swarm of other challenges.
The new operating models like work from home and remote working exposed their mission-critical data to cybercriminals, due to the lack of preparedness, proper data protection solutions and knowledge. Hence, it is extremely necessary for organizations to have the involvement of proper cybersecurity tools and solutions in place to manage the unprecedented data flow.
Apart from this, a common threat that is being witnessed is the manipulation of VPNs of those applications which are a critical element of IT infrastructure. Such vulnerabilities need understanding and internalising through endpoint integrity checking and setting up of strong authentication once the VPN is active. Therefore, the need of the hour is for businesses in India to make sure that they secure and manage their data from all locations from where their data is coming from without any loophole.
Please share the findings of the Digital Transformation Index with an India market perspective?
With the recent changes undergone by many businesses, the need for digital transformation has become a necessity rather than a requirement. It is also the right time for businesses to try out new strategies in order to innovate and become stronger in the process of recovery.
To shed light on this, we recently launched the Dell Technologies Digital Transformation Index 2020 in collaboration with Vanson Bourne that indicates how organizations are accelerating transformational technology programs during the pandemic.
According to the study, India remained the most digitally matured country in the world and more than 94% of Indian businesses said that they fast-tracked at least some digital transformation programs in 2020. Also, almost 93% of the respondents in India recognized that as a result of the disruption, they need a more agile/scalable IT infrastructure to allow for contingencies. The report also mentions that Digital Adopters in India increased to 55% in 2020 in comparison to 34% in 2018 and Life Sciences, Telecom and Financial Services were the best performing industries globally with reference to digital transformation acceleration.
How is Dell Technologies helping customers in their digital transformation journey?
It is extremely encouraging to see how businesses have taken all the challenges that came their way in the previous year as stepping stones to accelerate the rate of their transformation. However, in order to ensure that their future remains secure, they need to address the rising cyber threats that are hovering around their data storage 24*7.
Post maintaining close proximity with our customers, listening to their needs, we realised that a major area they require help in, is to keep their data safe during their digital journeys. Hence, we recently launched the Dell EMC PowerProtect DP series integrated appliances and PowerProtect Data Manager software advancements.
These new advancements will help our customers in protecting, managing their data and recovering their data from traditional and modern applications across locations including the edge, the core, and the cloud. Along with this, we launched the Sheltered Harbor endorsed, PowerProtect Cyber Recovery, an on-premises turnkey solution to enhance cyber resiliency in the financial sector.
What are the barriers to digital transformation in these uncertain times and the need to overcome them?
The current situation has forced organizations to digitally transform themselves at a faster pace, however, continuous digital transformation isn’t an easy task and they need to overcome certain challenges that come their way. The study revealed that around 97% of businesses in India are facing entrenched barriers to their business processes as they navigate their future. Data privacy and cybersecurity was the top barrier that 46.7% of respondents said that they were facing and considering the recent rise in incidents of cyber and data breaches in the country, this is not surprising to note. This was followed by 38% of respondents citing being unable to extract valuable insight from data and lastly approx 36% of respondents believing that lack of economic growth was a barrier to their transformation.
Therefore, it is the need of the hour for businesses to deploy solutions that will help customers protect and recover their data in a cost-effective manner. Doing so will help them maintain the continuity of their business and will safeguard them from any roadblocks that might come their way in the future.
Data Protection Trends to expect in the future?
The current situation has showed us that innovation is not an option, but a necessity. It has not only accelerated the rate of transformation but it has also revealed that businesses have the potential to transform quickly even under pressure. In order to keep the momentum, we will witness businesses deploy flexible cybersecurity solutions in order to meet the rising demands of the current operating models.
Similarly, with organizations making the move to a more remote style of functioning, they unexpectedly opened the gates to various endpoint vulnerabilities that need to be quickly addressed. Hence, another trend we can expect is for businesses to invest in endpoint security to help regulate the data traffic at multiple endpoints and prevent loss of data through constant vigilance. We will also witness a rise in the investments made in the segment of cybersecurity and privacy solutions to steer clear of future cyber attacks in this new era of remote working.
