Vaulting

Explore the concept of vaulting in data protection and learn how it provides secure offsite storage for backup media.

Definition

Vaulting, in the context of data protection, refers to the practice of securely storing backup media in offsite locations, often in specialized facilities called vaults. Vaulting provides an additional layer of protection for backup data by safeguarding it from physical threats, such as theft, fire, or natural disasters, and ensuring its availability for restoration when needed.

Explanation

Vaulting plays a crucial role in the data protection strategy of organizations. Here's an overview of its key aspects and benefits:

1. Offsite Storage: Vaulting involves storing backup media, such as tapes or disks, in secure offsite locations away from the primary data center or production environment. This ensures that backup data is not solely reliant on the infrastructure of the primary site and provides protection against localized incidents that could impact both the primary data and onsite backups. Offsite storage is typically equipped with robust security measures, including access controls, surveillance systems, and environmental controls, to safeguard the backup media.

2. Protection against Disasters: By storing backup media in offsite vaults, organizations mitigate the risk of data loss or damage caused by disasters such as fires, floods, earthquakes, or other catastrophic events. Offsite vaults are strategically located to minimize the likelihood of being affected by the same disasters that could impact the primary data center. This ensures that backup data remains intact and accessible, enabling organizations to recover critical information in the event of a disaster.

3. Security and Compliance: Vaulting provides an additional layer of security for backup data. Offsite vaults are designed to meet stringent security requirements, including physical access controls, monitoring systems, and compliance with relevant industry regulations. Vaulting helps organizations meet data protection and privacy requirements imposed by regulatory bodies, ensuring that backup data is stored and managed in a secure and compliant manner.

4. Data Availability and Recovery: Storing backup media in offsite vaults enhances data availability for recovery purposes. In the event of data loss or system failure at the primary site, organizations can retrieve the backup media from the vaults and initiate the restoration process promptly. Vaulting ensures that backup data is readily accessible, minimizing downtime and enabling a faster recovery, thus minimizing the impact on business operations.

Related terms

• Offsite Backup: The practice of creating backups and storing them in offsite locations, separate from the primary data center or production environment. Offsite backup provides an additional layer of protection and ensures data availability in the event of onsite disasters or incidents.

• Disaster Recovery: The process of recovering and restoring critical systems, applications, and data after a disruptive event, such as a natural disaster, cyberattack, or hardware failure. Disaster recovery strategies involve backup data, replication, and other measures to minimize downtime and restore normal operations.

• Media Rotation: The practice of systematically cycling through backup media, such as tapes or disks, to ensure that backups are created on different media and spread across multiple storage devices. Media rotation helps protect against media failures and allows for the recovery of data from different points in time.

Vaulting offers organizations a reliable and secure method for storing backup media in offsite locations. By ensuring the availability and protection of backup data, vaulting enhances the overall resilience of data protection strategies and helps organizations maintain business continuity in the face of unexpected events or data loss incidents.