Jon Fielding, Managing Director, EMEA at Apricorn, explains the benefits of AI-assisted data management, and how it could improve data security.

As data volumes continue to grow, organisations are grappling with managing, retaining, and safeguarding it in a manner that is both efficient and effective. However, the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) is heralding a transformation in data management practices.

Traditionally, the process of deciding which data to retain, delete, or compress has been arduous and time-consuming, with organisations finding themselves inundated with vast troves of data, necessitating the need for retention strategies that not only adhere to regulatory mandates, but also align with operational requirements.

Nonetheless, AI-assisted data management has ushered in automation and intelligence, significantly easing the burdens associated with analysis and substantially reducing workload pressures.

Streamlining the process

One of the key advantages of AI in data management lies in its capacity to automatically classify data based on its relevance, value, and risk profile. Through the use of advanced algorithms, AI systems can meticulously analyse and categorise data, enabling businesses to make well-informed decisions regarding its retention. This streamlined approach not only simplifies the data retention process but also ensures the preservation of valuable information, while curbing storage costs linked to unnecessary data accumulation.

Additionally, AI-powered data management introduces the implementation of efficient data compression techniques. Through AI algorithms, organisations can optimise storage space by compressing data without compromising its integrity or accessibility. This not only further reduces storage expenses but also enhances the efficiency of data retrieval, as compressed data can be accessed more swiftly and seamlessly.

By integrating these processes within a comprehensive security framework, organisations can then securely store and back-up their data, ensuring that only essential information is retained, while mitigating costs on extra storage space.

Given the heightened internal risks and the escalating attempts by threat actors to exploit vulnerable data, back-ups are vital for facilitating recovery in the event of a data breach and serve as a fundamental component of cyber resilience.

The importance of robust back-up

Recent research conducted by Apricorn highlighted the alarming state of data recovery in UK companies, with only a mere 27% of organisations able to successfully recover all of their data from back-up systems in 2023.

This decline could be attributed to several factors, primarily a lack of robust back-up processes. In fact, a third of the IT security decision makers surveyed acknowledged this as a key reason for unsuccessful recoveries. Furthermore, 22% of respondents admitted to not having sufficiently robust back-ups to facilitate rapid recovery from potential attacks.

The consequences of inadequate data back-up strategies became more apparent in the face of rising ransomware attacks, with 24% of respondents reporting ransomware as the main cause of data breaches within their organisation. In these situations, back-ups play a crucial role in maintaining business continuity and allowing the restoration of clean data sets to rapidly resume operations.

Apricorn’s research also reveals a shift from automated back-up approaches to manual ones, indicating a trend in granting employees greater autonomy over routine tasks. While this empowers employees to create and handle local back-ups, it also introduces the risk of human error and inconsistent execution. To mitigate these risks, a ‘belt and braces’ strategy is vital, combining automated back-ups to central locations with manual back-ups to personal storage repositories.

3-2-1

Organisations should follow data back-up protocols such as the 3-2-1 rule, considered a gold standard in back-up practices. This rule mandates maintaining at least three copies of data, on at least two different media, with at least one copy stored offsite.

Unfortunately, the adoption of the 3-2-1 rule remains low. Only 38% of surveyed companies follow this rule across both automated and manual approaches. Organisations must have a resilient framework that includes offline, offsite storage, such as encrypted removable hard drives or USB devices, creating an ‘air gap’ between data and potential threats.

Furthermore, encrypting this data adds an extra layer of protection, rendering it unreadable to unauthorised individuals who might gain access to back-up copies, and mitigating risks associated with evolving cyber threats, human error, and ensuring compliance with security legislation.

By amalgamating these strategies with AI-assisted data management, organisations can revolutionise their approach to data retention. By automating the classification process and optimising secure storage, AI empowers businesses to develop robust data retention strategies that not only conform to regulatory mandates, but also drive operational efficiency and cost savings. With the ever-increasing amount of data being created and stored, organisations must utilise artificial intelligence (AI) to fully exploit their data assets and mitigate potential risks.