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Do You Know Exactly Where Your Business Data is Stored?

By Francis West on 6th July 2016

A recent report by cyber security consultancy CNS Group has revealed that even though the vast majority of business IT decision makers would prefer their data to be stored in the UK, only a little over a quarter of them could say for certain that it is stored here.

The Figures

The report shows that a massive 92% of business IT decision makers think that their data should be stored in the UK. Only 27% of those surveyed however were certain about exactly where their data was stored.  Issues based around security, control, quality, and changes in the business environment appear to be at the heart of most decision makers’ wishes to keep company information assets close to home.

The Problem With Not Being Certain

According to the report, not knowing whether data is stored in the UK causes questions to be raised by IT decision makers about data quality and trust. For example, 21% of those surveyed thought that not knowing whether their data was stored in the UK could mean that there is a lack of data integrity.

22% of those surveyed also thought that not knowing whether their data was stored in the UK made them think that they did not know the accreditations or clearance of those accessing and managing their data.

Why Does It Really Matter Where It Is Stored?

One very important reason for knowing exactly where in the world business data is stored is for compliance. The EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is due to come in to force in 2018 and companies will need to be certain about where their data is stored and managed in order to comply with the regulation.

What Does This Mean For Your Business?

This report appears to show that knowing where their data is stored and managed is important in terms of feeling more in control as well as being in a better position to ensure compliance in the near future. Businesses could therefore take steps now to ensure that they are well prepared. This could mean asking for very specific information from your business data storage providers about exactly where in the world your company data is being stored, how it is backed up and encrypted and who has access to it.

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