Blueprint for data protection: 4 breakthrough ideas for modern IT security and compliance

World data has grown exponentially in the past decade, from just 2 ZB* in 2010 to 50.5 ZB in 2020; and it’s expected to grow to 175 ZB by 2025.¹ Adding to the data explosion, constant technological innovations, rising user expectations, and digital transformation all introduce a flow of new assets and categories of data to your digital estate. And it’s not only volume and type of data that’s exploding. The new data is pouring in from a greater variety of devices, platforms, and end-user locations around the globe—from remote workers to IoT devices.
To make matters worse, 75% of the data organizations own is “dark,”² which means they do not even know where it is or what it is; and you cannot protect what you cannot see. Increasing trends in virtual collaboration have only contributed to this problem. With all the technological options available to users, IT no longer has much control over how employees access, share, and store information, leaving your data open to privacy breach. Organizations tend to deploy multiple complex data protection solutions to ensure compliance and prevent data leakage. However, these systems are not only expensive and complex to manage and govern, but they can also hinder overall efficiency with cumbersome processes for day-to-day workflow. Let’s look at some of these common data protection challenges and explore the best Microsoft strategies to overcome them in a cost-effective and scalable way.