Five Endpoint Backup Features That Help Drive Adoption

If you’re among the 28 percent of enterprises that still haven’t implemented a planned endpoint backup system, here are 5 key attributes to look for in a system, to help drive adoption and success. These recommendations are courtesy of Laura DuBois, program vice president at IDC, a global market intelligence provider with 1,500 highly mobile, knowledge-driven employees:

1. Supports Productivity
Look for a lightweight system that doesn’t put a drag on memory, so employees can access data and collaborate quickly. If the system slows people down, they won’t use it.

2. Increases Security
While some people think of endpoint backup primarily for disaster recovery, you should think of it as a data loss prevention tool, too. A good endpoint backup system offers a multi-layered security model that includes transmission security, account security, password security, encryption security (both in transit and at rest) and secure messaging.

3. Offers Intuitive Self-Service
Employees don’t want to wait for IT to recapture lost data. Having an easy-to-use, self-service interface allows employees to locate and retrieve their own data. Not only does this help increase adoption, it also cuts down on calls to the IT Help Desk to save administrative time and money. A survey of Code42 customers found that 36 percent had fewer restore support tickets after installing the CrashPlan endpoint backup system, and 49 percent reduced IT hours spent on data restores.

In fact, for CISOs looking to make the case for an endpoint backup system, DuBois suggests compiling Help Desk volume data and the productivity associated with it.

4. Supports Heterogeneity
DuBois’ research showed that the average corporate employee uses 2.5 devices for work, some company issued and some not. Your endpoint backup system has to accommodate today’s diversity in devices, platforms and network connectivity.

5. Handles the Added Traffic
Some endpoint backup systems can get bogged down with lots of users and not enough network bandwidth. Look for a system that backups up almost continuously, so the processing is spread out vs. taxing the system all at once and slowing it down.

To learn more, see DuBois’ webinar, “5 Expert Tips to Drive User Adoption in Endpoint Backup Deployments.”

Susan Richardson, Manager/Content Strategy, Code42

[Cloud Security Alliance Research News]