Ten ways you can make your data backups more secure

Millions of records have been compromised in 2008 alone in backup-related gaffes. And these are just the known breaches affecting personal information. There's little doubt that unknown and unreported data backup-related compromises affecting all types of sensitive information -- including intellectual property -- are just as plentiful.

Many storage professionals responsible for backups believe that the mere existence of a process for replicating sensitive data is all that's needed to keep the organization secure. But that's only half the battle. It's what can be done with the data backups after the fact that introduces an entirely different set of risks that are often overlooked. Here are 10 ways you can ensure that your data backups are secure:

Odds are that many of these data backup we

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aknesses exist in your shop. It'll pay to find out where you're vulnerable before you're impacted. Look at both your data backup processes and systems to identity where the gaps are. Or hire an unbiased third-party to find the holes. It's usually little problems like these that are not so obvious to uncover but oh so painful when the time comes.

About the author: Kevin Beaver is an independent information security consultant, keynote speaker, and expert witness with Atlanta-based Principle Logic LLC where he specializes in performing independent information security assessments. Kevin has authored/co-authored seven books on information security including "Hacking For Dummies" and "Hacking Wireless Networks For Dummies". He's also the creator of the Security On Wheels information security audio books and blog providing security learning for IT professionals on the go. Kevin can be reached at kbeaver@principlelogic.com.

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