Having pioneered SaaS backup almost a decade ago, SaaS data protection has been our passion and drive, here at CloudAlly. Here are our predictions for the Data Protection Trends of 2021 by the CloudAlly team including our founder and GM Avinoam Katz, VP Product Michal Zmiri-Yaniv, Director of Compliance Monty Sagal, Partner Director Murray Moceri, and Director of Marketing Michael Schneider.

#1 Data Protection Will Evolve Into End-to-end Cloud Data Management

Organizations will seek a complete cybersecurity plan and toolset to protect their cloud platform and remote workforce. Gartner researchers have put forth three toolsets that will be essential to secure the cloud going forward:

• Cloud Access Security Brokers (CASB) focused on SaaS Security. CASBs consolidate various types of cloud security policy enforcement – authentication, single sign-on, authorization, credential mapping, device profiling, encryption, tokenization, logging, alerting, malware detection/prevention
• Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) monitor the cloud environment against best practice and security violations. With most cloud attacks resulting from customer misconfigurations, CSPM tools are important for validating cloud configurations.
• Cloud Workload Protection Platforms (CWPP) focused on the IaaS market and a subset of CSPM. CSPMs protect workloads migrated to IaaS such as AWS and Azure. 

Companies will look for unified secure cloud platforms that combine cybersecurity intelligence with an audit-compliant suite of products that cater to the modern workplace. Piecemeal data protection won’t do. A key data protection trend will be a shift to holistic secure data management that optimizes IT spending.

#2 Data Privacy Will Be The New Differentiator

Gartner predicts that 65% of people across the world will have their personal data protected by privacy regulations, compared to 10% in 2020. With rising high profile data breaches and phishing attacks on remote employees, data loss is a likely probability. This does not just extend to corporate data, but the potential loss or leak of personal data that is guarded by data protection laws in most countries. 

Customers, roused by increased data breaches, will up their demands for transparency around data privacy and security from vendors and solutions. Investment in data privacy initiatives will be a key differentiating factor of an organization’s solution and brand. Data privacy initiatives will impact organizations at multiple levels:

• Not all data is created equally. Data classification, the process of determining the sensitivity levels, and, consequently of security protocols will become the norm. Organizations will be expected to differentiate between important or active and less important data. They will enhance sensitive data protection by backing it up more frequently and enabling quick restoration of data.
• The most secure data is no data. For this reason, customers will want sensitive data to be destroyed ASAP, in order to prevent unauthorized access

#3 Artificial Intelligence (AI) Will Be Harnessed By Hackers and Data Protectors, Alike

Cyber attacks will become more sophisticated, leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) technologies. Cybersecurity defenders, as a consequence, will need to evolve and raise the bar; applying AI to better protect assets. 

The exponential rise in cyberattacks exploiting the vulnerabilities of remote work will further drive the dependence on AI for data protection. With 90% of companies facing increased cyber attacks during COVID-19, AI is a must to grapple with the sheer scale of scams and malware. Data protection solutions will have to harness AI in terms of flagging anomalies, mitigating risks, and automating effective countermeasures.

#4 Global IT Budgets Will Fully Transition to the Cloud, Driven by 5G. Demand For Cloud Data Protection Will Skyrocket.

5G will greatly enhance digital connectivity around the globe. It has the potential to level the playing field worldwide and usher in a cloud-based digital economy. IT budgets globally will fully transition to the cloud, and consequently, demand for cloud data protection will rise. 

5G adoption provides an excellent opportunity for data protection organizations to expand their business. More SMBs will reach out to and rely on MSPs and trusted vendors to migrate to the cloud and ensure their cloud data is protected. Organizations will also invest in re-architecting applications for the cloud to ensure data security and optimize them for the cloud.

#5 Compliance Laws Will Get Stricter. Driven By Cybersavvy Customers

Customers have been burnt by numerous B2C and B2B data breaches. The recent SolarWinds breach highlighted how malware insidiously disseminated into ~18,000 top enterprises, government agencies, and other entities globally. Calls from both organizations and individuals will tighten up information security processes and legislation. Customers will demand more transparency from software developers and MSPs.

Regulatory laws will heed them. There will be stricter data requirements and regulatory audits, particularly from those companies that interface with critical business systems or hold personal information. To meet complex audit requirements, organizations, and SMBs in particular, will seek out unified compliance tools to ensure they are compliant with multiple regulatory laws. 

Eliminate Data Loss and Ensure Compliance With SaaS Backup and a Unified Secure Cloud Platform

From Gartner and Forrester to Microsoft and Google to GDPR – the verdict is unanimous – backup SaaS to recover from data loss and ensure compliance with “demonstrable recoverability”. Unlimited point-in-time smart recovery guarantees quick and easy data recovery, and thus easy disaster recovery from breaches. Over 6000 organizations and 500,000 users trust our top-rated CloudAlly Backup solutions with protecting their business-critical Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365), Google Workspace (formerly G Suite), Salesforce, Box, and Dropbox data. 

Moreover, CloudAlly is now part of Zix’s Secure Cloud. Secure Cloud is a complete suite of cybersecurity data protection services that are now available to our customers. Zix, is a leading provider of cloud email security, productivity, and compliance solutions. It’s trusted by leading healthcare, finance, and government institutions including 30% of U.S. banks, 1,200 U.S. hospitals, and ~30% of Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) plans. As Avinoam Katz, CloudAlly’s GM, says, “A comprehensive data protection plan is more important than ever as companies around the world are focusing on cybersecurity for their remote workforce. Zix’s Secure Cloud Platform along with CloudAlly’s industry-leading cloud backup service will provide an integrated suite of productivity, security, and compliance services. One unified Secure Cloud to meet the needs of the modern workplace.”

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