Having a data migration plan is essential in different situations — whether you’re upgrading your servers, moving to a data center, or simply holding regular server maintenance. However, for you to come up with a sound plan, you need to consider a lot of important things. If you’d ask a data migration specialist, one of the things you shouldn’t overlook is protecting your company’s sensitive data.
In this article, we’re running down seven must-know tips on how to keep these data safe during data migration.
Identify which among the data you’re migrating is sensitive. Of course, all of your data are important — there’s no question about that. The trick lies in identifying the level of their sensitivity. When accomplishing this task, data migration specialists advise that you should also identify these data’s format and original location.
Do a thorough backing up of your data. This is a basic task you must never skip doing. When you back up your data (especially those that are highly sensitive), you’d be guaranteed that you have a copy of them even if the original files will be corrupted or go missing during the migration process. The safest backup method that experts recommend is cloud backup.
Know the size and scope of your project and the migration tool you’ll be using. By knowing how huge or small your project is, you’d be able to set a realistic timeline and budget plan for it. You’d also be able to know if your team or your outsourced personnel can accomplish the project on time. While at it, it’s also essential that you identify the migration tool you’ll be using and check if it’s security-focused.
Be mindful of lifting system access restrictions. There are risks that come along with lifting system access restrictions, e.g. Not being able to change back to the status quo after the migration, the person granted with temporary access making errors that can compromise future security. This is why data migration specialists recommend denying granting temporary access to anyone. Instead, have the necessary work be supervised by someone who already has system access.
Make people accountable and responsible for data security. Data migration is a complex process that involves several parties. It’s important to know the scope and limitations of each party, especially when it comes to date security. Keep in mind that all these people should be reminded that they are to be held responsible for carrying all tasks assigned to them with the utmost professionalism, care, and security.
Test and validate all migrated data. Like what any data migration specialist knows, thorough testing should be done before the migration process. Just as important, it’s vital to do another round of tests after the migration ends. Testing and validating all migrated data (including those that are highly sensitive) will help you check if there’s anything missing or incomplete.
Don’t forget to document the entire data migration process. This is a task that many businesses fail to do. However, documenting and auditing the entire migration process will help your compliance team identify if everything has been done in accordance with the policies governing the migration.
If you are looking for a reputable data migration specialist, contact us today at Datalynx. Our team of data migration specialists will provide the best solution that fits your budget.
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