You don’t need to be an industry expert to spot the big trends in the tech industry. The need to secure data and ensure a safe, private exchange of information is a top priority for leaders across all sectors of activity. In response to this market demand, software developers keep improving on data protection technology while coming out with new – and supposedly better – solutions.
Virtually every company, regardless of their size or of the field or industry they operate in, stores, shares, and manipulates data. This could be something as relatively simple as a customer database to the more elaborate and potentially more at risk elements such as financial disclosures and product or market research.
For job seekers and recent graduates, data protection is one of the most resilient and profitable tech jobs going forward. And for investors, any technology that can effectively protect data from loss, theft, damage, or inappropriate use is sure to raise some eyebrows.
In terms of concrete solutions data protection technology aims to provide, the most important are sensitive data protection tools, data management systems, data loss prevention services, threat detection, and file scanners. Any data protection software package worth its salt will provide solutions for most – if not all – of these concerns.
In this short article, we’ll be comparing the most popular software packages on the market. We’ll be assessing them based on effectiveness, price points, the developer’s reputation, and customer feedback. While we can’t cover all the solutions being proposed currently, we do aim to provide an insight into what the priorities are – for business leaders as well as developers – and the solutions being developed to help address those priorities.
N-able Backup
Taking the direct to cloud backup approach not only helps to ensure that your data is being stored safely, is easily retrievable and accessible to only those who are authorized, but it also helps companies by eliminating such costs and potential problems such as storage hardware and bandwidth restrictions. N-able Backup, however, doesn’t stop there. With their software, they have planned for multiple recovery scenarios – the cloud being one of them, physical and bare metal recovery have also been accounted for.
Regardless of what server you are using – Oracle, SQL Server, MySQL, etc., N-able Backup boasts quick and easy restitution of any lost or damaged data.
The Price
N-able Backup offers a free 30-day trial of their software. Their subscriptions are tailored to how much data is being protected so you would need to contact the sales department for a specific quote. The advantage of this way of billing is that the product is quite scalable – ideal for mid-sized or growing companies.
Customer Feedback
Product reviews for N-able Backup range mostly from very postive to glowing. Generally users like how easy the software is to use, how scalable it is, and how competitively priced the software package is.
FireEye Helix Security Platform
The sophisticated SEIM service (Security Information and Event Management) goes beyond simply scanning and warning for threats. It also engages in UEBA (User and Entity Behavior Analytics). This means that when the system notices unusual activity or actions carried out by unauthorized persons, it will conduct an analysis of the actions which could give you more insight as to the nature of the threat – highjacked account vs. insider threat, for example.
Whether it regards remote data entry jobs, financial analysts, or pirates looking to hold your data hostage, the threat to your data could come from any source, and FireEye Helix Security Platform helps you to identify the threat and protect yourself from it.
The Price
FireEye offers licensing for their products on a year-to-year basis. Their products are effective, though priced relatively high for a small company or a start-up that isn’t yet generating a consistent profit. The relatively high price isn’t as noticeable in the user fee, but it’s the maintenance fees that can quickly add up.
Customer Feedback
Product reviews for FireEye are overwhelmingly positive. Users like the effectiveness of the system. However, more than a few users have complained about the relatively high price, and they sometimes lament the lack of compliance standards support.
Azure Information Protection
Operated and sold by Microsoft, Azure Information Protection is a cloud-based data protection solution that allows users to label their documents (files, emails, etc.) and, by doing so, they are applying a tailored approach to data protection that adheres to a variety of data standards such as DSS, PCI, GDPR, and HIPAA.
While this solution is not as automated as other platforms or software packages on the market, it does allow companies to easily comply with the various data protection standards they need to meet.
The Price
Azure has a far more flexible pricing strategy compared to other similar products on the market. They offer many products and services for free. You can try out the product on a free trial basis. You can also pay as you go or pay for a subscription.
Customer Feedback
The user reviews for Azure Information Protection are overwhelmingly positive. This is understandable because, unlike their competitors, Azure focuses on 1 solution (cloud-based) and they do it well. On the downside, some users have lamented the low level of customization capabilities and the fact that the software is only available in an English-language version.
The Bottom Line
Data protection is a top priority for all businesses – from small to huge and everything in between. There are a lot of interesting and well-received data protection solutions on the market. The trend has been to offer cloud-based data protection solutions, but the more advanced software packages offer a combination of solutions and protective measures.
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