Enterprise Storage Encryption: An Administrator’s …

Storage encryption has historically proven unpopular because of the issues of managing the keys used in various encryption methods, and the system performance burden that encryption/decryption placed on systems hardware. These issues have been iteratively surmounted in a number of advances. Faster CPUs, disk controllers and host bus adapters (HBAs) and tough-to-break encryption now reduce the burden once placed on subsystem, disk, and device encryption.

via Enterprise Storage Encryption: An Administrator’s … – Input Output.

This is a pretty good article.  Here’s one more blurb.

Subsystems are encrypted at the hardware level or at the device group level. Subsystems can also be encrypted by the use of third-party software packages designed specifically for this purpose. Subsystem encryption usually means that a single encryption key is used for the group, and that the private encryption key is stored in hardware or in system firmware. This type of protection means that a drive “stolen” or otherwise removed from the group of storage media can’t be decrypted, even by examining the disk using an identical system, as the identical system would be missing the key that unlocks the data by decrypting it.

This seems like a rather high level of security.

 

What happens to data when your cloud provider evaporates?

Currently, there’s no way for a cloud storage service provider to directly migrate customer data to another provider. If a service goes down, the hosting company must return the data to its customer, who then must find another provider or revert back to storing it locally, according to Arun Taneja, principal analyst at The Taneja Group.

via What happens to data when your cloud provider evaporates? – Computerworld.

This is only a problem if you don’t have a physical backup of your own data somewhere under your control. Expecting the cloud to be the end all be all for all IT needs is a mistake IMHO. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. The cloud does serve useful purposes.

IT inferno: The nine circles of IT hell

Thankfully, as in Dante’s poetic universe, there are ways to escape the nine circles of IT hell. But IT pro beware: You may have to face your own devils to do it.

Shall we descend?

1st circle of IT hell: Limbo

Description: A pitiful morass where nothing ever gets done and change is impossible

People you meet there:Users stranded by vendors, departments shackled by software lock-in, organizations held hostage by wayward developers

via IT inferno: The nine circles of IT hell.