assessing the opportunities presented by the modern
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Copyright © 2015 Blue Hill Research 1
ANALYST INSIGHT
Assessing the Opportunities Presented by the
Modern Enterprise Archive
Published: November 2015 Report Number: A0193
Analysts: James Haight, Research Analyst;
David Houlihan, Principal Analyst
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What You Need to Know
When enterprise archive solutions first came to market, their
functionality was limited to addressing a core business need:
providing a location to maintain data in case it was needed for future
use. As a result, the archive has primarily represented a site of
preservation, with minimal attention given to intelligent exploitation
of the data it holds. However, evolutions in enterprise archive
solutions present new opportunities by embedding data governance
and management functionality within the archive. These capabilities
stand to expand the layers of value offered by the archive across
enterprise use cases in ways that were previously unavailable.
Understanding the opportunities presented requires knowledge of not
only the functionality itself, but in the enterprise relationships that
result in enhanced value propositions. To help organizations make
their evaluations, this Analyst Insight draws from Blue Hill analysis
and research interviews with three organizations deploying Druva
inSync Converged Data Protection capabilities to provide deeper
context regarding opportunities and key evaluation factors presented
by the modern archive.
AT A GLANCE
Business Opportunity
The evolution of enterprise archive
solutions presents new opportunities.
What was once a “dumb black box”
increasingly possesses enhancements
in data management, embedded
compliance, data governance, and
mobile responsiveness. These new
capabilities provide the potential to
drive greater value in enterprise
archive investments.
Expanded Archive Functionality
Mobile user accessibility
Full-text and metadata indexing
and search
Data compliance awareness
Data policy management
Key Business Benefits Observed
Continuity of data access
Reduction of data storage needs
Automated compliance
Litigation readiness
Solution Consolidation
Copyright © 2015 Blue Hill Research 2
ANALYST INSIGHT
Opportunities Presented: The Modern Archive
In the traditional view, the enterprise archive was an undifferentiated store of data. Its primary value proposition derived from the ability to ensure data recovery and business continuity in the event of data loss. Recent years have seen archive vendors incorporate a broader scope of functionality in ways that serve to expand the usefulness of the archive through the use of cloud computing as well as in response to modern data governance and compliance demands.
Blue Hill identifies four key elements of functionality that have emerged recently:
Cloud and Remote User Continuity: Cloud computing permits the archive to extend beyond the eroding “four walls” of the enterprise data environment. The modern archive must incorporate data from cloud applications and the variety of multi-device and multi-location end-points collected across users. This permits remote users to ensure not only that end-point devices are backed up, but that they manage continuity of work as they move between devices, such as tablets, laptops, or workstations in the course of daily operations.
Full-Text and Metadata Indexing and Search: Providing a contextual layer on top of archived data allows for corporate data files to be searched, classified, and curated rather than solely serving the purpose of an indiscriminate endpoint archive. Full-text indexing enables investigative searching across endpoints and storage locations, ultimately allowing organizations to make more active use of data within the archive, permitting particularized retrieval in support of enterprise needs.
Automated Data Compliance Awareness: Embedded data analysis capabilities within the archive provide for the detection of sensitive or high-risk data, such as personally identifiable information (PII) or protected health information (PHI) that are subject to privacy standards or regulations. This awareness provides the organization with an understanding of the composition of archived enterprise data and apply policies and controls as required.
Data Policy Management: Embedded policy management and governance capabilities permit the automation of the application of policy to data within the archive. These capabilities can be used to maintain ethical walls, prevent unauthorized viewing of sensitive data, maintain audit and forensic visibility, ensure compliance with data location requirements, and provide for legal holds imposed in litigation or investigations.
As a group, these capabilities add a level of intelligence to the data archive that serves to facilitate enterprise operations and data governance requirements in ways that make new business contributions. Blue Hill identifies five core areas of value presented (Table 1).
Converged Data Protection Provides:
Cloud and workforce endpoint
backup and recovery
Secure file access and share
Proactive data compliance
management
Data search, audit, and
compliance
Legal hold and eDiscovery
collection
Copyright © 2015 Blue Hill Research 3
ANALYST INSIGHT
Table 1: Value Propositions of Next-Generation Data Archive
Benefit Enabling Functionality Business Impact
Continuity of Data Access
Data centralization and collection from mobile endpoints and cloud applications
Improves backup, recovery, and centralization of mobile and remote data sources
Improves continuity of data and work across multiple devices and workstations
Reduction of Data Storage Needs
Awareness of data within file types and duplication identification to reduce data redundancy
Reduces costs of archive storage requirements and decreases network capacity constraints
Automated Compliance
Centralization of data in encrypted archive and particularized awareness of data governance requirements
Reduces data risk exposure and manual compliance management effort
Litigation Readiness
Centralization of legal hold and data preservation and collection activities as “background” functions in the archive
Reduces spoliation and data preservation risks
Reduces cost and manual effort required in data collection and management of legal hold
Solution Consolidation
Incorporation of specialized data governance, management, and collection applications into the data archive
Reduces cost of ownership related to enterprise software stack and streamlines management of processes to one workflow and application
Source: Blue Hill Research, November 2015
End-User Analysis: Factors in the Selection of the Modern Data Archive
Moving to a fully-modernized and -enabled data archive requires thoughtful execution and an
understanding of your own organization’s maturity and roadmap. In order to understand this journey
in the context of the adoption of a particular enterprise archive solution, Blue Hill Research engaged
in a research initiative exploring the solution investment decision-making process that lead
organizations to the adoption of Druva inSync and Converged Data Protection capabilities.
Copyright © 2015 Blue Hill Research 4
ANALYST INSIGHT
To complete this research, Blue Hill held three in-depth qualitative
interviews with end users who have moved from traditional archive
solutions to the deployment of Druva inSync for its provision of
cloud-based enterprise archive and embedded data governance and
compliance capabilities. Druva refers to this suite of functionality as a
means to focus on a converged data protection strategy. Research
interviews highlighted reasons for the change in archive solutions and
the identified business cases underlying the investment. In doing so,
Blue Hill sought to deconstruct the decision-making process and to
identify key points that organizations should consider in their own
evaluation process.
For the studied organizations, the transition to Druva came about
because of immediate concerns about inefficiencies, and an inability to
meet near-term compliance needs with current solutions. Blue Hill’s
consolidated analysis of the studied organizations reveal four key pain
points:
“Cumbersome” and inefficient existing archiving processes requiring a network connection
The lack of a secure, centralized, and efficient archive environment for the mobile workforce as well as partners and contractors
Lack of visibility into data characteristics to support compliance and governance activities
Inefficiencies and lack of control resulting from reliance on ad hoc, multi-custodian management in the execution of legal hold and data collection in litigation and other investigations
The studied organizations included a multinational electronics and logistics company, an animal
healthcare provider, and a food logistics and distribution firm. However, every organization’s pain
points exhibited important commonalities stemming from a lack of visibility and management into
archived enterprise data. Most notably, the organizations found that the existing limitations of their
archive solutions’ abilities to respond to ongoing organizational needs resulted in high levels of
manual effort on the part of IT staff as well as its workforce using inefficient solutions, such as
endpoint connection through VPN connections, to complete archive and data governance functions.
About the Research Participants
Industries Represented
Electronics Manufacturer
Pharmaceuticals
Food and Beverage Logistics and
Distribution
Company Revenue
Annual corporate revenues reported
fell between $500 million and $26
billion (USD).
Employee Headcount
Current employee headcount of the
organizations reported ranged from
5,000 to 200,000 employees.
Global Presence
All three organizations constituted
multinational corporations with
operations extending between over
20 and 70 countries.
(2)
Copyright © 2015 Blue Hill Research 5
ANALYST INSIGHT
Further, participants identified increased risk resulting from manual and ad hoc legal hold and
eDiscovery processes. When legal hold needs were identified in litigation, the organizations would
notify individual custodians of their obligation to not delete data, and send data forensics specialists
to retrieve or copy physical hard drives of the employees. Along with the management of distributed
workforce archive needs, the identification of the opportunity to reduce this wasted effort and data
loss risk constituted top drivers for the selection of Druva inSync.
Case in Point: Mulitnational Electronics and Logistics Company
As a multinational firm, the electronics and logistics company faced a challenge with both the scale
and the sensitive nature of the data they possess. The IT team is charged with a dual mandate in
regards to their data archive. First, they must ensure complete recovery of any lost information;
second, they must maintain an environment where they can satisfy compliance and legal
requirements. Satisfying both of these requirements without imposing rigid restrictions on
employee access, device, and application usage creates a complex challenge.
The team initially liked Druva because of the encryption capabilities it provides. It allowed the firm
to guarantee the safe exchange of information regardless of employee location, and without solely
relying on dedicated encryption software that they found to be volatile and difficult to manage. The
first roll out of Druva was targeted for employees at the VP level and above. Given the distributed
nature of these employees, the number of different devices they use, and their ability to access
enterprise data from a number of portals, Druva was seen as an instrumental service for business
continuity and creating a unified view of data access and usage.
Consequently, the firm is now deploying Druva to a broader employee base beyond the initial scope
of VP-level employees. The firm has a centrally-managed Druva server, but allows individual IT
managers at specific geographic locations to provision their employees as necessary. This is part of
the firm’s broader overall goal of creating a unified view of their enterprise data to further
streamline data backup and recovery, as well as to more intelligently leverage data via a strategic
enterprise archive.
Copyright © 2015 Blue Hill Research 6
ANALYST INSIGHT
End-User Analysis: Business Factors and Impact Realized
Among research participants, Blue Hill found common themes in business case development that
expanded on traditional data backup, data retention, and business continuity. Table 2 summarizes the
five common themes identified in Blue Hill research interviews. The business value identified derived
from these factors appeared in various areas of workforce efficiency, IT operations efficiency, and
reduced legal data risk.
Table 2: Primary Business Cases Identified for Investment
Benefit Contributing Factors Sources of Business Value
Mobile Connection Efficiency
Data centralization and collection from mobile endpoints and cloud applications
Reduction of time required for end user to complete data archiving tasks
Continuous Archive Access
Data centralization and collection from mobile endpoints, cloud applications, and client site data
Reduction of device replacement cycle times
Reduction of lost time in recreating / searching for data
Improved access / control over corporate data held by customers and third parties
Security Risk Encryption of data in archive Reduction of risk of data exposure
through archive
Legal Hold Administration Efficiency
Centralization of legal hold and data preservation and collection activities as “background” functions in the archive
Reduction in time required to execute hold and collect data
Reduction in costs associated with travel and specialists to execute physical data recovery
Reduction in risk associated with reliance on individual custodian execution of data preservation requirements
Copyright © 2015 Blue Hill Research 7
ANALYST INSIGHT
Benefit Contributing Factors Sources of Business Value
Reduction in IT Oversight / Costs
Reduction in manual operations and consolidation of data storage
Reduction in time IT devoted to management of archive and endpoint recovery
Reduction in time devoted to legal data recovery and custodian management
Reduction in archive data redundancy and storage costs
Source: Blue Hill Research, November 2015
In addition to these driving business cases, participants identified future opportunities in the
incorporation of governance and compliance management. With respect to these benefits,
participants identified the need for a multi-step process, requiring progressive steps towards data
centralization and increased sophistication in their data policy management processes. In this
respect, Blue Hill observed that the initial investment in the Druva inSync platform represented an
initial stage in the development of underlying technology maturation needed to enact these strategies.
Analysis of the factors identified reveals a key theme in internal
staff efficiency among IT operations staff and mobile enterprise
workforce, as well as savings in the administration of legal hold.
To this end, participants identified significant time savings that
reached across enterprise functions. The ultimate business impact
of these time savings vary based on the relevant department
impacted. To this end, participants identified primary benefits
among highly-mobile staff, such as service or outside sales, who
reported increased efficiency from the ability to move seamlessly
between devices or from reduced downtime resulting from a lost
or damaged device. At the same time, the impact on legal hold and
collection efficiency can result in material benefits in litigation
preparation cost and court sanctions related to data spoliation. In
cases involving the management of corporate data at customer
sites, participants reported enhanced benefits due to improved
service delivery with customers as well as improved control over data.
Initial Benefits Identified
Stakeholder Adoption
94% to 98% end-point adoption
Average Account Restoration Cycle for Replacement Devices
4 hours plus shipping time
eDiscovery Collections
100% reduction in travel and
employee time associated with
physical hard drive / device retrieval
and forensics
Copyright © 2015 Blue Hill Research 8
ANALYST INSIGHT
All of these factors also involve reduction in the time demands placed on IT related to: archive
management, device provisioning, response to legal hold and collection needs, and compliance
management. Participants noted that these time savings provided available cycles to permit IT to
engage in higher-value and more strategic enterprise support operations.
Key Observations and Takeaways
Through continual solution improvement and the opportunities provided by cloud computing, the
enterprise archive investments now have an opportunity to supply significantly broader contributions
to value than the retention and business continuity benefits typically associated with the archive.
According to Blue Hill’s analysis, some elements of these contributions result from little more than
the increased ease and flexibility of archive processes and retrieval available through cloud solutions.
Other factors result from added layers of context available through metadata indexing and embedded
governance capabilities. In any case, the impact provided is notable for the expansion in stakeholders
that realize benefits from the adoption of these capabilities. Among cases reviewed, Blue Hill found
direct impacts on internal sales, service, and legal support, and IT operations personnel as well as
among third-party contractor and client stakeholders reliant on corporate data resources.
This sort of cross-enterprise distribution of business value is not typically observed in enterprise
archive and backup investments. As such, investment evaluations and business case development
require an expanded set of considerations and stakeholders than organizations may be familiar with
in archive investments. Based on its analysis, Blue Hill recommends the use of the broader set of
value propositions and stakeholders drawn in Table 2 in archive evaluations in response to changing
solution capabilities. Recognition of these value propositions and involvement of these stakeholders
will contribute to expanded ROI related to the archive, both through reduced ownership and
management burdens as well as expanded layers of value.
James Haight is a research analyst at Blue Hill Researchfocusing on analytics and emerging enterprise technologies.
His primary research includes exploring the business casedevelopment and solution assessment for data warehousing,
data integration, advanced analytics and businessintelligence applications. He also hosts Blue Hill's Emerging
Tech Roundup Podcast, which features interviews withindustry leaders and CEOs on the forefront of a variety of
emerging technologies. Prior to Blue Hill Research, Jamesworked in Radford Consulting's Executive and Board ofDirector Compensation practice, specializing in the hightech and life sciences industries. Currently he serves onthe strategic advisory board of the Bentley MicrofinanceGroup, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to
community development through funding and consultingentrepreneurs in the Greater Boston area.
Blue Hill Research is the only industry analyst firm with a success-based methodology. Based on the Path to Success, Blue HillResearch provides unique and differentiated guidance to translate corporate technology investments into success for the three keystakeholders: the technologist, the financial buyer, and the line of business executive.
Unless otherwise noted, the contents of this publication are copyrighted by Blue Hill Research and may not be hosted, archived,transmitted or reproduced, in any form or by any means without prior permission from Blue Hill Research.
For further information or questions, please contact us:
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
James Haight
Analyst
Phone: +1 (617)624-3600
Fax : +1 (617)367-4210
Twitter: @BlueHillBoston
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/blue-hill-research
Contact Research: [email protected]
Copyright © 2015 Blue Hill Research www.bluehillresearch.com
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@James_Haight
www.linkedin.com/in/jamesthaight
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Blue Hill Research is the only industry analyst firm with a success-based methodology. Based on the Path to Success, Blue HillResearch provides unique and differentiated guidance to translate corporate technology investments into success for the three keystakeholders: the technologist, the financial buyer, and the line of business executive.
Unless otherwise noted, the contents of this publication are copyrighted by Blue Hill Research and may not be hosted, archived,transmitted or reproduced, in any form or by any means without prior permission from Blue Hill Research.
For further information or questions, please contact us:
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
David Houlihan
Principal Analyst
Phone: +1 (617)624-3600
Fax : +1 (617)367-4210
Twitter: @BlueHillBoston
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/blue-hill-research
Contact Research: [email protected]
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David Houlihan researches enterprise risk management,compliance and policy management, and legal technology.He is an experienced advisor in legal and technology fields
with a unique understanding of complex informationenvironments and business legal needs.