Spanning examines risk of data loss in Google Apps for education

AUSTIN, USA: Spanning Cloud Apps, the most trusted provider of data backup and recovery for cloud applications, has released its latest eBook: "Highlighting Data Protection: Preventing Data Loss in Google Apps for Education". This free resource is designed to help the education community understand the importance of having an automated, secure backup and recovery solution in place to minimize risk of data loss in Google Apps.

The eBook provides "moment of truth" stories from K-12 and higher education institutions, along with insights on the data protection limitations of Google Apps. Additionally, it offers tips for choosing the right solution to meet each school's unique needs.

While millions rely on the collaboration and cost benefits that Google Apps for Education provides, many schools are surprised to learn that important files cannot be restored if data loss is a result of a user error, rather than a Google-wide issue, such as an outage, for example. Without a backup plan, data stored in Google Drive, Sites, Calendar, Contacts and Gmail may be permanently lost if files are accidently deleted, errors occur while migrating to a new device or a colleague overwrites work on a communally-shared file.

Says Chris Gleeson, manager of Messaging and Collaboration, Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland: "With world class students and faculty, our IT department is tasked with ensuring the protection and availability of The Smith School's data in order to maintain the high standards the school is known for. Implementing a data protection solution provided us with the assurance that we can protect both the data and processes we have developed over the years."

As described in the eBook, the four most common types of data protection vulnerabilities in Google Apps for Education are:

Human error: The cause of almost 30 percent of all data loss, according to software company Protect Data's research and the Boston Computing Network, human error most often occurs when users are rushed, tired or confused about the specific functionality of a feature.

Hackers and malicious insiders: Not only can hackers use code-cracking algorithms and brute force attacks to acquire passwords, but they can also access data en route to storage if it is not fully encrypted.

Sync errors: In the age of multiple devices and accounts, users updating their smartphones, syncing various devices with their Google account or trying to make custom adjustments are more susceptible to data loss.

Mistakes in collaboration: Although this is one of the best aspects about the Google Apps platform, it is also the cause of data loss due to misunderstandings, mistakes and miscommunications amongst users with access to the same files at once.