Does the Entire Internet Need a Backup?

A company’s data — from the customer database and billing system to less obvious data like application code, custom scripts and social media activity — is critical. But what about the underlying Internet architecture that powers modern businesses?

Danny Hillis, co-founder of consulting firm Applied Minds, makes the case in Wired for a complete Internet backup. The article is part of Wired’s “How to Save the Net” series, in which technology luminaries offer solutions to the biggest challenges facing the Internet.

“The vulnerability of the Internet would be just an annoyance if it affected only YouTube and email, but it is becoming increasingly fundamental to our financial system, our national security, and other vital services,” Hillis writes. “The second Internet needs to be optimized for security and dependability. It would not replace the first but, rather, would operate alongside it. Nor would it have to be a multibillion-dollar government project. It might use the same fibers as the current Internet, but its protocols would be different, designed from the beginning to be less vulnerable to accidental failure or attack.”

(via Wired)

Data Protection ≠ Backup: Speaking at VMWorld, DataGravity CEO Paula Long calls for a new way to think about storage. Data protection is absolutely necessary, but businesses must also understand the data. “Data protection is not just backup, but understanding who has access to the information and understanding who should have access to it,” she says. (via SiliconANGLE)

VMware Fortifies OpenStack: VMware made plenty of news during its annual conference this week in San Francisco. One piece that IT pros shouldn’t miss is the virtualization giant’s plan to strengthen OpenStack’s reliability by adding a cloud hosting layer on top of its virtualization software. (via InfoWorld)

Secure, Mobile Access to Data: Companies like The Morse Group, an electrical contracting firm with employees around the world, aren’t tied to an office. Its employees can work from any location using today’s powerful mobile devices and fast data speeds. As a result, the IT department’s challenge is to ensure completely secure mobile access to that data. (via Mobile Enterprise)

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