Data Residency: Creating Clouds with Clear Borders
An immediate advantage of cloud computing is that cloud-based data and applications are not limited by physical perimeters. Because cloud storage can expand and contract as organizations’ business needs demand, it’s an increasingly popular and cost-effective alternative to on-site data storage. However, while the cloud itself has no concrete confines, it is not exempt from the legal consequences of geographical borders and boundaries.
Data residency and data sovereignty laws require that digital data be subject to the laws in which that data resides. In addition, some laws require organizations to keep data on customers within the confines of the country where those customers reside. This can create difficulties when transitioning to a cloud architecture, if service providers cannot offer the flexibility to accommodate enterprise data in the required regions. Companies have ultimately delayed or forgone cloud adoption altogether, for fear of losing control of their data, if they are unsure where their data will ultimately reside in a cloud provider’s infrastructure.
Forcepoint is addressing data sovereignty and performance issues by rapidly opening cloud data centers* around the globe. Today sees the formal opening of our Toronto, Canada data center. Canadian businesses can now take full advantage of exceptional cloud availability, security and performance while being assured their data is housed in compliance with applicable data residency requirements.
Most importantly, Forcepoint’s Cloud Storage Location Preferences make it easy for customers to choose and know exactly where their data is processed and resides. Organizations that do business and store data in multiple global locations can selectively choose which forms of their enterprise data are stored where: Canadian data in Canada, French data in France, and so on. With cloud data centers strategically located in cities across the Americas, Asia Pacific, Europe, the Middle East and Africa – and with more being added quarterly – organizations can readily transition to the cloud no matter where they do business in the world.
For more information on our Toronto data center, contact pr@forcepoint.com.
For more information on our cloud services and products, visit: https://www.forcepoint.com/environments/cloud.
*All Forcepoint data centers are ISO 27001 and CSA STAR certified.