Data Protection & Resiliency
Tagline: Ensuring Absolute Business Continuity.
The Evolution of Resiliency Architecture
Architecture has moved past simple data recovery to Business Continuity. In a world of ransomware and strict sovereignty laws, protecting data is no longer just about snapshots; it is about End-to-End Encryption and Immutable Air-Gaps.
A modern Resiliency Architect must integrate Cybersecurity directly into the storage fabric, ensuring that even if the perimeter fails, the data remains encrypted, sovereign, and recoverable within minutes—not days.
We design for Immutability, Encryption, and Rapid Recovery.
Data Protection Foundations
Goal: Master the “3-2-1 Rule” and understand the core mechanics of snapshots, backups, and encryption basics.
Concepts & Protection
- •The 3-2-1 Rule: 3 copies, 2 media types, 1 offsite.
- •Recovery Mechanics: Snapshots (pointers) vs. Backups (independent data).
- •Encryption Basics: Data-at-rest vs. Data-in-flight conceptual understanding.
Infrastructure Prerequisites
- →Storage Types: Block, File, and Object storage targets for protection.
- →Networking: Bandwidth and latency basics for offsite replication.
- →Security: Basic user access control and password hygiene for backup consoles.
Hands-On Lab
- ✓Configuration: Install a community backup tool and protect a local VM.
- ✓Testing: Perform a file-level and full-VM restore to verify data integrity.
- ✓Maintenance: Verify backup success/failure logs and troubleshoot basic errors.
“Can independently protect a single-host environment and prove recovery via file and image restores.”
Resiliency & Cyber-Engineering
Goal: Deploy, secure, and operate immutable protection systems that withstand modern ransomware attacks.
Cyber-Resilient Tech
- •Immutability: Implementing WORM (Write Once Read Many) storage and S3 Object Lock.
- •Encryption at Scale: Managing AES-256 at rest and TLS/mTLS for data in transit.
- •Logical Air-Gapping: Designing isolated recovery environments (IRE) for secure restoration.
Infrastructure Prerequisites
- →Business Metrics: Designing against specific RTO (Time) and RPO (Data Loss) targets.
- →Security Ops: Integrating backup alerts into SOC/SIEM and mastering RBAC for data admins.
- →Continuity Planning: Identifying “Mission Critical” vs. “Non-Essential” workload tiers.
Hands-On Lab
- ✓Cyber-Lab: Simulate a ransomware attack and recover using an immutable backup copy.
- ✓Encryption: Configure KMS (Key Management Services) to encrypt a multi-host cluster.
- ✓Audit: Perform a disaster recovery drill to prove meeting RTO/RPO SLAs.
“Can design and operate a resilient cluster with immutable storage that meets strict business continuity SLAs.”
Sovereign Continuity & Governance
Goal: Design global resiliency platforms that satisfy data residency, sovereignty, and multi-site DR requirements.
Sovereign Strategy
- •Data Residency: Architecting for regional locality and jurisdictional data control.
- •Continuity Design: Active-Active stretched clusters vs. Active-Passive failover sites.
- •Compliance Fabric: Mapping technical encryption to GDPR/CCPA/DORA regulations.
Infrastructure Prerequisites
- →Risk Modeling: Performing business impact analysis (BIA) for enterprise-scale failure.
- →Cloud Portability: Designing for exit strategies and vendor-neutral data recovery.
- →Advanced Governance: Implementing Policy-as-Code for resiliency guardrails.
Strategic Portfolio
- ✓Design: Architect a multi-region DR plan justified by cost-benefit and risk analysis.
- ✓Frameworks: Apply NIST Cyber-Resiliency or ISO 22301 standards to the stack.
- ✓Automation: Design automated DR runbooks that orchestrate mass-recovery at scale.
“Can architect end-to-end data resiliency platforms that meet regulatory sovereignty and enterprise availability goals.”
The Road Ahead: Navigating the Data Protection & Resiliency Terrain
Think of these three levels as three passes over the same terrain, evolving from “Backing up Data” to “Governing Global Resiliency”.