Elevating security and data privacy stance in the cloud with Parablu

Customer description

The customer is an agribusiness based in India and a pioneer in providing high-quality hybrid and open-pollinated seeds. They utilize cutting-edge technology and intensive research to develop, produce and process seeds for farming communities across the country.

The challenge

With enterprise users in multiple regions and a high amount of data generated across a wide range of file types, this agribusiness giant naturally holds data security high on its list of priorities. While keeping data in the Google cloud made it easier for disparate teams to collaborate and get work done, they also worried that it left business-sensitive data vulnerable. Insider threats and ransomware attacks had the potential to not only render the business non-compliant but also cause it to suffer costly data losses.   

1. Data Security of Mobile Workforce

Apart from the data in the cloud, the IT team was particularly concerned about the safety of corporate data lying on the endpoints of their mobile workforce.  They were looking for a solution that could protect that data by keeping a secondary copy in the cloud, and ensure that it was an immutable copy, not susceptible to end-user tampering or threats like ransomware.

2. Absence of comprehensive data backup process

Since the company had subscribed to Google Workforce, the users were already using Google Drive as a file repository. Their original idea was to have the Google Drive copy also double as a secondary copy or a backup copy of all their data. But they soon realized that this setup was heavily dependent on the users’ inclination to push business-critical data to their assigned Google Drive storage allocations. The chances that end users would keep local data on their laptops and forget to copy them into Google Drive was too high for their comfort. The cost of dealing with the loss of an important file or folder was simply too high. The IT team needed a solution that would minimize dependencies on human action and automate the whole process of data backup in a reliable way.

3. The Catch 22 – Unsure about data security and privacy in the cloud

While it made sense to use the cloud as a backup target, there were still concerns about the security and privacy of backed-up data stored in the cloud. What if someone else gained access to their data? Most data management solutions and cloud storage providers they had researched did offer encryption of data but also retained the ability to decrypt the data – which the company found troubling.

Reason for choosing us

After thorough vetting and a detailed trial that met their requirements, the customer chose the Parablu’s  BluVault – Backup to Google Drive. What stood out for them was BluVault’s ability to enable automated and scheduled backup processes from all registered endpoints (Desktops/Laptops/Macbooks).  What’s more, BluVault had the ability to write to Google Drive as a backup target – so they didn’t have to invest anything additional towards storage. 

Also, BluVault’s Zero-Knowledge Privacy capability meant that not only was their data getting encrypted before being written to Google Drive, but the business could also control and change those encryption keys at any point.  This feature, called “Segregation of Duties”, ensures that business data is accessible only to the business – and not to anyone else.  Not Parablu, not Google, not an attacker, a regulatory authority, or even a foreign government. 

The more they explored BluVault, the more they liked it.  They realized that the solution could not only provide the level of security and data privacy needed for their backup data, but their IT teams could also leverage the central management console, policy-based remote management, the daily reports, and audit logs, to spend less time fretting about failed backups, and spend more time on creative projects and innovating for the future.

The Parablu Fix

To sum up, the business picked BluVault for a multitude of reasons, but here are the few key ones that stand out:

1. Google Drive as a backup storage target

Since they were a Google Workspace customer, and all their users had unlimited Google Drive storage as part of their subscription, it made sense for them to want to use Google Drive space for their backups.  But most cloud-based backup solutions they evaluated didn’t support Google Drive as a backup destination.  Many of them offered their own storage clouds or left it up to the business to purchase and provision storage.   Also, none of them could provide the type of encryption key control required to assure privacy for the data.

Parablu with their BluVault – Backup to Google Drive solution was the only one that fit the bill

2. Ease of Management

One of the biggest issues the IT team faced was the lack of visibility around data that was failing to backup. BluVault, with its policy-based management, centralized schedules, auditing, and reporting – took that unpredictability out completely and made management touchless and easy.

3. Automated, Scheduled, Reliable

Their previous backup strategy depended heavily on end-users being disciplined enough to remember to keep all important data in Google Drive. And like any process that depends on human involvement, it was prone to errors. BluVault essentially replaced that with scheduled, automated backups. The IT team was now empowered with comprehensive reports that gave them a bird’s eye view of overall protection, with the option to drill down and focus on failures.

4. Unparalleled Security and Data Privacy

In addition to BluVault’s ability to support Google Drive, Parablu’s private storage container, which is enabled by the BluKrypt privacy gateway, gave the company complete control over the encryption process and the encryption keys. With BluVault, they now had the ability to change their encryption keys at will – at any time. This essentially gave this agribusiness company Zero-Knowledge Privacy which meant that they were the only ones authorized to read their data – not Parablu, not Google, not a hacker, or anyone else.

What customer says