Protecting Information Using ILM Policies

Information Lifecycle Management helps with regulatory compliance, security, and most of all, data protection. Policies based on ILM principles allow data protection strategies to become more cost effective and provide insight into how effective data protection methods really are. Data protection costs are now associated with the value of the information, which allows for a value-oriented resource assignment. Resources can now be adjusted as the value changes, ensuring maximum protection for the most valuable information and not as much protection for less valuable information.

ILM policies also draw attention to changes in the environment that impact data protection. It is common to back up all files based on a schedule, for example. With ILM, backups could instead be tuned to happen when certain changes in state occur. Perhaps a file is copied to near-line backup only when it changes and if it is classified as critical. The type of action may change when the information's value drops and, in its place, be backed up infrequently to tape. Only one copy of the information, no matter what its form or location, would be copied, and duplicate information would be ignored. This is more efficient and, ultimately, more effective. Files would be backed up when they need it and to resources that coincide with the value of the information they hold.