6 Major Challenges of Data Synchronization in Cybersecurity
Reading Time: 3 minutesHaving data available simultaneously in multiple locations is great, but things can and do go wrong. Here’s what to avoid to keep your files in sync.
If you have ever headed a team or been a part of one, you would agree that cooperation among team members is essential for success. If the team is divided, they won’t make headway. It’s the same with data. Your data sets are most meaningful and beneficial to you when they are consistent, especially if they are in silos.
Data synchronization ensures that data in multiple areas of your system are consistent and compliant for a smooth workflow. However, the following factors pose a challenge.
1/7 1. Undetected Changes
Whether your data sets are at rest or in transit, you may constantly engage with them in the course of your work. During that engagement, you might make changes, either intentionally or accidentally, to specific data elements.
When changes to your data sets go undetected, you’ll have discrepancies that jeopardize the overall quality of your data. You must implement effective data synchronization to detect any changes to your data and initiate an update. Failure to effect a change across the entire system causes conflict that questions your data’s integrity and eventually leads to inaccurate results.
2/7 2. Security Glitch
Securing your data is just as important as keeping it consistent. The synchronization process must uphold the regulatory standards in your industry and the security mechanisms that you have put in place to prevent cyber threats and attacks.
Uncoordinated communications between your various data sources may trigger a security glitch and cause sensitive data exposure. Make sure that your data synchronization model doesn’t disrupt your security settings.
3/7 3. Incompatibility
As the dynamics of your work change, your current data synchronization systems may become obsolete and incompatible with your new and emerging data sets. This may cause technical issues of incompatibility and alter the authenticity of your data.
Pay close attention to your system to notice when a synchronization tool no longer aligns with your data sets and seek a new one. Ignoring data compatibility or the absence of it is counterproductive. Instead of getting the positive results you seek, you’ll experience difficulties keeping your data consistent and accurate.
4/7 4. Complexity
When you are dealing with a large amount of data, it can be complex and hinder data synchronization. Since the data sets are in various locations, the synchronization system has more workload to process.
It takes an effective synchronization system to update and align large data in multiple sources. Issues will arise if the system only updates certain data sets and bypass others. It gets even more problematic if you aren’t aware that your data sets aren’t the same.
5/7 5. Updating Delays
If you work in a fast-paced environment with data silos, you need your data in their different sources to sync in real-time. Although many data synchronization tools claim to update data sets in real-time, that’s not always the case.
Real-time data update is essential for teamwork, especially when team members are privy to different data sources. Any updating delay may result in the implementation of inconsistent information, leading to inaccurate results.
6/7 6. Performance Downtime
Data synchronization involves data extraction, data transformation, and data loading. The system must execute each stage successfully to maintain high performance.
When processing a large volume of data, the synchronization tools must be very efficient to make the most of time and resources, otherwise, you could suffer operational setbacks, especially during peak periods. To avoid downtime due to data overload, consider all the performance-related factors in your synchronization efforts.
7/7 Maintain High Quality With Data Synchronization
The nature of modern-day work necessitates having your data in different sources. It’s your responsibility to ensure that your data sets are consistent and optimal for a seamless operation, regardless of their location. Overcoming the challenges of data synchronization helps you enhance the quality of your data for great results.