Cobalt Iron updates Compass platform with new data governance capabilities

Cobalt Iron has updated its Compass enterprise SaaS backup platform with new data governance capabilities comprising policy-based controls and an approval framework for decommissioning systems and deleting data.

The automation and policy-based discipline for system decommissioning and associated data deletion are unique to Compass and will deliver defensible data deletion and system retirement.

Data governance is about being a good steward over data during its entire life cycle, from its creation or acceptance to its deletion. Proper systems decommissioning and defensible data deletion are two areas of data governance that are commonly neglected.

Often, data managers delete data and retire systems in a haphazard manner, which can introduce risk of data loss or loss of data access control.

These new capabilities allow automated and auditable systems decommissioning and deletion of associated data — bringing simplicity, data governance, historical tracking of all operations, and an approval framework to the decommissioning process.

Compass users can perform these operations in a consistent manner that can be proven to adhere to corporate policies.

With these new Cobalt Iron Compass features, users may:

• Define systems to be decommissioned and removed from active backup protection.
• Rebind retention policies for how long to maintain data after decommissioning.
• Establish an approval framework to verify system decommission and data deletion requests, with approval required by specific personnel. The approval framework may also extend to other critical operations, such as any reduction of policy action (e.g., shortening any retention periods of backup data).
• Track decommissioned systems and their associated data.
• View audit reports on decommissioned systems, expected data deletion dates, documentation of all commands and results, etc. through new report and API additions.
• Recover data from decommissioned systems that have not yet reached data deletion.
• Control permissions for decommissioning operations.

Data governance is one of the many areas that sets Cobalt Iron Compass apart from other backup products on the market.

In addition to the enhanced capabilities, Compass provides extensive data governance including:

• Data integrity checking.
• Data and metadata immutability.
• Data protection and security, including creating and managing multiple copies of data.
• Data access controls.
• Enforceable policy management.
• Enforceable data locality control.
• Auditing of all operations and components.

The enhanced Compass decommissioning and data deletion features will be made available to existing and new Compass users.

“System decommissioning and associated data deletion typically happen manually, and often without data governance controls or tracking. That’s just what we’re aiming to avoid with our latest updates to Compass,” said Paul Linder, Compass product development manager at Cobalt Iron.

“These enhancements extend Compass’ already comprehensive data governance strategy, providing customers defensible data deletion and system decommissioning operations they can’t get from other backup products,” Linder concluded.