March 31st is annual World Backup Day, a date chosen to keep people from becoming an April Fool the following day with lost files and data. Jokingly created in 2011 by student Ismail Jadun, World Backup Day is a critically serious reminder of the importance of data security.
Tom Coughlin, a data storage analyst and consultant, writes about World Backup Day in Forbes that data security has become an even more serious issue with wider work-from-home options related to the pandemic, exposing data to inconsistent backup and network protections. He adds, “Ransomware has become a bigger problem in the last year, again because of often lower security for business data in a home, and keeping a backup of data, or multiple backups can be a way to protect yourself from losing access to data from such malware.”
Information security experts advise that backups occur every time data is touched.
Cloud ERP Delivers Information Security and Backup
Since their inception more than 20 years ago, Software as a Service (SaaS) and Cloud services have been known for their state-of-the-art network security, including automatic backup and recovery, fail-over systems and redundant sites. QAD takes information security seriously and maintains, for example, role and record-based security. It delivers a sophisticated security system that automatically handles the nuances of every trading partner relationship.
Two information security best practices of QAD Adaptive ERP that protect data and increase information security that are particularly relevant are:
- A dedicated, full-time intrusion detection program that is tested regularly
- A dedicated incident response team with related processes for customer communication that tie into backup, recovery and disaster recovery processes
QAD Adaptive ERP in the cloud promotes enterprise-grade security and end-to-end data encryption, with disaster recovery procedures to ensure data is safely backed up at all times.
The Power of Digital Twin Technology
We can’t talk about information security without mentioning the subject of digital twin technology.
Digital twin technology, or the creation of a digital replica of a physical asset, is not new. Manufacturers use digital twins to securely represent specific processes, people, products, places, systems and services. Digital twin processes are driving smart manufacturing innovations and IIoT advances that simulate, predict, optimize, and maintain products, assets and production systems. They save in operating costs because manufacturers don’t have to rely on physical prototypes or test equipment.
With digital twins, manufacturers gain visibility into processes that uncover redundant activities and undermine overall process performance.
In a recent Automation World article about digital twins, Dick Slansky of the ARC Advisory Group wrote: “Using digital twins that represent the product and production systems, manufacturers can reduce the time and cost associated with assembling, installing, and validating factory production systems. Additionally, implementing digital twins for asset management typically provides quantifiable benefits for maintaining equipment in the field.”
As one example, manufacturers may use digital twin technologies for industrial asset lifecycle management and maintenance. By providing a dynamic digital representation of the industrial asset, enterprises can predict machine performance. Among the various types of intelligence that can be leveraged from a digital twin are product simulations, prototyping, as-designed BOM, as-ordered BOM, as-built BOM, as-shipped, as-currently configured in the field and finished goods in the field.
QAD supports digital twin technology in two ways. According to QAD’s David Doyle, it is done “by, first, connecting the history of installed base items from the ERP. Production Execution can capture both operator and machine-specific information during the production process that can then be used for its digital twin.” The second approach is “by connecting the production floor’s equipment back into the Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) module.”
Digital Twin on the QAD Enterprise Platform
The QAD Enterprise Platform gives developers and business analysts the tools they need to securely create and deploy digital twin and similar cloud technologies. Its best-in-class services streamline the development and use of advanced technologies in a secure cloud environment. Platform Services, including User Interface, Mobile, Security, Integration, API Management, Analytics, Data Query, Browse, Globalization, Collaboration and Event/Task Scheduling, deliver extensive tools for improved manufacturing processes.
On this World Backup Day, take the time to assess how well your company is ensuring data and information security. To learn more about how QAD is addressing data security, visit our website.
