IBM is attempting to answer one of the great conundrums of modern day data-driven marketers by actually telling its clients where their data is stored, through a major upgrade to its central cloud centre in Frankfurt, Germany.
The move, which follows research which claimed more than two-thirds of cloud back-up providers do not inform customers where their data is being physically kept, is designed to big up Big Blue’s efforts to ensure clients are GDPR compliant.
The company claims new controls will be created to ensure data access is restricted to EU IBM employees exclusively. Security is also going to be boosted by advanced encryption capabilities.
IBM Cloud clients will also be able to review and approve all access requests to their content if a non-EU based employee needs to work on it.
In addition to bringing customers reassurance regarding who can access their data, a new support model and capabilities are also set to be implemented, bringing AI, DevOps and data analytics into play.
Sebastian Krause, general manager of IBM Cloud Europe, said: “With the rapid growth of higher value services such as AI, analytics, blockchain and Internet of Things, companies are positioned to unlock transformative insights from their data like never before.
“While exciting for all of us, this transition also introduces the need for greater responsibility. Concerns about data residency, security and personal data protection are at an all-time high as businesses prepare for pending regulatory and compliance requirements including the GDPR.
“While data privacy is especially important in Europe, clients in many markets face regulatory pressures to protect their users’ data. IBM plans to take the improvements outlined here and adopt them across other IBM locations in the future.”
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