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How can SAP Data Custodian boost public cloud data control?
Public cloud technology has evolved, but business leaders still worry about its ability to manage and protect their data. Learn how Data Custodian may help.
Despite rapid advances in technology platforms such as Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform and AWS, many users -- especially in highly regulated industries -- are still wary of putting their data in the public cloud. SAP Data Custodian is meant to ease those fears.
Cloud computing has generated numerous challenges and concerns, especially for companies that operate globally. New regulations, such as the European Union's GDPR and the U.S. Federal Data Protection Act (FDPA), require that IT leaders meet higher standards for data governance. Companies that don't adhere to compliance regulations face heavy penalties.
IT teams need to be able to monitor where their data is located and processed and who has accessed or modified it. They also need to know that their data is safe from unauthorized access. Over the past few years, SAP has been pushing companies to move to the cloud, and in 2017, SAP launched Data Custodian to address these safety concerns.
Data Custodian is designed to provide users with transparency and control in public cloud scenarios, where third parties have control over data storage and processing. It enables users to manage where their data is stored and processed, to report on the access and movement of data and to get proactive alerts to identify potential security breaches or policy violations.
Data Custodian shouldn't be confused with more comprehensive tools for data governance or data quality, such as SAP Master Data Governance. That product is an add-on tool for SAP ERP Central Component, Business Suite on HANA and S/4HANA and it addresses a broader spectrum of compliance requirements, including consistency and accuracy of data across multiple systems throughout a user's IT landscape. In contrast, Data Custodian is intended to address a subset of the enterprise data governance.
Since somewhat confusing overlap exists between Data Custodian and Master Data Governance, SAP needs to clarify its roadmap for Data Custodian alongside its broader Master Data Governance product.
