Q&A: Compliance Storage Demystified

Relying on the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for guidance on regulations turns out to be a pretty bad idea, as we are finding out in more ways than one these days. When it comes to figuring out what constitutes compliance-based storage, the legislation is long in the tooth but the principles are clear. There are thousands of words written about the details, but from a technology point of view, compliance comes down to "expert opinion." There are several consultancy firms that are recommended by the storage vendors to demonstrate that a technology guarantees data immutability and auditing. But there is still a lot of confusion and very few tangible rules to follow. Buried in the myths and legends of what is and is not compliant storage are some generally accepted wisdoms.