Different countries and industries often have their own specific regulations when it comes to data storage. To comply with this, market research companies need to give careful consideration to where their respondent data is stored.
For example, countries such as Singapore and industries such as finance or healthcare require personal and research data to remain within the country, sometimes even within local premises.
It’s therefore no surprise that compliance is a top challenge for stalling the adoption of cloud solutions, according to IT decision makers, published in the Foundry’s Cloud Computing Study 2024.
To satisfy the need for compliant survey data storage, we have been working with Microsoft and other parties to develop a suitable solution for users of Nfield Online and CAPI.
Achieving compliant local data storage
Nfield Online and CAPI surveys are already deployed from four different Microsoft Azure cloud environments – Hong Kong SAR (serving Asia Pacific, except the Chinese mainland), Amsterdam (serving Europe and Africa), Virginia (serving the Americas) and Beijing (serving the Chinese mainland) – to facilitate speedy operation.
To enable data storage compliance alongside this, we have developed the ability to separate survey deployment from storage of respondent data. This means it is now possible, for example, to deploy a survey from the Hong Kong SAR Microsoft Data Center and store the respondent data in the Singapore Microsoft Data Center.
This locally compliant data storage is being achieved through utilizing the Azure cloud Infrastructure and, where this is challenging, setting up local facilities.
Whatever requirements Nfield Online and CAPI users have, we can quickly configure a suitable solution which strikes a balance between a whole raft of considerations, including security, investment, ease of maintenance and system monitoring, ISO 27001:2022 compliance, speed of delivery, customer preference and potential for growth.
Nfield local data storage applies to the following information:
- Open and closed answer data
- Media capture during an interview
- GPS location data
- Other paradata – including quota information, appointment, address, interviewer’s device)
- Respondent data
Questionnaires and associated media files used during interviews remain stored within the survey engine in one Nfield’s four deployments.
Feature limitations when using local data storage
For technical reasons, a number of Nfield tools and features cannot be provided when local data storage is in place. These are:
X Reporting and fieldwork reporting functionality
To work around this: data can still be exported for use in external reporting or analytics tools.
X The Data repository feature
It is, unfortunately, not possible to deliver continuous data feeds and repository-based insights to external dashboards.
X Advanced quality control feature
Basic fieldwork controls remain available, but advanced quality assurance features are not.
X Geographic replication
While this is not included by default, replication within the same country may be available upon request. This is subject to local availability and is offered at additional cost.
Contact us
Contact us to find out more about local data storage compliance and ask for a quote. Check here to see existing Azure locations. If no Azure location is available where you require one, ask us about other local data storage solutions.
