Local data storage: A necessity for regulated industries

In today's digitally driven world, data is the lifeblood of the healthcare, finance, and government sectors. For organizations in these sectors, ensuring that sensitive data is securely managed and properly monitored is not just a business priority—it’s a legal requirement. This requirement not only encompasses any customer data these organizations process; it extends to system logs, metrics, and alerts generated as part of their IT operations.

Logs, messages, and events are effectively digital records that track the operations, transactions, and activities of systems, applications, and networks. I will refer to these records as “logs” moving forward. These logs are vital for tracing security incidents, establishing accountability, and ensuring operations run as intended. However, where and how these logs are stored matter significantly.

Many regulations in industries such as healthcare and finance mandate strict control over data and require that sensitive records, including logs, remain within authorized geographical territories. For instance, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) mandates that personally identifiable information (PII) of European Union (EU) residents should not be transferred to regions with insufficient privacy safeguards.

Another example is HIPAA, which requires healthcare organizations to maintain meticulous record-keeping for sensitive patient information within U.S. facilities or trusted locations. Local storage ensures compliance with these rules by keeping critical logs within defined boundaries, avoiding the risks associated with transferring data across international jurisdictions.

Regulatory audits are a standard requirement in sectors like finance and healthcare. Logs provide a clear, chronological view of system activities, user interactions, and policy enforcement. However, for any audit to be meaningful, logs must be readily accessible, tamper-proof, and aligned with the auditor's jurisdiction. Local storage guarantees complete control over log integrity and ensures logs remain secure and auditable without delays involved in accessing remote systems.

The F5 Application Delivery and Security Platform provides industry-leading flexibility for securing applications and APIs anywhere. Customers that deploy the platform’s services using hardware can maintain strict control over where data is stored. F5 hardware allows customers to store logs directly on their appliance, or route them to any remote logging server they choose. Our hardware customers have ultimate control over where and how their logs are stored.

Customers consuming the platform’s services via SaaS on  F5 Distributed Cloud Services, can now specify the regions where they would like to store their logs. We are expanding our log storage options for customers who need location control to satisfy regulatory requirements.

Distributed Cloud Services now offer a Data Localization Suite that customers can add to their subscription, enabling them to select a single logging region per tenant. All logs, regardless of where they are generated, are stored in the customer’s chosen region, ensuring they do not cross national borders after ingestion. As of today, customers can specify whether they need persistent storage in the EU or in the United States, and we plan to add more options in future releases.