Data masking involves hiding or obscuring sensitive information in a dataset, allowing internal analysis without revealing the actual data. Anonymization goes further by replacing identifiable information with pseudonyms or codes, ensuring privacy even during detailed analysis. Encryption secures data during transmission or storage but may not allow internal analysis without decryption. Deleting sensitive data would defeat the purpose of using it for analysis.

The best practices for configuring and managing application-aware backups in Commvault include regularly testing backup and restore processes. Testing ensures that backups are reliable, restore operations are successful, and data integrity is maintained. Incremental backups are also recommended to reduce backup times and storage requirements. Ignoring transaction logs during backups can lead to data inconsistencies, so it's essential to configure Commvault to capture transaction logs for application-aware backups.

The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) oversees the enforcement of GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) in the UK. GDPR is a comprehensive data protection regulation that governs the processing and storage of personal data of individuals within the European Union (EU). ICO plays a crucial role in ensuring GDPR compliance, investigating data breaches, and imposing penalties on organizations that violate GDPR regulations.

Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) allows organizations to assign specific access to users based on their roles. This means that users are granted access permissions according to the roles they have in the organization, simplifying access management and ensuring that users have the necessary access to perform their job functions without unnecessary privileges.

Compliance regulations such as GDPR and HIPAA require data encryption in virtual machine protection to ensure that sensitive data remains secure and protected against unauthorized access. While access control, data backup, and network segmentation are also crucial for data protection, encryption specifically addresses the requirements outlined by GDPR and HIPAA.

In Commvault, advanced installation and configuration often involve setting up "Media agents" and "Storage pools." Media agents manage data movement between clients and storage devices, while storage pools manage the allocation of storage resources.

Backup policies ensure consistent backup strategies and backup settings across backup operations in Commvault. These policies define rules and actions for backup processes, including frequency, type of backup (full, incremental, differential), retention periods, and storage destinations. This consistency helps maintain data integrity, compliance, and efficient backup operations.

Systems that host critical applications such as database servers and email systems benefit the most from application-aware backups. These systems often require consistent and reliable backups of application-specific data, which can only be achieved through application-aware backup methods. Backing up only file servers or workstations may not capture the necessary application data, leading to incomplete backups and potential data loss.

Option C is correct because role-based access control (RBAC) ensures improved data security by limiting access to sensitive data based on users' roles and responsibilities. This helps prevent unauthorized access and potential data breaches. RBAC is an essential security measure in data protection strategies, especially in environments handling sensitive information. Understanding RBAC's role in data security is crucial for implementing effective access control mechanisms.

Backup retention policies in Commvault define how long backups are retained in the storage infrastructure. They play a crucial role in data management, compliance adherence, and resource optimization by ensuring that data is retained for the required duration based on organizational policies and regulatory requirements.