Information is currency in the digital era, and with many companies around the world being forced to change their business practices because of Covid-19, this currency has become even more attractive to cyber criminals, underlining the need to backup with a disaster recovery plan.
However, the rush to mobilize a remote workforce means that robust security measures and business continuity practices may have fallen by the wayside. Historic examples as well as our own research demonstrate the potential cost of not backing up, however there are some simple and effective steps business leaders and IT service management can take to keep their data, and their business, secure.
Why back up your data?
Data backup can insulate businesses from the actions of malevolent actors using malware to try and steal, destroy or ransom information that is critical to business operations. Ransomware and other malware, such as wipers, can either encrypt or completely destroy files, and there is no guarantee that files can be decrypted if a ransom is paid.
In fact, between February 15 and March 15, 2020, Avast protected 2,841 British users from 34,487 attempted ransomware attacks. The WannaCry attack is an infamous case demonstrating why backing up data is so important. The ransomware crippled countless businesses and organizations across the globe, with the NHS one of those most severely affected.
While many were able to quickly implement disaster recovery plans thanks to strategic backups of their organization’s data, others were less fortunate. Some organizations suffered significant downtime as a result of the attack. This attack highlighted how backing up data can be the difference between a short-term operational issue and long-term widespread damage.
Now more than ever, people and businesses need to understand the importance of backing up information to ensure sensitive business information is properly secure.
Attitudes toward backup
We recently conducted research that found that over a third of us (42%) in the UK do not back up our data. Failing to back up can happen for a number of reasons. Data loss can be caused by human error such as users accidentally deleting the data themselves, or from loss of hardware. In addition, system errors that cause devices to crash can mean data is lost forever.
While many were able to quickly implement disaster recovery plans thanks to strategic backups of their organization’s data, others were less fortunate. Some organizations suffered significant downtime as a result of the attack. This attack highlighted how backing up data can be the difference between a short-term operational issue and long-term widespread damage.
Now more than ever, people and businesses need to understand the importance of backing up information to ensure sensitive business information is properly secure.
Choosing, and implementing the right tools for your environment can take a lot of research and time. We are here to offer our expertise, so that you can focus your time and energy on your business!
If you are in the market for a managed service provider that specializes in cyber security – CALL US! We can assess your IT environment, identify areas that can be improved and implement inexpensive, effective cyber security measures to keep you safe.
Email us at [email protected] or give us a call at 732.780.8615 to get more information, or to schedule an appointment with one of our trained professionals.
Trinity Worldwide Technologies, LLC is an IT company that specializes in setting up servers and networks; ActivSurveillance™ remote monitoring and maintenance; emergency IT support; spam filtering; virus and malware prevention and remediation; network security; and IT strategy planning.