It is estimated that ransomware generates an estimated annual revenue of $1 billion a year. This World Backup Day, Industry Leaders, are urging companies to take control and back up their data.
It is estimated that ransomware generates an estimated annual revenue of $1 billion a year. This World Backup Day, Industry Leaders, are urging companies to take control and back up their data.
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World Backup Day provides an opportunity for all organisations, both public and private, to revisit their backup strategies and determine if they are well positioned to overcome the latest threats. With backup data being the key element in data restoration and cyber criminals consequently specifically targeting this data in ransomware attacks, companies need to concentrate on protecting their backups. One of the most effective and also easiest strategies to block off attacks aimed at the backup is WORM (write once, read many). With WORM storage, the data is made immutable, meaning that once written, it cannot be either changed or deleted for a defined period of time. This way the malware won’t be able to encrypt the data and lock the victim out. In the event of a ransomware attack, organisations can restore the data from their backup through a simple recovery process. In previous years, WORM storage required specialised storage devices and a workflow that accommodated them. This has changed with the Object Lock feature for object storage, allowing for WORM functionality to be provided on enterprise storage systems, protecting data at the device level.
Backup is being put into a new perspective with this year’s World Backup Day. In light of the current healthcare pandemic, not only a growing number of employees are working outside the office, but we’re seeing organisations enforce a work-from-home policy for all employees. Even if workers are using cloud applications that do not care where they are located, the files and data they share could be anywhere, and this puts a glaring spotlight on new backup challenges for IT teams.
Having a growing distributed workforce puts any organisation at risk when it comes to content sharing. If employees aren’t using applications that enable secure sharing (Microsoft OneDrive is an example), corporate content could be left in the open when shared through online services, creating gaps in data protection. Companies need to give their workforces a solution that can be controlled and that offers visibility into what is being shared, where, and with whom.
Beyond challenges created by a distributed workforce, driven by the need to work remotely, we’ll start to see more attention paid to backup of data associated with containers this year, as containers continue to grow in popularity. Particularly, companies will learn the importance of backup in this space — Yes, high availability can be built into container infrastructure, but what do you do when you need to recover from a disaster? The process for backing up containers and related data will be thought about differently than, for example, virtual machines.
We’re set to see more challenges this year, certainly with the current conditions creating more opportunity for risk as much as changing technology landscapes. What will be interesting going forward as organisations that have re-focused on their risk strategies in the current climate will inevitably be ensuring that their infrastructure and data are kept secure.
World Backup Day is an annual reminder for both individuals and businesses to back up important data like applications, photos and documents. Today is also a good time to assess your backup strategy for this changing data landscape. With IoT, an increasingly remote workforce, and SaaS applications, data center-based protection is no longer sufficient. A modern data protection strategy must incorporate real-time data from widespread locations, traditional workloads, cloud-native applications and SaaS data. Meanwhile, with the expansion of regional privacy regulations, organizations now need to back up more data in more places with more regulations. Like the rest of IT, a successful backup group must now leverage cloud and SaaS technology while building stronger relationships with business and legal teams.
The future of backup has always been in the cloud. The good news is, the future is here. Cloud backup is already the most secure, reliable and cost-effective option to protect your data – wherever it lives.
As the global cost of ransomware continues to grow, this World Backup Day, Veritas is saying: ‘don’t pay up, back up!’. Ransomware is said to generate an estimated annual revenue of $1 billion a year, and companies who are not consistent in backing up their data are allowing criminals to line their pockets.
Ransomware attacks exist only because some businesses can’t survive unless the hackers give them back their data. So, the key to survival is removing that reliance and being able to regain access to data, without engaging with the cybercriminals. The best way to do that is with a sound backup strategy.
Organisations need to create isolated, offline backup copies of their data to keep it out of reach of any attackers. They then need to proactively monitor and restrict backup credentials, while running backups frequently to shrink the risk of potential data loss. Businesses should also test and retest their ransomware defences regularly.
Ransomware strikes without warning and it doesn’t discriminate between its targets – it can happen to any organisation, large or small. Despite their best efforts, most companies will fall to at least one attack. What distinguishes one victim from another is the ability to bounce back, which ultimately depends on its backup strategy.
When ransomware hits, organisations that aren’t prepared often feel helpless to do anything other than to submit to their attacker’s demands. That’s why we’re urging all businesses to use World Backup Day as a catalyst to get ahead of the situation and get their data protected. So, we say, don’t pay up, back up!