FEATURE
BUSINESSES
HAVE RECOGNISED THE IMPORTANCE OF SECURE BACKUPS AND WATERTIGHT DISASTER PLANS MORE THAN EVER
BEFORE .
businesses to minimise the impact and in some cases , was needed for survival , but as you can imagine this has left a wake of fragmented data and dispersed technologies that need to be protected for compliance as well as Business Continuity .”
Why backups are critical
This is where backup comes into play . Steve Cochran , Chief Technology Officer at ConnectWise explains why all organisations need to have a Disaster Recovery plan that includes sufficient backups .
“ Data is the livelihood of organisations – whether that ’ s a hospital , law firm or a bank – and without having instant access to it can cause unplanned downtime that can affect operations . Hardware failure , cyberattacks such as ransomware , or even a natural disaster can cause serious
John Day , Sales Engineering Leader , UK & I and Nordics at Commvault
Steve Cochran , Chief Technology Officer at ConnectWise
problems for businesses because the risks associated with data loss can be severe . Hospitals need instant access to patient data and if the database has been compromised and they can ’ t access it then lives could be at stake . This is why it is absolutely essential to ensure organisations of all sizes , including SMBs , have a backup and Disaster Recovery ( DR ) plan in place . This way , organisations can resume normal business operations as quickly as possible while minimising the impact or damage associated with such an event .
“ Backup is a basic defence against malware like ransomware . Having backups and a DR strategy in place to be up and running instantly means you ’ re better prepared to tackle challenges head on and minimise any impact to your end customers . No matter what bad guys do to a computer or system , if you have a backup you are ultimately safe .”
In the past couple of years , “ we ’ ve seen some of the most sophisticated global cyberattacks uncovered ,” according to Andy Collins , Head of Security at Node4 , “ and several high-profile data breaches have already hit the headlines in 2021 . With bad actors taking advantage of the rapid move to widespread remote working , 2020 was described as a ‘ record-setting year ’ for cybercrime in a report from SonicWall that highlighted a 62 % spike in global ransomware attacks , a 28 % increase in cryptojacking detections and a 74 % increase in previously undetected malware variants .
“ Many of these were the result of social engineering attacks , highlighting how crucial the human element is to cybersecurity and how simple decisionmaking can be manipulated to expose vulnerabilities in an otherwise secure corporate network .
“ However , human vulnerabilities in security posture go far deeper than phishing attacks . The cognitive bias of the human brain can lead to a false sense of security around prevention strategies and a lack of focus on backup and recovery .
“ From overconfidence bias to loss aversion , humans are innately more likely to focus on avoiding negative outcomes – prioritising prevention over backup and recovery provision . These solutions provide continuity in the case of what is fast becoming an inevitability for most organisations – they should be seen as essential components of any IT security plan but are often overlooked .”
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