intelligent

UNFORTUNATELY , EMAIL ATTACKS

HAVE RISEN AND WILL LIKELY

CONTINUE TO INCREASE , MAKING IT A PRIME TARGET FOR ENACTING

CYBERCRIME .

Therefore , SMEs need to think about having the right encryption to secure the data they store . It is becoming an increasingly harder task to track and secure data because we produce so much on a daily basis .

Surya Varanasi , CTO , StorCentric

Historically , data migration , data replication and data synchronisation have been complicated endeavours that result in creating obstacles , instead of delivering the strategic business value , IT benefits and budgetary advantages for which they were intended .

Consequently in 2021 , data mobility will climb the priority list of virtually all SME data centre professionals – especially as they accelerate their integration of multiple cloud providers , alongside existing infrastructure . It will therefore be critical that they employ strategies and solutions that enable seamless data management across heterogeneous onpremises , remote and cloud environments .

In addition , in 2021 , cybersecurity should remain at the forefront of virtually every SME data centre professional ’ s mind as increasingly aggressive and rampant ransomware , and other bad actors , continue to attack not only onsite production data but every possible copy , wherever data resides .

In 2021 , it will be therefore critical that organisations step-up their cybersecurity game with data security , protection and ‘ unbreakable ’ backup solutions that not only serve to protect against an attack , but in the worst-case scenario ensure the ability to recover and maintain uninterrupted operations .

JG Heithcock , GM of Retrospect , a StorCentric company

This year , organisations have been busy responding to the rapid shift to remote work and the cyber-risks that were heightened as a result of bad actors using the pandemic as a catalyst to continue carrying out their crimes against organisations through phishing , malware distribution , false domain names and other attacks on teleworking infrastructure .

With a distributed workforce , SMEs ( really , organisations of all sizes ), across virtually all industries have relied heavily on email to maintain Business Continuity , especially in a world that was already trending towards a greater adoption of flexible remote working opportunities . Unfortunately , email attacks have risen and will likely continue to increase , making it a prime target for enacting cybercrime , especially if providing information about COVID-19 testing , resources and research .

While we continue to navigate the uncertainties of the pandemic in 2021 , it is important to reiterate simple steps to avoid or minimise attacks on SME businesses : identify suspicious senders , exercise caution before clicking on links or opening attachments and instil a backup strategy that utilises the 3-2-1 backup rule .

A strong 3-2-1 backup plan includes having at least three copies of your data across multiple locations : the original , a first backup stored onsite and a second backup located offsite .

Although the new year will certainly bring new risks , we have the tools to build a foundation that actively protects us from them . �