Every business owner knows the importance of backing up their data. You’ve likely heard horror stories about companies losing everything due to unexpected disasters, malicious attacks, or human error. But here’s the thing many people don’t think about: backups themselves need protection.
Whatever jeopardizes your primary data – malware, theft, or natural disasters – can also take out your backup. [Read more…]
Do You Know Exactly What is Being Backed Up on Your Computer?As a business owner, you probably understand the importance of data backups. They are your safety net, keeping your business safe from unexpected events like hardware failures, cyberattacks, or even natural disasters. But here’s a critical question: Do you know exactly what’s being backed up on your computer? [Read more…]
Backups are the go-to to keep you safe in the event of ransomware or data threats. But the bad guys expect your business to backup. The question is, are you keeping your backups safe?
Ransomware attacks remain prevalent. Having a backup strategy can help you avoid paying the ransom to retrieve access to your data. But that only works if the attackers can’t discover, disable, or delete your backup data.
Attackers will look to find and exploit any backup strategy gaps. Know the risks.
Bad guys can leverage their access to your network to attack other connected devices, which can include network-connected backups. Most ransomware will attempt to encrypt any backups on the network, attackers may also turn the backups off or wipe them out.
Connecting to backup systems via remote access is also risky. Stolen credentials or an easily guessed password could give access to protected systems.
Giving many people the right to access your backup files is also dangerous. Each person represents a potential entry point for the bad actors. All they need to do is steal that individual’s credentials to gain privileged access rights.
Infrequent or untested backups are a problem too. When you don’t back up often enough, you could lose days’ or weeks’ worth of critical data when you need the files. Plus, you may think you have an effective backup, but you can’t be sure if you don’t test it.
Unsurprisingly, we’ll start by suggesting you regularly test your backup to ensure it works. Also, determine the optimal backup timing for your business. Typically, a company should backup at least once a week, but you may be in an industry where a lot of data is created in just a few hours. Then, you’d want to backup more frequently. You can do this automatically or manually.
Follow the 3-2-1 backup rule. This means you want three copies of data (the live data and two backups). Keep backups on different media. Keep one off-site, isolated from your network and unable to establish external connections. Also, consider encrypting your backups for extra protection from the physical theft of the backup device.
Another good strategy? Backup everything. A complete system backup can help you recover faster after an incident.
Run anti-malware software on your backup systems and servers, and also protect them with multi-factor authentication. Then, give as few people as necessary access to the backup. Also, limit the responsibilities so that few people can purge backup data.
Ransomware isn’t the only reason you need backups. Hardware or software failure or human error can also cause data loss. Ensure the reliability of your data backup strategy. We can help you secure backups to simplify file retrieval and operations resumption. Contact us today to book an appointment:
Automated Data Backups Still Need ManagementYour business is backing up its data in case of a cyberattack or other disastrous disruption. Yes, you can pat yourself on the back for that, but don’t get too complacent with backing up. Automated backup still needs monitoring and management.
Having decided to back up data, you may feel confident you can withstand an attack or recover from unexpected downtime. But if you simply trust the backup to run at a certain time, you might be surprised. Automated backups can make the job easier. Still, you should be monitoring these backups and checking them, too. There’s nothing worse than finding out months later that something went wrong with your automated backup.
A technician can set an automated backup to run on a set schedule. They select a time that causes the least interruption while ensuring up-to-date data. Yet this is too important a process to leave unattended.
Things change. The automated backup is set up for the technology configuration when originally installed. A lot can happen in the meantime as the IT environment evolves.
Blindly trusting automated backup could leave you unaware of problems such as:
If no one is monitoring that backup, your business could assume it went smoothly. Then, when you need that backup, you could find out the hard way it didn’t go as planned.
It’s not that you can’t automate backup, and there is convenience in doing so. Automating the backup of a computer, network, or IT environment can save time and money.
Yet you need someone to pay attention. Monitoring backups ensures that the process is running smoothly.
A managed service provider (MSP) will take a hands-on approach to your automated backups. If there is a failure, they have the skills to address the issue quickly and alert you of any bigger issues. Plus, with an MSP in your corner, you gain IT experts skilled at data recovery, too.
The MSP’s techs can even run data-restore drills, helping you to prepare for challenges such as ransomware attacks or accidental data deletion.
Process automation helps businesses, but don’t rely on it unattended. Optimize data backup by adding a human element. An MSP can ensure quality and fully protect your business. Contact us today to book an appointment:
Working from home is no longer only for a few employees in special circumstances. The pandemic pushed many businesses to enable remote work. The priority was getting it working and securing access. Now that it’s routine, it’s also time to consider how you back up work from home. [Read more…]
(We reached into the files to bring this article written in 2016 back - please excuse the older statistics and just know that the number of attacks is increasing along with the ransom demands)
More and more businesses and organizations are getting stung by ransomware demands. Hospitals, schools, social networks…some days it seems like an epidemic that leaps around arbitrarily, and hackers are raking in millions. [Read more…]
Most businesses are aware of the need for data backup. Without it, they risk losing important files in the event of a hard drive failure or cyberattack. Yet having a backup in place isn’t enough: it’s important also to test that backup. Ensure that you are able to restore that essential data when you need it. [Read more…]
External hard drives free up storage, offer portability, and provide a lifeline in case of a computer disaster. It pays to take good care of these compact, convenient devices.
Here are some helpful strategies. [Read more…]
“That will never happen to me.” We get through our lives telling ourselves the worst won’t happen to us. It’s the same with business: “We won’t need this data backup.” Yet, whatever your industry, secure, reliable backup ensures business as usual. So, what’s the best way to backup? Here’s help. [Read more…]
We all try to have healthy habits in our lives. Whether it’s eating better, exercising more or flossing our teeth daily, we make a daily effort to improve ourselves and make our life better. If you use a computer (and I assume if you’re reading this, that you do), you should put some effort into your digital habits. They can improve your life in their own way. Read on to learn what Habits Y-Not Tech Services recommends developing. [Read more…]
