When you think about it, IT managers hold the fate of a business in their hands, after all, data is one of the most important assets to any business. This is why off-site backup is so important.
From customer databases, to purchase orders and to invoices, would your place of work still run effectively without it? Would customers complain? Would manufacturing be delayed, would deliveries slow? If a guaranteed level of service is given, would customers have to be compensated, what impact would this have on the business? Cash flow issues? Redundancies? All of this responsibility lies in the hands of the IT manager, who has to protect the business systems from hackers.
How does Ransomware work?
To ensure data is best protected, it is important to go back to the basics and acknowledge how it works. In its simplest form, Ransomware is infectious software that once opened on a device will encrypt data and block user access until a ransom for release is paid.
The ransom payment is typically requested in a cryptocurrency format, the most popular being Bitcoin, as it is incredibly difficult to trace these digital currencies and allows an extra layer of protection for the hackers.
Once exposed, the infection does not limit itself to one device and crawls along any associated networks, scouting all devices and data associated, finding as much information as possible before locking down and encrypting.
Ransomware is currently one of the biggest threats to businesses worldwide.
The Internet organised crime threat assessment (IOCTA) recently published its 2018 Cybercrime report and has firmly placed Ransomware at the top of the list once more. Although the growth of Ransomware is now slowing down, it remains one of the most active hacking methods, with many criminals using data gathered from initial Ransomware infections to target users further.
Ransomware is not a new development it has been around for a while and has evolved from early threats like the Floppy disk Trojans of 1989. You can read about the evolution of ransomware in our infographic, but it has since developed into modern strands that include WanaCry and CryptoLocker, partly driven by the massive implementation of technology in our everyday lives.
I back up my data already, is it protected?
Yes and no. If backups are connected to your existing network, then you may as we hold up the white flag as these will be encrypted, along with the original data. The only way to ensure total data protection is to store your data away from the network, off-site.
Thanks to the cloud the process of migrating data off-site has never been simpler, and you do not have to think about the archaic tape-based solutions.
Additionally, for an extra layer of security, it is also advisable to limit employees that can access this data off-site to prevent insider attacks. It may sound like an obvious step, but given all the responsibilities the IT manager has, it can often be forgotten, with a staggering amount of organisations granting permissions that are not required.
The way forward
We have made it no secret that we think Veeam software is one of the most comprehensive business continuity solutions in the marketplace and using Veeam cloud connect to transfer data to one of virtualDCS’ secure off-site data centres means that data protection has never been simpler.
Ensuring data security
Ransomware threats combined with data adequacy and Brexit concerns mean that it has never been more important to know where your data is located. Storing data in the UK offers an additional layer of protection to businesses, and you can read about it in depth in our blog ‘Is your data at risk after Brexit? Five ways to protect it now’.
If you would like to speak to someone about your current disaster recovery plan and how you can future-proof your data contact the team on 03453 888 327 or email sales@virtualDCS.co.uk
