With the cyber threat from ransomware attacks to social engineering scams steadily increasing, companies are under increasing pressure to prepare for the worst. In doing so, they need to implement multiple layers of security to protect their most valuable assets. This includes an IT backup strategy that you can fall back on in the event of a serious incident.
What Should an It Backup Strategy Include?
No business leader likes to think about the worst eventualities. However,
it is an inescapable truth that for many businesses, a huge loss of data can be
far worse than costly downtime and lost customers alone. In some cases,
especially if the company cannot come up with a reasonable disaster plan,
bankruptcy can even result.
One of the most common industry standards is the 3-2-1 IT backup
strategy. While it's not a fix-all approach that works perfectly in every
case, it serves as a basic rule. It says that you should keep at least
three copies of your data, with two backups on separate storage media and at
least one backup off-site. However, some experts now recommend a 3-2-2 or
3-2-3 approach, which involves storing two or even three copies of your data
off-site.
When formulating your IT backup strategy, you must also think
about your recovery goals. You can use this information to prioritize your
resources based on the following factors:
· Whether the data is subject to legal requirements
· What are the risks for the data systems in question?
For each data category and each system, you also need to define
a recovery time objective (RTO) and a recovery point objective (RPO). These
key parameters determine the maximum amount of time your company can spend
without a particular system or data set, and how much data you can afford to
lose before it is irreparably damaged. For example, an RTO of two days
might be fine for a system that has employee records in HR, but you might not
do as well if your CRM is down for more than a few hours.
If you're still not convinced that an IT backup strategy is
worth investing in, here are some of the top reasons why
you should:
1.
Technology
failure All computer equipment can fail without warning and all
equipment has a finite lifespan after which it begins to develop problems. Threats
like power surges can also cause damage to storage devices, especially if the
power goes out while data is being written to them. Even today's most
advanced data centers have multiple redundancies, including those that are
impervious to electrical damage.
2.
Human Error
While every business leader wants their employees to perform
excellently at their jobs, human error remains a significant risk. It can
be something as simple as failing to install a critical system update or
forgetting to properly shut down a computer. However, by far the most
common example of human error is a social engineering hack that can lead to a
ransomware infection or other threat.
3.
Cyber
Cyber-attacks often exploit the
ignorance or poor preparation of people through phishing scams, but usually
contain various elements such as malicious code and malware. Cyber
attacks can hit anyone in any organization at any time. For example,
ransomware can make all of your data inaccessible, even if you run the risk of
paying a ransom. It is much better to have an up-to-date backup off-site
on a completely separate network. Protect your data with Protegent Total Security.
4.
Physical theft
Physical theft does not seem to be that important today, as most of the data
processing takes place in the cloud. However, employees still need local
devices such as smartphones, workstations, and laptops to access the apps and
data they use for their work. With mobile devices, in particular, the risk
of loss or theft is greater, which in turn can lead to your apps and data
falling into the wrong hands. Criminals often use stolen devices to access
and compromise data hosted in the cloud.
5.
Natural
Disasters Natural disasters
such as storms, floods, and fires can devastate any business. Most
companies never open their doors to business again after a major natural
disaster. So it stands to reason that you need to prepare for all sorts of
threats in your area. Today's reliance on digital technology actually
makes this much easier as many companies can get back online even if their
regular workspace becomes unusable.
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