Cyber Threats are Multiplying Rapidly

Threats are nothing new, but the recent explosive growth has become a global concern.

News reports of such attacks have become commonplace. The September 20, 2017 issue of PC Magazine states that In the first half of 2017, there were 1.9 billion data items compromised worldwide, compared to 1.38 billion for the entire year of 2016.

While cyber-attacks against major corporations and governments make headlines, upwards of 70% of these breaches target small businesses, so every organization with an online presence is vulnerable.

As the frequency of these incidents expands, governments around the world are working to stop them. However, the hackers never rest and their techniques grow ever more sophisticated. Fortunately, strong safeguards are available to defend against even the most aggressive and ingenious attacks.

Because assaults are becoming more sophisticated and more frequent, data security has also become increasingly complex. To ensure effective protection, it is necessary to invest time and money to choose the right tools, along with extra effort to fully utilize them.

Despite your efforts, odds are not in your favor. One wrong click of a mouse from just one of your users can render your organization’s data useless. From a data recovery perspective, where do you start?

Effective recovery against data breaches consists of three steps:

1. The ability to recover
2. Rapid recovery
3. Planning and prevention

The Ability to Recover

The ability to recover requires both ironclad file backup and strong disaster recovery capabilities. File backup and disaster recovery are not the same. Data backup prevents data loss, but only disaster recovery can safeguard operating systems and other components that do not house data. Complete system protection must also cover infrastructure and auxiliary devices that are part of the emerging Internet of Things phenomenon.

In choosing disaster recovery solutions, it is essential that you carefully evaluate your specific needs. The products and consultancy you choose must accommodate every area of vulnerability. The constantly evolving nature of malware, with such new twists as RaaS (ransomware as a service) underscores the need to stay abreast of the latest cyber-weaponry.

Evaluating every element of your system has the additional benefit of identifying potential single points of failure that can easily be overlooked.

Organizations using encryption software and infrastructure are thought to be more successful in maintaining data security than those that do not. This may be because companies that enact thorough measures such as universally applied encryption are likely to take data security more seriously than others. At RenovoData, we understand the value of solid encryption. Our powerful and fully regulatory-compliant data vaulting solution utilizes AES 256 Encryption, both “in flight” and “at rest.”

Rapid Recovery

Rapid recovery is necessary to fully benefit from your recovery capabilities. If your operations are stalled for any significant length of time, the steep and difficult-to-control costs of downtime will reduce productivity, damage employee morale, and hurt the company’s reputation.

Rapid server recovery is a primary requirement. Without the right solution in place, it can take days or weeks to recover from a server loss, which can devastate any organization.

RenovoData’s DRaaS (disaster recovery as a service) creates an IT landscape that comes as close as possible to uninterrupted operations. In this pre-built environment, every element of a system is replicated so that functional recovery can take place within seconds or minutes after an attack. Besides cutting the risk of data loss to a manageable level, DRaaS strengthens backup and improves application uptime.

Planning and Prevention

Planning and prevention entails studying your company’s specific needs, planning a course of action, and selecting the best available recovery tools and security performance packages.

Build a plan that fits your business. Consider the must-have elements of your plan, including a Business Impact Analysis, communication techniques, and the necessity of constant testing. Also, familiarize yourself with our list of key steps to improve security.

Expert counsel can keep your plan’s development on a sure path. Thorough data recovery planning requires an understanding of its basic principles.

Continually anticipate potential problems. What could go wrong? Will your vendors help? Who does what? Will your plans work? Who’s writing this down?

Cloud storage, a key component of your security profile, provides availability and redundancy and supports business continuity in the event of a disaster. Get to know how it works within your organization and its costs. Learn what to look for in choosing a cloud backup service or evaluating your current vendor.

If your business is housed where acts of nature or other catastrophic events could make your workplace unusable, think about setting up an alternative, the offsite location where IT functions could be moved intact and operations resumed quickly.

Include your employees as partners in your planning and implementation. This includes non-IT user personnel as well as IT specialists. Seek their advice. After all, they are hands-on experts.

Make it known that setting up security solutions will involve some interruptions and lost time. Both are normal and to be expected. Remind everyone of the benefits that strong security will bring.

Put together the best training programs you can, both during installation and periodically thereafter. Perform regular recovery drills to keep everyone up to speed.

Finally, be sure to involve your vendors in your education initiatives. They might have valuable resources or services which can assist you.

RenovoData offers market-leading data protection and recovery solutions designed to fit the needs of any organization. Even companies with top-notch IT capabilities are more likely to achieve data security success if they partner with a proven vendor. Data protection providers are not alike, and nowhere is this more true than in the areas of consulting and strategy, two of RenovoData’s greatest strengths.

To find out more about how to protect and recover your systems and data from Cyber Security Threats, contact RenovoData.