How Good Are Your Backups?
The lack of an easily restorable backup can cost a company millions of dollars. Just look at the recent examples of Colonial Pipeline and JBS, the world’s largest supplier of beef and pork. Both were hit with ransomware attacks in the spring of 2021, both had backups, yet between the two of them, they paid US$15.4 million (CA$19 million) in ransom anyhow.

Data backup isn’t a guarantee if you’re using an unmonitored system. Backing up to a local external hard drive can have issues if the drive crashes. It’s also not compatible with business continuity to have all your data and backups located in the same physical location. One fire, flood, or natural disaster could take it all out.

Cloud backups are a solution that allows you to access your data from anywhere. However, they can suffer from software glitches or service outages. If you choose the wrong system, you might also find that your data isn’t as easy or quick to restore as you thought. It could take over a day to restore your data, which means costly downtime.

The average annual cost across Canada for data loss and downtime is $17 billion

Questions to Ask About Your Current Cloud Backup System 

What is the Data Retention Capability of My Cloud System?

When using a cloud service, there are usually data retention policies that you need to be aware of. To ensure they don’t run out of resources, older backups may only be retained for a certain period of time, after which they are deleted.

You need to fully understand these policies, so you’re not left without valuable data that is no longer accessible.

Does the Service Provider Backup All Their Data?

When you store data in the “cloud,” it’s actually just being stored on a server somewhere else. This is usually in a large data center owned by the cloud provider.

Those servers can fail or be subject to natural disasters, just like on-premises servers, so cloud providers need to take precautions by backing up all customer data on a redundant system.

You need to be aware of how your backup service handles backing up their own server data (meaning your backup data).

How Fast Is the Data Recovery?

The main reason that companies with a backup of their data will go ahead and pay the ransom to a ransomware attacker anyhow is that they realize it will be faster than trying to restore their backup.

They may have made the mistake of never going through a backup restoration drill before as part of disaster preparedness. They also may be using a DIY backup system (rather than managed backup), where they have to figure out the restoration process themselves.

How long can you be without your data?

Most businesses can’t operate properly without access to their company databases of information. Thus, they opt for paying a ransom, thinking that it will cost less than the downtime associated with a 2+ day data restoration process.

The average cost per minute for business downtime is US$5,600 (CA$6,903).

How is the Backup Protected from Ransomware?

Cloud services can become infected with ransomware if proper protections aren’t taken to scan for malware prior to backing up files in the system. If your main computers and backup all get infected, then you’re at the mercy of the attackers.

It’s important to ask how your backup provider secures your backups from malware threats, and especially ransomware. 

The Benefits of Managed Backup with Data First Solutions 

Professional Monitoring & Management

Because backups are so important for your business continuity and to mitigate downtime in the event of a ransomware attack or other data loss incident, they should be monitored.

When you work with Data First, your backups aren’t just put on autopilot. They are professionally monitored and managed at all times to ensure your data is backing up properly and being captured and secured for easy restoration if needed.

Fast Data Restoration

We have your back when it comes to mitigating downtime and getting your data restored as fast as possible. Our real-time, on-premises Canadian cloud data storage can restore everything should disaster strike in as little as 30 minutes.

This saves you valuable downtime costs and eliminates the need to consider paying a ransom in the event of a ransomware attack. 

Strong Protection for Your Backed Up Data

Data First Solutions has safeguards in place for your data, network, and systems. We’ll ensure that your backed-up data is protected from hacking, ransomware, and other online threats. 

Learn More About Affordable Backup & Recovery Solutions

Data First Solutions can help your Toronto area business with affordable and secure managed cloud backup solutions that ensure your data is easily recovered quickly when you need it.

Contact us today to book a free assessment. Call 416-412-0576 or book your assessment online.

 

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