The backup is not enough
to protect computer data: this is the starting assumption on which is built a
new and more comprehensive culture of protection of computer data.
Certainly, the
importance of data backup is not a topic of discussion, especially in an era in
which they represent an exceptional asset for corporate business. However, even
if the backup represents one of the most consolidated security measures to be
expected within any activity, it must not be the only one.
However, we specify that
backup is a practice also imposed by law, and specifically by (Legislative
Decree 30 June 2003 n.196 - applicable until May 2018 when it will be replaced
by the European Regulation 2016/679). The waves of ransomware that began to affect
organizations and companies of various sizes and entities since 2012, however,
have shown that not all businesses are able to adequately protect the data they
store in industrial quantities every day.
This thesis became
obvious when it became clear that many companies affected by ransomware could
not help but pay the required ransom, to get back the data stolen by the
hackers. Because? Because they didn't even have a backup copy of that
information.
It is estimated that in
2016, companies around the world have paid about $ 210 million because of
ransomware, with an average cost per company of as much as $ 20,000. Not only
that: a further a research it was revealed that about half of the companies
surveyed in the USA, UK, France and Germany were put in serious difficulty by
these cyber-attacks.
The wave of ransomware
has fundamentally demonstrated the inadequacy of many companies when it comes
to data protection. According to TrendMicro, Italy in particular was the
European country most affected by this cyber scourge. The inability to defend
their data in the context of a cyber-attack is equivalent to the same inability
to protect them even in the case of particular events, such as natural
disasters or serious hardware issues.
Therefore, in addition
to implementing their own backup processes, companies should also assimilate
all the skills related to Data Recovery and Business Continuity. We
will explain to you to follow the differences between these three terms,
helping you to understand their absolute usefulness for every business.
Backup is an activity that allows you to create a safety copy of
important company data, such as those relating to personal data or accounting,
medical records in the case of hospitals or bank movements in the case of a
credit institution. . Backup is an operation that can be performed, as is well
known, on different media and in various ways, from the simplest to the most
sophisticated. It goes without saying, however, that if ransomware infects all
machines within the same network, it is at least essential that the backup does
not take place on a computer within it. On the contrary, it is better to favor
a removable media (such as DAT cassettes) or Cloud technology.
Data Recovery is a solution that usually provides for
the redundancy of entire systems considered critical within a separate site, so
that in the event of a natural event such as a fire and the systems of the main
site were destroyed, the entire situation is fully recoverable from the
secondary site. As for the backup, also for the Data
Recovery there are different strategies and methods: however
they all have in common the possibility of total data
recovery and also of the entire system.
Finally, as regards Business Continuity, it can be considered as a sort of evolution of Data
Recovery. In fact, it is a solution that allows the use of resources
even during the destructive event, and therefore without any interruption of
the workflow for the company involved. Business Continuity is, in fact, a real
strategy that is equivalent to the so-called “zero downtime” of the entire IT
structure.
We believe that
distinguishing these three methods of intervention already allows you to
understand how much backup, alone and however complete, is not an
all-encompassing solution for companies and how, therefore, a broader approach
is needed to defend both your data and the entire IT system of activities.
Backup, Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity are by no means
interchangeable methods, but synergistic and complementary to guarantee
companies the maximum possible security.
Comments
Post a Comment