For many businesses, the cloud has become an important aspect of IT-based operations. Many already host infrastructure, applications and data in hosted services, so why not leverage that same power to enhance your cybersecurity protection?
Backup – the ultimate insurance against a cybersecurity breach
Every business operation now relies on data; ensuring access to that information is mission critical. A robust, workable backup regime is similarly vital, providing a way back in the event of an attack.
For many established businesses, backup relies on removable media like LTO tapes or portable hard drives. Each night the media is swapped, and a copy is taken offsite to prevent loss in the event of a localised disaster. Should data be corrupted or deleted, you can recover the information from the relevant media.
Obviously, this regime does work – but it also has limitations. Aside from physical damage to the removable media, criminals are increasingly targeting backup systems as part of their attacks. If they can destroy data in the live system and the backup media, recovery is almost impossible.
Invoking the power of the cloud
As a result, “air-gapped” backup systems are increasingly important. By saving backup information to a completely separate, unconnected system – which is where our cloud security service comes into play.
By exporting to the cloud, you immediately benefit from your backup sets being stored securely offsite. This protects information from loss in a localised event (such as a fire) and prevents physical access by unauthorised third parties. The data centres are also protected by enterprise grade security provisions.
Built on Veeam Cloud Connect technology, there are three key protective aspects to this service:
1. Malware defence
Ransomware and malware have the potential to take a business offline for hours. If backup systems are also infected, that could easily become days or weeks. If the infection is severe, some data may never be fully recovered.
By moving backup copies offsite, you create another layer of physical security that makes it harder for malware to breach.
2. Malicious deletion protection
If hackers break into your systems, they may manually delete data – or they may deploy malware to automate the process. WTL ensures that maliciously deleted data can always be recovered using a virtual recycle bin. Everything that is deleted is moved to this recycle bin – effectively a backup of your backup, just in case.
3. Accidental deletion protection
There is always a risk that data is deleted accidentally; a well-meaning IT tech clears down a ‘temporary’ shared folder, only to discover that there was important business data in there. Or the accounts team applies an annual tax code patch that corrupts their database. Whatever the exact cause, this information needs to be recovered quickly.
Again, the WTL recycle bin comes to the rescue – every deleted file is first copied to a secure, air-gapped area in the cloud. If something goes wrong, you can simply copy the information back from the recycle bin for near-instant data recovery.
Ensuring a copy is always available
The key to effective backups – and disaster recovery – is ensuring you always have at least one copy of your data available at all times. By integrating WTL cloud services into your cybersecurity defences, you have more options available for when the worst does happen.
To discuss your current cybersecurity protection stategy and how WTL can strengthen your data protection and recovery options please get in touch.