Five Components of the most Secure Cloud Backup

Extended downtime doesn’t make for good business. It is costly and damaging, and some businesses never recover. According to data from the National Archives & Records Administration in Washington, 93 percent of businesses files for bankruptcy within a year of an attack or other forms of failure that prevented access to their data for more than 10 days. Organisations must therefore plan for existing and potential threats. Then, make strategies on how to secure themselves against or deal with cyber-attacks and secure cloud backup seems to be one such solution.

A website backup solution must be a key component of that plan, but with backups being added to the target list, there is no guarantee that a traditional solution will be adequately prepared to deal with emerging threats. As such, organisations should consider a new-generation strategy, like cloud backup, to protect them and their data, but not any cloud backup will do. Go for the most secure backup plan.

If you are wondering what a cloud backup needs to have or do to classify it among the most secure, look for data protection solutions that have:

• Includes cutting-edge security features, updated regularly, built-in at every stage.
• Solutions that work in partnership with other defenses.
• Off-site storage to help enhance data security.
• Fast, reliable recovery
• A modern solution that can combat increasingly sophisticated data threats.

Let’s expound on each of these, starting with ensuring that security is high on the agenda.

1. Give priority to security

One of the most important components of the most secure cloud back up is security and with cyber security threats and data surveillance contributing an estimated $2 billion dollars this year alone, security must be top priority.

Hackers are no longer the only ones launching cyber attacks. For less than $40, anyone with bad intentions or who’s trying to make a quick buck can get their hands on a ransomware-as-a-service kit and cause major damage.

The wrong backup system can give a false sense of security as it may not be adequately equipped to protect you against the ever developing threats that are present. This means that with the wrong backup solution, your organisation is at risk of being targeted.

Organisations must therefore find a solution that imagines the worst scenario that ensures adequate security is available to counter that situation.

2. Use a ransomware “bouncer”

Online systems are not the only ones impacted by malware and ransomware. Hackers also target and corrupt off-line backups – a problem traditional security solutions fall short on. But all hope is not lost. Modern backup solutions are designed to deal with these types of attacks.

For example, legacy backup solutions are not equipped to tell the difference between good and bad system behaviour.

Modern systems are however equipped to use artificial intelligence and machine learning to distinguish between the two which can be an extremely powerful approach to counter cyber-attacks and data surveillance. Not to knock traditional anti-virus software as they can be effective in spotting known threats.

But modern backup solutions take it a step further because their ability to detect and stop troublesome activities makes it possible to spot never before seen strains of ransomware. This shields data and keeps everything, including backup files safe and secure.

3. Provide a complete solution

When you think of successfully operating your business within this current atmosphere, you have to ensure your entire IT system is secure.

This means your physical and virtual systems; cloud services and mobile devices have to be included. For this reason, you need a complete backup solution that incorporates a variety of advanced security-oriented technologies

These technologies must also be also to work well with others and then with each line of defense working, separately, but together, you are able to deal with the invasive and increasingly sophisticated threats to your operations.

Not only is it important to engage a complete solution; ensure there is fast and reliable disaster recovery incorporated into the backup solution, in the event of a disaster. This ensures your backup is not just ready and waiting to perform when needed, but also easily accessible.

4. Compatible with progressive technologies

In this security-compromised world, wouldn’t it be good if there was a bulletproof technology to protect against attacks? The good news is that there is. It is what we call blockchain technology. It uses sophisticated cryptographic fingerprinting that makes it extremely difficult to break the data codes it disguises. As it relates to backup solutions, blockchain ensures the authenticity of your data which in turns gives you the guarantee that it the information is safe to use.

Brute-force attack is one method cyber criminals use to gain access to your data and blockchain developers this and designed the system to prevent unauthorised access via this type of attack. It does this by using progressive solutions like integrating industry-grade and machine-based encryption that gives each machine a different key.

5. Secure off-site cloud storage

Ransomware is a new threat, and a secure backup solution will have measures in place to deal with that. However, natural disasters and human error still pose a danger.

It is therefore not only about having a secure system, but also complete backup. Having full backup for stored data is equally important. For this reason, it is essential to have an accessible copy located off-site. This additional step optimises the backup solution.

Another way to increase cloud backups security is to use the new Archive 3 data storage format.  This allows you to reproduce data to any additional remote data center.

Summary

Given the large costs resulting from a single unplanned downtime, it is imperative that businesses invest in a modern backup solution, in an effort to save not just secure important data, but also the company’s reputation and bottom-line.

Cloud backup is a great modern solution provided it has all the things noted above. That is, cutting-edge security features, fast, reliable recovery, solutions that work alongside other defenses, a up to date solution that can combat increasingly sophisticated data threats and off-site storage to help enhance data security.

First find those things in your cloud backup system. Then, you can be certain that you’ve found one that offers the most security.