3 Tips for Protecting your Company Against Ransomware Attacks

Ransomware has been on a rise this year and is expected to rise even more in the coming years. Ransomware damages are expected to cost $11.5 billion in 2019 and about $20 billion by 2021. The good news, however, is that there are relatively easy things any company can do to protect themselves from an attack and also recover from an attack if an attack happens to strike.

Implement The 3-2-1 Backup Strategy

One of the simplest and cost-effective things a company can do to protect themselves against ransomware attacks is to implement a cloud backup a strategy which is reliable and effective. This is where the 3-2-1 strategy comes in and since it is so effective, it is widely used.

The 3-2-1 strategy states that you should have three copies of data, stored on two different types of storage media and one of those copies should be stored offsite.

To further clarify this, it simply means that the three copies should be your production copy and the other two should be backup copies. The two backup copies should be on different types of media such as a separate network-attached storage (NAS) device and finally, one of those copies should be at an offsite location or in the cloud. Backup to Azure can be used for cloud backups.

Stay Updated on Security Patches

One of the most primary targets for hackers are operating systems, software, and device firmware. If these are not updated with the latest security patches, hackers figure out and take advantage of the vulnerabilities in the systems and this can help them to launch an attack, so keeping them updated with the latest security patch is very important.

Regularly check for updates and whenever an update comes, install it immediately. If this seems like a lot of work, security updates can be automated. Simply allow updates to be updated automatically whenever a new update comes and it will install on its own.

Educate Employees

Hackers often launch attacks through phishing emails and if employees are not trained well enough to distinguish between a phishing email and a regular one, they might fall prey to these scams.

Phishing emails usually have, grammatical mistakes, urgency inclined towards making you do or click something, an attractive offer about a product or a notice stating that something has happened to your bank or apple account but these emails usually have an unauthentic domain name. Backup disaster recovery solution techniques must be adopted to save your data from disasters.

Conclusion

Ransomware is a hot topic and will continue spreading the heat in 2020. Making sure that your company is protected against ransomware has become a topic priority nowadays. Cloud backups, Veeam backup to Azure and the above tips can help greatly to achieve it.

Tips for Tackling the Challenges of Hybrid Cloud Backups

Hybrid cloud backup is a very popular method and is used by many organizations worldwide through different tools such as Veeam backup to Azure, but the combination of both local and cloud storage can increase complexity and challenges. To overcome this, you, as a business owner, should make sure that you are managing the backed-up data efficiently.

Hybrid Cloud Backups Can Be Costly

One major challenge is the cost. Cloud providers charge users based on the amount of backup storage space they use. Organizations can help to minimize costs by using data lifecycle management policies to prevent any excessive accumulation of backup data in the cloud.

This might help in reducing costs as it can enable users to purge aging backup data or simply move old data to less expensive cloud archival storage.

Bandwidth Issues

Another challenge is bandwidth. There are several things that administrators can do to help keep their cloud backups form using all the available bandwidth. This may include bringing down the cost of cloud backups as many providers bill their customers for the bandwidth they consume with those backups.

Another possible solution could be to use data deduplication for cloud backups. Duplication removes redundant data from backups and can significantly reduce the volume of data transmitted to the cloud.  

Cloud Storage Gateway is also an option in reducing the bandwidth. It often has its own internal storage and it can accommodate the on-premises backups.

Increased Management Complexity with Hybrid Cloud Backups

An additional challenge with hybrid cloud backups is increased management complexity. The backup architecture of an organization that decides to store backups on-premises and in the cloud will be a lot complex than of an organization that decides to back up its data to a single location.

This should be kept in mind when opting for hybrid cloud backups as management of these backups would be a lot complex than regular backups, stored in a single location.

One way to help reduce complexity is to use a single backup appliance for everything. This means, a single backup appliance for on-premises backups and the same for cloud backups. This way, you will be able to manage all of your backup-related resources in one place.

The good news is that most backup applications support both cloud and on-premises backups and so do many vendors, like Dell, Unitrends, StoneFly, etc.

Conclusion

Hybrid cloud backups are a good viable option but only if you can manage them efficiently. It is also best to know how much you keep on-premises and how much you keep in the cloud. This can help you identify and overcome the challenges of hybrid cloud backups and enable you to utilize them to the fullest.

5 Tips to Prevent Government Focused Ransomware Attacks

Ransomware attacks, particularly government focused, are on a rise. The recent cyberattack on the city of Baltimore’s government is a clear example of this. It took the city months to recover from this attack.

The attack used some sort of the latest ransomware virus known as Robin Hood, which is considered unbreakable and is very deadly.

These attacks are not the first and surely there would be many in the future, so it is best to be prepared beforehand before it is too late.

5 Tips to Prevent Government Ransomware Attacks

There is still some hope left. More and more local governments are restoring operations without paying the ransom by simply implementing a ransomware resistant backup before the attack.

Following are certain strategies and tips which can be used to help achieve a ransomware resistant backup and gain protection against ransomware attacks.

1.      Different OS of Backup Appliance

Many government agencies and governments, in general, use a backup appliance. Since most of the ransomware attacks are designed for Windows operating systems, getting a Linux based backup appliance can eliminate the threat of an attack.

By opting a Linux based backup appliance, the likelihood of backup data being attacked or corrupted by ransomware is reduced drastically.

2.      Keep All Hardware & Software Updated

Outdated hardware and software is just like an invitation to a ransomware attack. A recent example of a ransomware attack at the city of Baltimore shows us how important it is to keep the hardware and software up to date.

The hackers exploited the weakness and vulnerabilities in outdated hardware and software to get into the networks. This allowed hackers to deploy ransomware without getting noticed.

To avoid such incidents, governments should make sure that their hardware and software, both are always up to date.

3.      Backup & Disaster Recovery

The only way to take back control, when ransomware strikes are through backups. This ensures that there is no amount of data loss and nullifies the need of paying any ransom.

A backup and disaster recovery appliance or a cloud based disaster recovery solution, allows governments to immediately failover to a secure cloud and keep the services running, even if it takes time to restore locally.

4.      Early Detection

Ransomware attacks are evolving day by day. The only way to take back control is through backups. However, backups need to be secure as well, in order for them to be used.

Many backup and disaster recovery appliances have built in software which can detect abnormalities and can detect ransomware in its initial stage. This alerts the admins and helps them to take care of it before it starts spreading.

5.      Test Your Backup & Disaster Recovery Solution

A backup is not worth anything if it cannot be recovered at the time when actual recovery of data is needed. The only way to make sure that data recovery works is by regularly testing it, ahead of time, to make sure that there are no errors or complications.

Conclusion

Ransomware attacks have gone up exponentially, especially in the government agencies. To treat with such threats a good backup and disaster recovery solution should be in place. It should be reliable and self-efficient so that there is no risk of data loss, downtime or paying the ransom. 

Tackle Disasters with Disaster Recovery

Let’s face it, disasters are ugly. No one likes them and are wherever they strike, they strike hard. They occur is every corner of the globe. If your business resides somewhere along with the targeted areas, then you most definitely need to think about disaster recovery.

Don’t think disaster recovery plans are only from large enterprises. Whether you have a small office or a startup venture, you most definitely need to be prepared for anything.

Setup a Disaster Recovery Plan

Disaster recovery planning is the first step a business can take to tackle natural disasters. As the name suggests, you need to plan accordingly that how well you will handle a disaster, when it takes place. It should be a well-thought plan so that daily operations are not affected and that there is no amount of data loss whatsoever. This will enable the business to suffer no downtime.

Let us discuss the steps necessary to formulate a good effective disaster recovery plan.

Ø  Always have some breathing room

In the event of a disaster, when your business is down due to an emergency, you need to have some sort of breathing space which would keep your business afloat instead of potentially going out of business.

The bills won’t stop even after a natural disaster, you need to figure out a way to pay the bills, employees salary and keep your business running all in the same time. There are so many financial considerations when planning for an emergency that is has made it so important to have cushion set aside to ensure that your business can handle a disaster.

Ø  Formalize a plan

Another important thing is to have a proper plan that you and your staff can go over and update quarterly or annually; and follow it in the event of a disaster. This way, there won’t be any panic and everyone would know what to do.

Ø  Get a Backup of your Data

One of the biggest challenges that business have to face is that in the event of a disaster, they would have to abandon their offices and systems, in this case it is impossible to resume operations unless there is a backup of your cloud, stored somewhere in a different location. DR Backup Appliance can be used to do Data backups.  

This would enable your employees to access all the files and data necessary for their work and will be able to continue their work remotely. Other than this, there will be no amount of data loss as it could be recovered in a matter of minutes, resulting in no downtime and will help the business achieve business continuity, which is the ultimate goal of any business aiming for success.

Conclusion

Disasters can be scary but that does not mean you cannot tackle them. Follow the steps mentioned in this article and backup your data and setup a proper reliable backup and disaster recovery plan to help ensure business continuity and achieve no downtime.

Why setting up a dedicated backup & DR infrastructure is important

In a world, filled with uncertainty, you can never be too careful. With so many cyber-attacks and breaches backing up your data seems a right approach. But are you backing up your data properly? Do you have a dedicated purpose-built DR backup? If yes, then you are good to go, if not, then we may have some bad news for you as you are at risk of data loss.

Common Misconception about backups

It is very common for people and businesses nowadays to mix cloud storage and cloud backup. Many believe that by having a cloud storage, it automatically means having a cloud backup as well, in the same infrastructure.

Using your storage server as a backup server or putting your backups on a server that’s actually built for storage, not backup, will not get the job done for you. If your data is important to you then don’t cheap out.

This is not a backup solution and not recommended. Simply storing snapshots or using replication does not equate to a purpose built backup and disaster recovery solution. In order to gain maximum protection for your data, get a separate, dedicated backup and DR appliance.

Benefits of a dedicated backup & DR Infrastructure

Having a dedicated backup and disaster recovery appliance can do wonders for a company in terms of backing up their data. It can actually protect your data from any cyber-attacks and disasters so that, in the event of one, you can easily restore your data in a matter of minutes and continue operations.

This makes sure that there is little to none downtime and helps a business or company to achieve business continuity like never before.

StoneFly’s purpose built disaster recovery appliance

StoneFly’s DR365V is a software defined hyperconverged backup solution with built in cloud connect backup to azure, AWS, StoneFly cloud or any other S3 compatible cloud option. It is veeam appliance for backup and replication and is a complete backup and disaster recovery solution.

It offers backup and recovery data services like; deduplication for backup data, multiple storage access options, quick VM migration, thin provisioning and back end storage for SAN & NAS systems. Which makes this appliance a highly available, fault tolerant and redundant disaster recovery and backup solution.

Conclusion

Backup and disaster recovery should be taken seriously and should be considered as a separate requirement for the protection of your data. Companies and businesses should setup a dedicated backup and DR infrastructure for their data as it is the most reliable and fault tolerant disaster recovery solution for their data

Azure Backup Secure way to backup to cloud

Data is equivalent to a “spine” for modern business. Maintaining data integrity and ensuring its availability is critical for your organization. Existing on-premises backup solutions often leave holes in protection and adding capacity requires costly capital expenditures. There is a solution to eliminate expensive discs and tape solutions and ensure your data is protected. 

Azure Microsoft's powerful cloud platform allows availability on-demand. Azure is a service that, you can use for backup and restore your data in Microsoft cloud. Backup to azure replaces your existing on-premises or off-site backup solution with a cloud-based solution that is reliable, secure, and cost-effective.

What is Azure Backup?

Backup, in general, is a process where you create replicas of your data and keep it in an offsite location. Backup to Azure is the azure based service which can be used to backup your data and restore your data to the Azure cloud storage. Azure backup replaces your on-premises backup solution with the cloud-based solution.

Benefits of Azure Backup:

The backup solutions have changed from time to time, but they end up to cloud storage solutions. You need to evaluate your needs when you require to have a backup. The key benefits of backup to Azure are listed so that it makes you more clear about the cloud backup. You can also use Veeam Backup and Replication as per your needs.

Automatic storage management:

Many enterprises require hybrid environments to backup their data. They require on-premises and cloud both for the backup needs. Through backup to Azure, you can use the on-premises storage devices as well and you can manage cloud backup easily.

Limited Costs:

By backup to Azure you have to follow the pay-as-you-go model.  You can only pay for the storage that you use. This makes it less expensive.

Unlimited Scaling:

It provides you with unlimited scaling. You can scale up as you require.  Azure cloud storage delivers high availability.

Multiple cloud storage options:

Backup to Azure provides you with multiple storage options. It provides local redundant storage and geo-redundant storage options. You can choose according to your requirements.

Unlimited Data Transfer:

You can transfer as much data as you require. The data transfer is not limited. There are no extra charges for the data transferred.

Data Security:

Through backup to Azure you can be ensured that, the data has the secure transmission. The storage of your data in public cloud is also secured.

Long Term Backup:

Azure also doesn’t limit the length of time till you want to keep the data to cloud. You can have long term retention of your data. You can keep data for the limit of 9999 recovery points per protected instance. You need a proper backup and disaster recovery plan to keep your business up and running

With backup to Azure you can eliminate the need to maintain an off-site facility to store tape backups and meet regulatory compliance requirements. It also helps to protect assets that run in the cloud. Azure Backup provides recovery services built on a world-class infrastructure that is scalable, durable, and highly available.

Start Your New Year Fresh Protect Your Data with Backup & DR

New year is just around the corner and before we jump into the new year, it is important to look at all the data loss incidents that occurred this year. Unfortunately, there have been a lot of ransomware attacks and experts predict that the number of these attacks would most likely increase in the coming year so it is best to include backup and DR in your new year’s resolution.

2019-A Year of Ransomware Attacks

2019 was supposed to be the year in which ransomware attacks would start to decrease but sadly this was not the case. Reportedly, 7.2 billion malware attacks were launched in 2019 as well as about 151.9 million ransomware attacks. This is a significant increase in ransomware attacks from the previous year and these numbers are only expected to grow in the coming year.

Get Ransomware Protection- Backup Your Data

There is no doubt that ransomware attacks would most likely increase in the coming year and without any ransomware protection, it is impossible to recover from these attacks. If your data is very important to you, which it most probably is, and you still do not have any ransomware protection, then backing up your data should be your topmost priority in 2020.

When there is ransomware, there is always a risk of data loss. Even without the element of ransomware, data loss is always a probability. If you do not want to lose your mission-critical data, then backing it up to the cloud is the right choice. Veeam backup to Azure can be used to back up data.

Backup & Disaster Recovery

Backups would enable you to back up your data to the cloud, in a safe location so that you know that even if you are hit with a ransomware attack, you can be at peace with your mind that your data is safe and ready to be recovered whenever needed.

Disaster recovery can help greatly in making sure that your Recovery Time Objectives (RTOs) and Recovery Point Objectives (RPOs) are as low as possible so that you can recover your data in a matter of minutes and suffer downtime as low as less than 15 minutes.

This little to none downtime is made possible due to the ability to directly spin up VMs to the backup appliance and this feature is offered by none other than StoneFly in their backup and disaster recovery appliances.

 To Sum Up

Ransomware is a huge threat and it will only get worse in the coming years. It is best to get a backup and disaster recovery solution today so that you can start your new year on a high note without having to worry about the protection of your data.