In a world overflowing with data, it has never been more important to protect this valuable resource. However, worrying statistics reveal that 21% of people have never made a backup – a figure even more concerning given 30% of all computers are already infected with malware. These numbers are a stark reminder of the need to put backups at the forefront of every business leader’s mind; it is time to take action on data protection.
Node4
For Glenn Akester, Technology & Innovation Director – Networks & Security at Node4, backups are “the cornerstone of business continuity, enabling organisations to rebound swiftly from disruptions while minimising downtime and reputational damage. Yet achieving this has become more of a challenge over the past decade, as data volumes have grown exponentially, and are now dispersed across on-premises infrastructures, cloud environments, SaaS solutions, and edge devices.”
With such vast quantities of data being produced, keeping it secure must be at the top of the agenda. However, Terry Storrar, Managing Director at Leaseweb UK, cautions that “in today’s digitalised world it is easy to assume that data is safe because it is stored on a cloud service or online platform. However, the past year has once again been a stark reminder of just how vulnerable our data can be. Whether it is through human error or from the growing threat of data breaches and cyber attacks, individuals and businesses alike have faced unprecedented challenges in securing their digital assets.”
Leaseweb
Evolving technology leads to shifting industry landscapes
One of the most prominent technological advancements we are seeing today is Artificial Intelligence (AI). This technology is changing the way that many organisations do business, and will continue to shape the future industry-wide. Leaseweb’s Storrar explains how “with the move towards a future of AI-driven technologies, the amount of data we generate, and use is set to increase exponentially. With data often containing valuable information, any loss or impact could have devastating consequences.”
Concerns about data storage and retention are echoed by Node4’s Akester who states “this challenge is only set to grow as more organisations embrace AI and in doing so, create and process even more data. Intensifying data requirements and necessitating efficient organisation, classification, and storage, businesses will need to refine their backup strategies, deciding which data to store, how often, and in which mediums. Automation and orchestration will become increasingly vital to handle the sheer scale of backup and restore operations. As AI develops, organisations should see it as an opportunity to re-evaluate and update their entire data management, backup and recovery strategies, ensuring alignment with both operational needs and future growth.”
As organisations look to do exactly that, Bruce Kornfeld, Chief Product Officer at StorMagic discusses how industry developments are influencing these decisions. He explains, “one debate we’re currently seeing in the backup industry is agent-based versus agentless backup. In recent years agentless backup has become more popular, especially for virtual environments, because it doesn’t require backup agent software to be installed on each virtual server. With more complex environments than ever before, having agents on each virtual machine (VM) can add administrative overhead to an IT department.
StorMagic
“However, Broadcom’s acquisition of VMware nearly 18 months ago has led many customers to rethink their virtualization strategy and consider alternative hypervisors that deliver the capability they need but are much more cost-effective than staying with VMware. But moving to a virtualization solution outside of these ‘big 3’ means considering a more open, agent-based approach to backup.”
With this in mind, Kornfeld advises that IT teams looking for an alternative should simply make the switch. “This is how backup has been done for decades and, crucially, will work with any hypervisor. All backup software providers have agents available that typically deliver the same functionality as agentless for the same cost, making it a very valuable alternative with the flexibility and ROI that today’s businesses require.”
The danger of cyber threats
Advancements in technology can prove greatly beneficial to organisations, but there are those who look to exploit these developments for their own gain. Akester raises this issue, arguing that “alongside the challenges that AI brings, organisations are also battling a rise in cyber threats and sophistication. As such, traditional backup best practices remain important. Measures like encryption (in transit and at rest), strong access controls, immutable or write-once storage, and air-gapped or physically separated backups help defend against increasingly sophisticated threats. To ensure true resilience, backups must be tested regularly.”
Commvault
For Darren Thomson, Field CTO EMEAI at Commvault, “in today’s always-on, digital world, organisations can’t afford the downtime that it takes to get out of the traps that cybercriminals lure them into. As such, the concept of having a minimum viable company is gaining popularity – the ability to maintain essential operations and services even in the aftermath of a cyberattack. Traditional reliance on backups is not enough to maintain a minimum viable company. The focus should now be on ensuring clean recovery.
“Threat scanning technology gives organisations the confidence that, should the worst happen and their backups are needed, that they are clean and reliable. In addition to clean backups, organisations must have the ability to recover critical systems into a secure, malware-free environment. Cloud-based cleanrooms make this possible, providing a secure environment that can be spun up and down as needed for testing and recovery, at a minimal cost.
“Backups remain crucial for a quick recovery, but they are no longer as effective on their own as they once were. But, paired with advanced technology to ensure their integrity and a secure environment to recover into, organisations have all the ingredients to achieve true cyber resilience.”
Storrar concludes: “World Backup Day serves as a much-needed reminder that we must take a proactive role in protecting our data. Having regular, secure backups is an essential part of any personal or business data strategy. It’s about creating layers of protection to ensure that if something goes wrong, your data isn’t lost forever. A good backup plan not only involves using cloud storage but also local backups that are stored offline to safeguard against cyberattacks.”