Backing up your devices

Protection against cyber attacks comes from various actions. One of the main ways you can protect your organisation is to back up your devices.

A backup is made by copying or archiving files to a separate location. Cyber attacks can leave systems, files and data corrupt or may be held to ransom. A system backup allows you to restore these systems or files.

Backups play a crucial part in the recovery process after a cyber attack. It is essential that at least one of your backups is off-site or isolated from your network so it too can’t be attacked or deleted.

If you think about the amount of personal data your organisation holds on employees and customers, the loss of this data would be devastating as well as destructive to relationships.

Not sure where to begin?

Backups can run in the background, often going unnoticed or forgotten so ensuring that the back-up system is regularly checked and monitored is vital.

There are several ways you can run your backups:

Storage devices

This is a low cost and reliable solution. It is a physical device such as a USB or data disks. Normally these are taken offsite.

Onsite storage device

An onsite storage device allows for fast access to recent backups without having to locate specific disks/devices. Usually, these can store an even greater history of changes and can be invaluable when you realise a file was deleted weeks ago and need it back. Since this type of backup is onsite, however, it is usually combined with an offsite copy, using either a device or an online option.

Online cloud storage

Another good option for doing backups is online via a ‘cloud’ platform.

Cloud backups can be fully automated, offering a completely scalable solution however much data you have. By automating this process and removing the need to rely on someone swapping disks to provide your offsite backup, you can be confident your offsite backup really is offsite and available when it’s needed.