Why Backups Matter: Safeguarding Your Critical Data

Introduction

In today’s modern world data plays an increasingly vital role. Yet, the risk of data loss or theft is ever present, especially as many organisations suffer from data sprawl, with data stored in many locations and services.

That is where backups come to the rescue.

Here at Aspire, we believe that backups are no longer an afterthought but rather a key requirement for any organisation’s data resiliency strategy.

Many cyber insurance companies stipulate that you must have a robust and comprehensive backup strategy in place to be covered.

Why backups matter in today’s  digital world

Protecting Against Data Loss

Imagine losing years of critical data due to a hardware failure, accidental deletion, or cyberattack. Regular backups ensure that even if disaster strikes, you will be able to recover your data.

Cybersecurity Threats

In today’s landscape, cyber threats are rampant. Ransomware, phishing attacks, and data breaches can wreak havoc on your personal and professional data. Backups function as a shield, allowing you to restore your information without paying a ransom or compromising your security.

Business Continuity

For organisations, data loss can be catastrophic. Imagine critical customer records, financial data, or proprietary information vanishing overnight. Regular backups are essential for business continuity. They minimise downtime and ensure that operations can swiftly resume after an incident.

Peace of Mind

Knowing that your data is securely protected. At Aspire, we offer fully managed backup solutions that come with a 24x7x365 response, whether it’s your work projects, critical data, or sentimental memories, backups allow you to breathe easy, knowing that you’re prepared for the unexpected.

The Rise of SaaS and Public Cloud Adoption

As more organisations move from the traditional on-premise server-type deployments, migrating data to SaaS solutions and public cloud computing, there is a common misbelief still that it’s in the cloud it’s backed up, right? This is incorrect as the adage that it’s your data, it’s your responsibility applies here. Most providers don’t backup your data by default often leaving this to 3rd parties to supply a backup service. Aspire has products available that will cover most of your SaaS & public cloud backup needs.

Best Practices

Here are some backup best practices that we here at Aspire believe everyone should follow for backups:

Automate Backups: Set up automated backups to avoid human error and ensure consistency. Here at Aspire, by default, all backups are automatically scheduled to run to mitigate this risk.

Segregation: Having your backup infrastructure separate from your production networks and domain is vital, as this leaves your backups at risk of being compromised in the event of a cyber event such as ransomware or malicious action from a disgruntled employee. It’s recommended to have your backup infrastructure on a separate domain and network or have each server in a standalone workgroup.

Multi-Factor: Implement MFA and multi-user authentication where possible. At Aspire we have MFA and multi-user authentication enabled by default.

Immutable Copies: Immutable copies of your backup data cannot be modified or deleted for a defined period, meaning they are safe from accidental or malicious actions.

3-2-1 Rule: The 3-2-1 Rule is a data protection strategy that recommends having three copies of your data, stored on two different types of media, with one copy kept off-site. At Aspire we believe this is a key strategy in securing your backups. Using off-site cloud storage such as Aspire Online Backup is an excellent way of complementing your existing backups ensuring you meet the 3-2-1 rule.

Monitoring & Reporting: Regular monitoring and reporting are required to ensure your backups are working and their consistency is verified. At Aspire our managed backup solutions come with this as standard.

Have a Plan: This may seem self-explanatory; however, many organisations fall into the trap of my data is being backed up, and I don’t need to do anything else. But when disaster strikes, they are unprepared, causing recovery to take longer. For this reason, we recommend having a plan detailing the order of recovery as well as criticality to the business.

How Can Aspire Help?

Aspire can tailor backup solutions to meet your organisation’s complex compliance and data retention needs. We have partnered with industry-leading vendors to offer innovative and best-in-class solutions backed by our expert UK-based 24/7 support teams based in Gateshead, UK. Our solutions offer protection for both physical and virtual servers, workstations, and SaaS-based products such as Microsoft M365.

Conclusion

31st March is World Backup Day, so as we mark this day, take a moment to assess your backup strategy. Is all your data protected? Do you have any gaps in your data protection policies? Remember, backups aren’t just a good practice; they’re a lifeline in our data-driven world.

So, back up your files, secure your data, and celebrate World Backup Day by safeguarding what matters most.