Why enterprises need to modernise their backup and recovery solutions

It’s no secret that cyber security threats are becoming more complex and advanced. South African companies report over 110 cyber security breaches every month, which shows just how vital it is for local companies to have their backup and recovery solutions upgraded.

Data is a currency in itself, which also makes it the target for many cyber criminals. There is growing evidence that cyber attacks are now targeting backup systems too, which means that a company's redundancy plan is also at risk.

If an enterprise cannot recover its stolen or lost data, then it faces severe financial losses and even closure. Over 90% of companies that reported cyber attacks recently say that parts of these incidents were targeted at their backup systems, with 73% saying that these attempts were successful.

To make matters worse, only 16% of companies that paid ransom to hackers actually got their data back. Backup and recovery solutions need to be upgraded and modernised in the face of evolving cyber threats in Africa. This means that chief information security officers (CISOs) need to consider a few things.

Backup and recovery considerations for CISOs

Backups have always been a time-consuming and challenging process, but certainly a necessary one. They need to be conducted frequently to be useful, but they also need to be tested to ensure usability. This includes vulnerability tests to various cyber threats. If a cyber attack is launched, business leaders need to be confident that their backup solutions are not taken down as well.

Another complicating factor is cloud computing and hybrid systems. Most modern companies have a partial or total reliance on the cloud, with some systems running on-premise and others in a data centre or on a public cloud platform. Hybrid environments add complexity when it comes to backup and recovery solutions.

This complicated system makes it important for enterprises to identify their most critical data and know where it is stored. These critical environments should be the first to be isolated from the internet and upgraded with next-gen backup and recovery tools.

CISOs also need to be aware of the “patient hacker” phenomenon, where malware is inserted into a data environment and lies undetected for many months. Eventually, this malware is backed up and now lies in the recovery environment, where it can render the entire process useless when the attack is launched. CISOs must continuously observe their backups for anomalies and compare them to uninfected backup baselines.

What should a modern backup solution entail?

One important element of a modern backup and recovery solution is a singular platform from which data can be managed. This platform must enable the company to find the location of all of its data across its hybrid network, as well as to actively search for threats. Suspect data must be quarantined immediately and risk assessments should be run on a regular basis.

Like many new technologies, artificial intelligence (AI) can be leveraged to make backup and recovery more automated and efficient. Backups should remain encrypted to protect them from attacks too. These steps will improve data recovery and reduce the time it takes to get back to operational efficiency.

SEACOM offers online backup and recovery services to enterprises in South Africa. We also offer a full suite of cyber security services that are tailored to our customers’ needs. These solutions help to ensure that cyber attacks can be mitigated and the damage minimised. For more information about these services or to get a quote, email us at marketing@seacom.com or leave us a message.

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