1 in 3 People Have Suffered Data Loss – Acronis

On the eve of the World Backup Day March 31, a new global study sponsored by Acronis International GmbH, in hybrid cloud data protection, reveals a growing understanding about the value of, and attitudes toward, the protection of personal data on computers, mobile phones and tablet devices.

More than half of U.S. survey respondents have more than four devices in a household to protect and 41% of survey respondents fear losing photos and videos the most. Security and privacy were cited as key requirements for backing up data.

Emerging concerns for personal data protection
The traditional fears of hardware failure and accidental deletion are no longer the sole reasons people fear data loss. Cyber-threats like ransomware, a type of malicious software designed to block access to a computer system and its data until a sum of money is paid, is a growing threat to individuals and businesses. According to Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), a partnership between the FBI and the non-profit National White Collar Crime Center, between April 2014 and June 2015, the IC3 received 992 CryptoWall-related (ransomware) complaints, with victims reporting losses totaling over $18 million. Backup is one effective recovery option for CryptoWall-related attacks.

The data protection survey, conducted by Acronis with Google Consumer Surveys, focused on understanding data protection behavior and included respondents from the United States, Canada, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Japan, and Australia.

Key findings from global sample of more than 4,000 individuals include:

• The most important data protection features were security (cited by 30% of respondents), ease-of-use at 36%, and privacy at 26%.
• 46% have more than four devices (computers, laptops, smart phones) in their homes.
• Currently, 38% backup to external drives and 30% backup to the cloud.
• 58%% of consumers backup at night and 27% backup while watching TV.

New category of ‘data protectors’
With the median household having at least four devices, an emerging trend of users called ‘family data protectors’ is also gaining traction. The sheer growth of data captured in mobile pictures and videos, music files, and scanned family documents means the family data protector ensures the immediate and extended family is prepared for, and protected against, data loss.

“Data loss via hardware failure, file deletion, and ransomware are factors most people don’t think about on a daily basis, but when they do occur the results are devastating,” said John Zanni, CMO, Acronis. “Our survey results illustrate a growing general recognition of the value of data stored on family computers and devices, especially given the price people are willing to pay for their data. We hope that this new information, presented on World Backup Day, will encourage even more people to backup their data and protect their personal information.”

Three simple steps to improving data protection
For anyone, but especially for family data protectors, keeping digital memories and fiduciary documents safe, secure and private, is a responsibility that can be easy and inexpensive to exercise.

Below are some tips to help:

• Always have a backup of a family’s critical data, documents, pictures and videos.
• Keep your OSs on the most up-to-date version. Those security patches and software updates are important
• Be mindful of suspicious emails or clicking on links sent by unknown sources, it could be a phishing scheme or Ransomware.
• Protecting personal data is quick and easy – with Acronis True Image, in three clicks and 10 minutes, memories can be safe forever.

Eric, a Spiceworks IT community member, noted: “Acronis True Image saved my hide just yesterday from crypto. [A user] opened an email attachment at 7:59 AM and the ‘I am seeing something weird’ reports started at 8:08 AM. Since it was so early in the day we just rolled the server and workstation back to midnight and life went on.”

Robert Moles, customer who exemplifies the role of family data protector, said: “I’m the family’s go-to guy to make sure things work. My wife has many hobbies and takes care of important photos for the whole family. And I have lots of videos and important documents. I make sure everything is saved on shared network storage and I use Acronis True Image to do incremental and full backups.”