Code42: Tips and Commentary for World Backup Day

World Backup Day was on March 31.

There was a record 638 million reported ransomware attacks in 2016 (which could have been easily solved by having a backup) with reports estimating around $209 million was spent on these attacks by businesses and consumers in the first quarter of 2016 alone.

World Backup Day is a reminder of the need for modern data security strategy in any and all organizations. This year we’ve seen the incidents of ransomware continue to rise, illustrating the importance of backing up and securing your data. Today’s workforce needs access and visibility into all data on all devices at any point in time. Data is traveling in and out of the enterprise at such a high rate so if any device or network is compromised, it’s imperative to have immediate access to that data so your business doesn’t suffer.

Oftentimes, individuals and enterprises don’t actually know how to properly backup and restore files. On World Backup Day, we need to take the time to make sure we backup our personal files and tell those around us about the importance of doing so.

Most security-minded organizations know that backup and recovery is the core of an effective enterprise data security strategy. But as they work to enhance their backup solutions, common misconceptions, antiquated axioms, and nearsighted planning lead to solutions that often fail. It’s much more than simply saving your data to your Google Drive. These outdated technologies and patchwork approaches add unnecessary burdens for IT and end users, increase costs and leave the business vulnerable to disastrous data breach and loss.

An essential part of any successful business is creating an environment where employees can feel comfortable and inspired, so that they can perform to the best of their abilities. World Backup Day is a reminder that we can give employees this peace of mind by ensuring that our data is always safe and secure, no matter what may come.

Three tips for everyone to follow:

• Understand that it’s cheaper to pay for backup than to pay a ransom: Ransomware is everywhere. If you fall victim to such an attack you could be asked to pay a hefty ransom to get your data back. If you have your information and files backed up, you can have the peace of mind that your data is safe and that you can avoid the monetary burden.

• Don’t rely on only file sync backup to protect data: Backups that rely on file syncing are no longer enough. Humans lead to human error when it comes to traditional backup.To combat against this, you should look to services that provide automated, instant and continuous backup.

• Just backup your data: Any backup is better than no backup. Most people don’t realize that when they do not backup their data they are putting their professional and personal data at risk.