Databarracks: Data Health Check 2019 in UK

Databarracks Ltd. announces its 2019 Data Health Check, its annual report into IT resilience, cyber security and cloud computing.

The survey, which has been running since 2008, questions over 400 IT decision makers in the UK.

Peter Groucutt, MD of Databarracks, commented: “It’s been another positive year. Organisations are generally improving their Data Protection, continuity and cyber preparedness.

“The wider, macro trends have continued this year. We’re seeing greater maturity in the use of cloud computing. And, of course, the cyber threat continues to grow and mutate. It continues to torment businesses, big and small – increasing as a cause of data loss and downtime.

“Last year, we focused on the changes between 2018 and our first Data Health Check in 2008. This year, we reintroduced several questions from previous years to see what has (and hasn’t) changed. We’ve also focused more on people this year.”

Key findings from the Data Health Check
• 28% of businesses have been affected by ransomware (almost backup to the 2017 peak of 29%)
• Only 13% of respondents never test their backups, compared to 20% in 2008
• BC plan ownership is shifting from IT to operations and business leadership

What is your biggest worry in a disaster in 2019?
The top concerns for 2019 are reputational damage and loss of revenue. Given what we’ve seen in the news, this isn’t too surprising. Reputational damage manifests as loss of future revenue i.e. fewer customers choose your business next year or the year a er (this is o en immediately visible in the share price drop, as the market predicts a drop in future value).

Groucutt continues: “In the business of data protection, the cloud services market continues to mature and adapt to users’ needs. The cloud as a backup option has helped make it possible for more businesses to take backup off premises and protect data more effectively.

“Restore tests are also increasing – a practice we can’t recommend highly enough. Frequent and regular restores are a good way to maintain resilience. It’s an awful lot harder for an incident to throw you off course if your people and processes are well drilled and prepared.

“Continuity is, well, continuing. There are some encouraging signs. Testing is becoming more regular and a broader range of people are getting involved in continuity planning. This comes at the right time, as businesses become less tolerant of downtime. Cyber security teams and cyber criminals continue to do battle, and this is a trend I don’t see changing anytime soon.”

To download full report