Why Your Backup Strategy Is Critical to Your Security Plan
You’ve probably heard it before: “Make sure you have a backup.” But here’s the truth—a backup alone isn’t enough to protect your business from the increasingly sophisticated cyber threats like ransomware, data loss, and data breaches.
Cybercriminals have evolved, and so must your defenses. While backing up your data is essential, it’s not a silver bullet. If ransomware strikes and locks up your entire network, you don’t want to find out the hard way that your backup strategy wasn’t as solid as you thought. So, what’s the right approach? Let’s talk about how the 3-2-1 backup rule and a failover/failback strategy can be your best line of defense.
The 3-2-1 Backup Rule: Your Foundation Against Ransomware
First, let’s get the basics right. The 3-2-1 backup rule is a proven method to protect your data:
- Keep 3 copies of your data: the original plus two backups.
- Store 2 copies on different storage media: This reduces the risk of losing both copies to the same event, like a hardware failure.
- Ensure 1 copy is off-site: And not connected to your main network. This off-site copy is your insurance if a ransomware attack hits your network.
Why is this important? When ransomware infects your network, it will try to spread across all connected devices and storage. If your backup is stored on the same network, guess what? It’s vulnerable too. That’s why having an off-site backup—something completely isolated from your infected network—is crucial.
But let’s be clear: Even with the 3-2-1 rule in place, you’re not out of the woods yet.
Failover and Failback: Your Action Plan
You’ve got the backups. Good. But do you have a failover and failback plan in place? These are the steps you’ll take when things go wrong, and the timeline for restoring operations.
Failover: Switching to Your Backup
Let’s say your network is hit with ransomware, and your main systems go down. Your first step is to “fail over” to your backup systems. Think of this like using a spare tire when you get a flat. It’s not meant for long-term use, but it keeps you moving while you address the bigger problem.
Failing over is not just a technical process—it’s a race against time. Every minute of downtime costs you money, disrupts operations, and can potentially damage your reputation. So, when you fail over, the goal is to get key operations back online as quickly as possible.
Failback: Returning to Normal Operations
Failover gets you running, but what’s next? You have to fail back—restoring your network from the backup and fully repairing any systems affected by the attack. In our flat-tire analogy, this is like replacing that spare donut with a brand new tire.
Failing back can be a complicated and time-consuming process, especially if you didn’t plan for it. You need to be prepared for the time it takes to restore operations from your off-site backup, double-check for lingering malware, and verify that all systems are functioning correctly. This is where coordination with your IT provider is critical. You should have a clear plan in place that outlines who does what and how long it will take.
The True Cost of Ransomware: Even If You Don’t Pay the Ransom
Let’s say you’ve followed the 3-2-1 rule and have a strong failover and failback strategy. Even in the best-case scenario, a ransomware attack is still costly.
Why? Because time is money. The time spent failing over to your backup, restoring systems, ensuring everything is malware-free, and resuming full operations adds up quickly. Not to mention the potential downtime, the hit to employee productivity, and the long-term damage to customer trust.
This is why your backup plan needs to be part of a larger security strategy, not just something you check off the list. You need to actively work with your IT team to:
- Test your failover and failback procedures regularly
- Monitor for vulnerabilities
- Train your employees on the role they play in preventing attacks
Ransomware isn’t just a technical problem—it’s a business problem. The last thing you want is to realize after an attack that you weren’t as prepared as you thought.
Don’t Be Casual About Security—Even If You Have Backups
It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking you’re safe because you have backups. But backups alone won’t save you from the fallout of an attack. You need a comprehensive plan that includes not just data protection but also recovery.
Here’s what you should be doing today:
- Review your backup strategy: Are you following the 3-2-1 rule? Do you have an isolated, off-site backup that ransomware can’t touch?
- Develop and test your failover/failback plan: Make sure your team knows exactly what to do in the event of an attack. Test this plan regularly to make sure it works.
- Stay proactive about security: Ensure you have strong protection in place to prevent attacks from happening in the first place—firewalls, encryption, employee training, and regular system updates.
Want to make sure your business is fully protected? Contact us today to review your backup and disaster recovery plans. We’ll help you build a strategy that goes beyond simple data storage and ensures your business can recover quickly from ransomware, data loss, or a breach.
Have questions about cyber security or some other IT-related issues? Click here to book a quick, 15-minute call.
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