Ransomware attacks continue to outpace cybersecurity efforts, threatening your organization’s most essential files. Thousands of employees, users, and clients click links and download files in emails, and no matter how cautious you urge them to be, a single toxic file is capable of bringing down your entire network. This threat is not going away, but your business can still employ its best defense and avoid a worst-case scenario.
Data is key to the success of your business
Businesses today rely heavily on data, but many of these businesses continue to operate without crucial protection. According to Datto’s State of the Channel Ransomware Report 2016, ransomware attacks on small businesses are becoming more frequent; 91 percent of the managed service providers they surveyed reported clients victimized by ransomware. Furthermore, findings indicated that the most common impact of ransomware was not simply loss of data, but business-threatening downtime that crippled productivity.
How do you convey to every single employee what ransomware looks like? How do you teach every client to not fall prey to a scam? You can start with educating and training employees about good security practices, urging them to download the thinkCSC email security guide. But training is not enough to protect your data from ransomware.
Backups can save your business
So what can your business do to protect itself? Backup and Disaster Recovery (BDR) is the best – and possibly only – protection against ransomware. If budget constraints are your main concern, then realize that the cost of implementing BDR is miniscule compared to the financial impact of an attack. Datto’s Ransomware Report estimates down-time costs at $8,500 per hour, which adds up to $75 billion per year. BDR allows you to:
- Automatically back up and store data
- Minimize downtime quickly after an attack
- Avoid paying ransoms if an employee inadvertently introduces ransomware into your network
BDR makes it easy to maintain several copies of your data; as well, you can backup and store your data somewhere physically separate from your network. With the assistance of a managed service provider, your business can take extra steps for protection:
- Testing backups to ensure that data is recovered properly
- Manage passwords and user permissions
- Take all necessary steps to ensure that your cyber security practices are air tight
Good cyber security practices involve steps that do more than try to avoid ransomware. Recognize that no matter how many layers of security you implement, there is virtually no fail-safe measure to safeguard against ransomware attacks. Ransomware is insidious in its ability to continue evolving to better dupe unsuspecting recipients into clicking a link or downloading a file. Rather than gamble with the security of your data in the hope that it will never happen to you, be prepared with offsite backups that house and maintain all your sensitive data. BDR is a peace-of-mind measure that could save your business. Contact thinkCSC to learn more.
