With all the substantial changes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, organizations have almost entirely shifted to digital to sustain operations. Most workplaces have adapted remote working models with only a day or so’s notice to abide by social distancing guidelines. However, given the sudden change, it also means that many companies haven’t prepared their infrastructure in time, which has inadvertently created an opportunity for hackers to take advantage of now vulnerable systems.
The transition to remote working means that many employees rely on their home Internet connection, which often isn’t as secured as those present in organizations. As a result, their data isn’t sufficiently protected from cyberattacks and extortion, compromising the company’s cybersecurity. Many hackers are becoming more sophisticated, victimizing even some of the most cautious individuals.
Fortunately, there are still many ways to protect your company against ransomware and other kinds of threats. However, without having a secure backup of all your data, these ways won’t amount to anything. Here are the best practices to reinforce your cybersecurity and protect your data:
– Back-Up Your Data
The first step is to make sure you are backing up all the essential data, including distributed data. You must also make sure to architect your backups properly to encompass backups off the production network. It’s also advisable to send your backup to a separate system than your current operating system so that you have a safe place to secure it.
– Implement Robust Backup Policies
Now that you have your backups, it is crucial to implement robust backup policies in your organization. Double-check your backup retention policies and ensure that they are up to date and secure, which business IT support can do for you. They can also help you identify any lingering malware, which can compromise your data. That way, you can cover all your bases and ensure that no data is lost in the event of a security breach or attack.
– Isolate Your Backups
Your infrastructure likely comprises several different components, such as physical servers, virtual servers, and workstations. To make sure your backups are airtight, you’ll have to create a strategy for restoring systems from scratch if you detect malware on any of your machines. Doing this will allow you to isolate your backups, preserving some form of your data even if it isn’t the most current version.
– Make Copies of Your Backup
Having one version of your backup isn’t enough. It is ideal to have more than one backup, as compliance with local cybersecurity standards generally requires multiple copies for each organization. That way, you can create an air gap copy of your data, which is a duplicate of your data on an offline secondary storage system. Since it isn’t remotely accessible, it provides additional protection from cyber attacks and hackers.
– Test Your Backups Regularly
One of the worst scenarios for your backups is for them to fail when you need them the most. Practice backup testing regularly, such as once every quarter, to make sure it works. It’s a good idea to ensure its functionality throughout software or firmware changes, version updates, and other aspects that may affect your backup.
Conclusion
Many IT service providers highly recommend protecting your data and creating duplicates to safeguard essential information from threats and attacks. These steps are crucial to making sure your backup infrastructure is working as intended and that if you spot any errors, you can report these to business IT support right away. Now that you know these five steps, you can act now to shield your data effectively.
My IT Central is an innovative IT solutions company that provides tailored solutions to help your business reach its goals. With our help, you can utilize IT to your competitive advantage. Book a free consultation with us today to reinforce your IT infrastructure!
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