RICK VANOVER , DIRECTOR
OF PRODUCT STRATEGY AT VEEAM
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editor ’ s question
storage that uses different authentication . The best examples here are backups of critical things like a domain controller . In the unlikely event that a domain controller would need to be fully restored , there can be an issue if the storage containing the backups is an Active Directory authenticated storage resource .
3 . Take storage snapshots on backup storage if possible
Storage snapshots is what I call a ‘ semi-offline ’ technique for primary storage , but if the storage device holding backups supports this capability , it may be worth leveraging to prevent ransomware attacks .
4 . Start using the 3 – 2 – 1 – 1 rule
The 3 – 2 – 1 rule states to have three different copies of your media , on two different media , one of which is off-site . This is great because it can address nearly any failure scenario and doesn ’ t require any specific technology . In the ransomware era , it ’ s a good idea to add another ‘ 1 ’ to the rule where one of the media is offline . f one thing has
I the attention of IT decision makers worldwide , it is the risk of ransomware . We frequently see headlines on outages caused by ransomware and the reality is that this is a big problem for organisations of all shapes and sizes .
As organisations implement better ways to safeguard themselves and their data , malware evolves and the reality is that breaches will happen . What is now critical is how organisations can mitigate those risks .
With the rapid increase of attacks , concerns about the safety of data ( both personal and corporate ) come under the spotlight . Organisations therefore must implement business continuity and disaster recovery plans that complement their cybersecurity measures for their systems to withstand attacks . Failing that , they must be able to recover quickly when the inevitable occurs . Lost data or a considerable period of downtime are not options .
Being able to recover from backups is the availability you want when things don ’ t go as planned , should ransomware become an issue in your datacentre . Here are some tips I ’ ve prepared to incorporate into your designs for backup storage .
1 . Have offline storage as part of the availability strategy
One of the best defences against propagation of ransomware encryption to the backup storage is to have offline storage .
2 . Leverage different file systems for backup storage
Having different protocols involved can be another way to prevent ransomware propagation . Put some backups on
5 . Have visibility into suspicious behaviour
One of the biggest fears of ransomware is that it may propagate to other systems . Having visibility into potential ransomware activity is a big deal . It is good to have an availability solution that provides a pre-defined ‘ ransomware activity alarm ’ that will trigger if there are several writes on disk and high CPU utilisation . Data management in the connected world is all about putting the structures and processes in place to ensure data is kept safe and managed properly . Organisations need to be more open towards continuous benchmarking and testing their data management strategies .
It is even more critical for organisations to continuously keep abreast with the latest ransomware developments and focus on neutralising these threats . Implementing effective cybersecurity must be the focal point of organisations in the always-on world . www . intelligentciso . com | Issue 01
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