Creating a solid defence plan against data loss

At TIMG, we work with our partner Veeam to offer layers of protection and security against data loss and modern ransomware attacks.

The enormous swathe of data moving around the planet every second of every day presents real risks and challenges for IT professionals across all industries. And, with technology continuing to impact every facet of our lives, now is a good time to acknowledge that the protection of digital assets presents as a mix of complex shared responsibilities and manipulated databases.

As one of the largest Australian based Veeam solution providers, TIMG has been supporting clients with their cloud backup and data protection needs since 2008 and we have rapidly grown, becoming one of the largest ANZ based Veeam cloud service providers. By leveraging Veeam’s award-winning platform, our solutions ensure the protection of data with secure backups replicated to our data centres.

“It takes 20 years to build a reputation and a few minutes of cyber-incident to ruin it.”

Stephane Nappo

Cyber threats and incidents

A cybercrime or incident can be defined as a significant impact on the availability of your information or data be it in the provision of critical infrastructure or the provision of essential goods and services and the incident itself has materially disrupted the availability of the above services. This definition is broadly based on the wording found on the Australian Cyber Security Centre website. (https://www.cyber.gov.au/).

So, what is a ransomware attack?
“A ransomware attack, also known as crypto malware, is a type of malware attack that locks data by encrypting it. A message is then presented to the attacked party requesting payment to recover files, sometimes also threatening to expose private data. If the payment is not made, the encryption key is destroyed by the attackers and the data is not recoverable. In many cases, if the payment is made, the key is still not provided. Typically, there is a very short window for payment to be made, usually 3 days.”

Adam Marshall

How can my organisation mitigate risk and better protect our data?

Firstly, always assume that your data is vulnerable to both external and internal threats. If your organisation does not have a clear data protection strategy in place, you should engage an accredited and professional data consultant to review and design a data protection plan immediately.

Cloud-based backup solutions give organisations the flexibility to protect any data workload wherever it may be and, when combined with an offsite backup strategy organisations can be sure they have a solid defence against any data loss incident.

At TIMG, our team of cloud consultants tailor backup and disaster recovery solutions for our clients freeing up their IT staff while ensuring their data is always fully protected.

Your Data Protection and DR plan must include critical elements like LTO tape

So, let’s assume you’ve had that all important meeting with your leadership team to discuss your data protection and recovery strategy. Did anyone mention the 3-2-1 rule? Did they talk about a hybrid solution that included air-gapped backups?

What is the 3-2-1 rule?

Backups are vital – however, a single backup of your data is not enough to protect you from every threat or eventuality. Our data protection approach references the time-honoured 3-2-1 backup strategy which ensures you always three copies of your data using two different storage mediums, one of which is in the cloud with a further copy stored offsite in a secure data vault.

What is an air-gapped backup?

It means that your data is offline and independent from other networks protecting you entirely from cyberattacks and ransomware and when you consult with our data protection consultants, they will design a tape solution that removes traditional headaches associated with day-to-day tape management and expensive infrastructure maintenance costs.

While Cloud storage is a critical component of a good data protection plan, offsite tape storage offers affordable options that include long shelf life if stored in optimum controlled conditions.

Today, LTO-9 tapes offer the latest in LTO technology and deliver a cartridge capacity of up to 18 TB native and 45 TB compressed, making them a viable option for long-term archive storage. When you store your weekly, monthly and archive backup tapes with TIMG in our controlled security vaults, you will be guaranteed a compliant storage solution that sees tapes stored for up to 30 years.

BUT THE MOST IMPORTANT reason some of the largest companies in the world still write to tape, is that tape comes with a massive reduction in risk. This is because tape media is stored away from your main production environment in secure offsite storage vaults and cannot be hacked or infected with viruses.

At TIMG, we work with our partner Veeam to offer layers of protection and security against data loss and modern ransomware attacks.

Update your Data Protection Strategy

Talk to one of our cloud consultants today to enquire about a Veeam powered data protection solution for your organisation

Click here or call 1300 733 328