Picture this…

Your brand is the epitome of Cyber Awareness. You’ve followed the protocols, run the penetration test, installed Pentagon level Firewalls and run Security so tight, Mr Robot himself would walk away and say “it ain’t worth it”. Then, one faithful day, the lovable but technologically challenged office Beryl sees a legitimate looking Email, clicks the link provided and boom – your organisation is compromised.

It can happen. It has happened. It will, sadly, happen to many organisations in the future – Cyber Breaches do occur, and are very, VERY real.

According to the University of Maryland, an attempted hack occurs once every 39 seconds. And while we may assume that “hacker” refers to the stereotypical hooded man behind a computer, systems are now so advanced that malware is capable of a completely automated, uninterrupted barrage just looking for an opening – meaning your business is perpetually at risk.

Now, we could discuss the ever-looming threat of Cyber Crimes at length, but that’s not why we’re here today.

Rather, we’re here to offer a glimmer of hope to those businesses who have been or may be unfortunate enough to be hacked in future.

So, with that in mind…

Let’s talk Backup.

Whether it’s photos, documents, video files, or confidential information, your Data is of utmost importance and, because cyberattacks occur more and more often, it seems almost impossible to assure yourself that said Data won’t be corrupted or stolen.

Conventional precautions are no longer a guaranteed safeguard, meaning Data Backup is now a sure-fire way to ensure proactivity. In truth, any loss can compromise a variety of things, including your identity, family safety and even an entire company. Nobody wants to lose their information and, sadly, doing so is often a death blow to even the most thriving legacy enterprise.

Enter Backup Software, which is like Batman, but better.

Should disaster strike, you can rest easy knowing that your information is still available, accessible and attainable to your business – all is most definitely not lost. In fact, deliberately choosing not to maintain an easily attainable storage solution is essentially accepting that should a breech occur, you’re happy to live without your valuable information. The problem, however, is when you factor in POPIA and the importance of third-party Data into the equation – you’re liable (and prosecutable) for any damages incurred (and then some).

Okay, so what’s the way forward?

Well… any Backup software essentially copies critical Data from your servers, Databases, devices or Cloud and makes this information accessible should the need arise. Better yet, it can serve as a means of protection when it comes to sensitive information which may be lost in unforeseen circumstances (for example: if a laptop crashes unexpectedly) whilst also securing said info against the plethora of Cyber Security threats in existence.

Your options are vast and can range from the simple (and conventional) external hard drive (which we don’t recommend) to a secure Cloud location (which we do) that can’t be destroyed, stolen or misplaced.

Whether your personal or home information, any individual can benefit from the correct solution – especially if you’re hoping for an added layer of Data Loss Prevention for both surety and peace of mind. It’s also important to note that you can in fact store multiple copies of the same information. Yes, we know, there’s major scepticism around the Cloud and a seemingly universal fear of it one day crashing, but the reality is that not only is this highly unlikely, but duplication of Data means you’re fine even if it does occur.

Look – things happen. Sometimes you drop your phone off a boat while taking a selfie, or you’re innocently minding your own business and get hit with the blue screen of death. This is just the tip of the iceberg – there are dozens of reasons (including the ones’ we’ve painstakingly broken down above) to substantiate your need for an effective backup solution.

The important thing to remember is that this shouldn’t be done blindly – it helps to consult with the experts, determine what (if not all) information you can’t afford to lose and implement a strategy which factors in the time, process and cost implications.

It’s always better to be safe than sorry, and for those under the impression that a monthly retainer is too much, just factor in that the average organisational Data Breach costs between R10 and R15 million apiece. Be proactive so that you don’t have to be reactive – you may find the survival of your company depends entirely on it.