Every business owner knows the importance of keeping their data safe. Any effective data backup plan is vital in preventing costly data loss and can ensure that every cent invested in hardware and software will be protected.
This guide focuses on protecting your company’s most valuable asset: customer information, and how to best prepare for threats such as ransomware.
What is Ransomware?
Ransomware is a type of malware that prevents users from accessing their system or data, and demands payment to give access back. It encrypts files on the hard drive using advanced cryptographic algorithms, making them unreadable until paying the ransom is completed.
Preventing Ransomware Attacks on Your Company
A well thought out data backup plan can help you prepare for a ransomware attack. Here are some actionable steps that your organization should follow:
First, host a workshop with your team to determine how important it is to have a current backup of all company data at all times. Once the importance has been established, perform a risk assessment to see what needs to be backed up. Use this assessment to decide how often to backup data, which will ensure the database is always in a consistent state even when files are modified.
To keep your employees safe, make sure they have strong passwords that are regularly changed. This way you can avoid situations where malicious actors get access to accounts with weak credentials and use them to encrypt the data.
If your employees often work on sensitive company data from their mobile devices, such as laptops and tablets, you should implement a secure message system. This kind of messaging will allow you to get in touch with individual users or groups of users if there is an emergency that requires immediate attention. Make sure that all messages are encrypted to ensure the privacy of sensitive information.
Finally, make sure everyone on your team understands how important it is to back up data on a regular basis. A ransomware attack can be very damaging if you don’t have all of your data backed up. Communicating with them often will remind them why they need to choose an efficient service for backing up data. A good service will allow for real-time backups in case there is an emergency requiring immediate action.
The best way to prevent damage from a ransomware attack is by implementing a comprehensive backup plan. Follow the steps above, and you’ll be prepared when it comes time to fight back against malicious actors who are using ransomware to extort money from your company.
Ransomware is on the rise and will likely continue to be a threat that many small business owners must face. It’s important to create strategies that enable you to quickly recover from such an attack, as it can lead to lost productivity and money spent on acquiring new software and hardware for your team.
Your data backup plan should be developed in accordance with your business needs, and should include the strategies that will help to protect against threats such as ransomware.
