It’s the World Data Backup Day. We have completely swapped the physical storage of documents with soft copies to store and manage our information. A single loss of a hard drive exposes us to catastrophic consequences. A data backup plan has become a must.
According to the latest edition of the annual study by the Ponemon Institute, the average cost of a data breach is over $3.86 million. This cost includes damage to a company’s reputation, lost business, and potential legal fees.
On World Data Backup Day this year, The Cyber Express would like to reiterate the importance of taking preventative measures to secure your data. It’s crucial.
Repeat after us—"I solemnly swear to backup my important documents and precious memories on March 31"—then make good on your #WorldBackupDay pledge with #OneDrive: https://t.co/wfNdtGH6ux pic.twitter.com/QRDU4DauW9
— OneDrive (@onedrive) March 31, 2022
World Data Backup Day: The need
Data backup is a method of creating a copy of your data and storing it in a secure location. This can be done using an external hard drive, cloud storage, or a combination of both.
Having a data backup ensures that in case of data loss due to a hardware malfunction, theft, or cyberattack, you can restore your data to its previous state.
On the World Data Backup Day this year, let us dispel one great myth. Many people assume that data loss only happens to big corporations, but that’s not the case. If you use any form of data, a data backup plan is a must.
World Backup Day serves as a reminder that all data is in a state of perpetual risk. From family photos to highly sensitive business information, the data we backup is precious, and something we don’t want compromized,” Camellia Chan, CEO and Founder at X-PHY, a Flexxon brand, told The Cyber Express.
“However, in many cases, we are not the victims of purposeful cyber-attacks – approximately 29% of data loss cases are caused by an accident. The real issue lies in human error. It affects people and organizations of any size, with the recent NYSE system failure a direct result of human judgment,” she added.
Calling human error a global problem, Chan highlighted how solely relying on human-led solutions jeopardizes data. “AI can protect against threats missed by humans, but it’s vital that it’s deployed at the hardware layer, so that it defends data on endpoints from the ground up.
“A ‘zero-trust’ AI framework, which is consistently learning and flagging possible new attack techniques, allows organizations to track every single touchpoint to truly bolster defenses. This gives organizations confidence that their data will remain safe – even in situations of human error.
Losing this data can be a nightmare, especially if there is no backup available. On World Data Backup Day this year, The Cyber Express lists several practical ways individuals and businesses can protect their data.
World Data Backup Day: The Data Backup Methods
Multiple backups: This is particularly important for individuals, solopreneurs and small organizations. Any soft data that you use should be stored in more than one place.
For every USB drive, there should be another hard disk. Here’s why.
- Protection against hardware failure: Having backups in multiple locations can prevent data loss in case of hardware failure or damage.
- Protection against cyber attacks: Multiple backups can also provide protection against ransomware attacks, which can encrypt and lock down data.
- Increased accessibility: Having data in multiple locations can provide easier access to it, especially for remote workers.
- Enhanced redundancy: Storing backups in multiple locations provides an extra layer of redundancy, ensuring that data is always available in case of any unforeseen events.
Cloud: Cloud storage has excellent reliability and availability, as the data is stored in multiple locations with an array of protections. For instance, Google Drive is highlighted as an online storage folder that offers world-class security and redundancy mechanisms.
According to Google’s service level agreement, Cloud Storage is designed for 99.999999999% annual durability. This means that even if a natural disaster destroyed an entire Google Data Center, data would still be available within 24 hours of going down.
This is possible because all Google Cloud data is duplicated to at least two separate data centers located in different remote locations.
Onsite server backup: This is a more traditional approach that involves keeping a secondary device (e.g., computer, external hard drive, or network access storage device) in the same location as the original data.
This approach is low cost and managed by the data owner, but the downside is that if something goes wrong in the original location (e.g., fire, flood, theft, blackout), the data may be destroyed along with the original data.
This option is low cost when the devices used are as small as a USB flash drive, and data can easily be backed up to multiple locations (physical flash drives, stored in multiple locations). However, there is a high risk of device theft, software corruption, and, of course, physical damage.
Managed cloud: Managed cloud backup such as iCloud from Apple or Samsung Cloud. These services are frequently offered at no cost or for a fee when the data limit is reached and are built into the device.
Users can select what data to back up and can expand data limits for a cost. This option is convenient and easy to use but may not offer the same level of reliability and redundancy as cloud backup or onsite server backup.
World Data Backup Day: Data backup, Conditions apply!
Organizations with cross-order operations, business or service, must pay extra attention to international IT and business rules pertaining to data backups.
Data backup practices that do not comply with regulatory requirements will invite a stream of troubles, from business loss to legal punishments. Here are some points to consider:
Understand the applicable laws and regulations: Organizations must be aware of the data protection laws and regulations in the countries where they operate.
Different countries have different data protection laws that may impact how data backups are performed, stored, and accessed.
Know the cross-border data transfer requirements: Cross-border data transfer refers to the process of moving data from one country to another.
Some countries have specific requirements that organizations must comply with before transferring data across borders. It is important to check the legal requirements before performing any cross-border data transfers.
Define the data backup policy: Organizations must have a defined data backup policy that outlines the backup process, including how often backups are performed, where backups are stored, and who has access to the backup data.
The data backup policy must be in compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
Choose a secure backup solution: Organizations must select a secure backup solution that ensures the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the backup data.
Encryption and access controls should be implemented to protect the backup data from unauthorized access.
Test the backup process regularly: Organizations must test the backup process regularly to ensure that it is working correctly.
The backup process should be tested under different scenarios, including disaster recovery, to ensure that the organization can recover from any data loss or corruption.
Monitor compliance: Organizations must monitor compliance with applicable laws and regulations related to data backups. It is essential to stay up to date with any changes to the laws and regulations and adjust the backup process accordingly.
