Data backup solutions are among the most necessary components of an IT strategy for a business, nonprofit, or any other organization. From business continuity to risk mitigation, a comprehensive backup strategy is what keeps an operation…well, operational.
In this piece, we cover some of the basics, from the reasons that backups are so crucial to some of the ways you, your internal staff, or your outsourced provider can keep your systems working in any scenario.
Why Backup Your Data?
Audits and Taxes
A government agency comes knocking and you don’t have what they’re looking for…what are you supposed to do? This situation can be easily avoided if you take data backup seriously in advance of any audit situation. No one can predict exactly when Uncle Sam will stop by for a visit, but you can certainly be prepared.
Safety and Compliance
Many industries have strict regulatory frameworks that require data backup solutions. This offers two fairly obvious motivations for backing up your data. First, you could be at legal risk if your data is not secured properly. Whether you are working in healthcare or any other industry, you need to verify that your firm is meeting legal standards. Second, data backup and security allows you to keep doing business effectively. If you somehow lose critical records, how are you supposed to do business?
Business Continuity
Whether you are simply trying to reduce downtime and enhance productivity or are hoping to mitigate the dangers of a disaster situation (just take a look at the recent earthquakes in California), data backup keeps your organization functional. There are countless threats out there, but by backing up your data—or ensuring that your current provider is already doing so—you don’t have to worry. Peace of mind can go a long way toward helping you achieve your mission.
A Variety of Data Backup and Recovery Services
On-Premises Backup
Whether you have one location or several, a dedicated IT infrastructure system can be built to house a complete backup of your systems and data. While this doesn’t mitigate all risk, it ensures all of your eggs aren’t in a single basket. Also, an onsite solution is easily accessible for both use and maintenance. The advantage here is the control you get keeping from your systems close to home.
Public and Private Cloud
The best cloud data backup service is one that is properly set up from the get-go. There are a number of public options—from Amazon Web Services to Microsoft Azure—and private cloud solutions that can be set up by your managed service provider. Which solution is best for you depends on the needs of your organization and the regulatory standards that must be met for your industry, but the cloud can be a great solution that lets your system be restored from anywhere to anywhere.
This list of reasons and solutions is by no means exhaustive, but it should give you a starting point when you’re considering a backup solution. Whether you work with an online data backup company or work with your service provider to create a physical, onsite system, it’s critical that it is working properly before you need it.
Computer Technology Management Service (CTMS) is a data backup service provider that can find the best solution for your organization. Get in touch if you’d like to learn more.
Have you heard any of these panic-inducing exclamations?
- Cyber criminals are out to steal your data!
- Vulnerabilities in your systems are being exploited as you read this!
- Regulatory noncompliance could end your business!
These aren’t necessarily disingenuous statements, but you don’t need to panic. By taking appropriate steps, you can focus on your mission and organizational goals instead of cyber security woes keeping you up at night.
This is not to say that you can let your security fall by the wayside. Taking cyber security seriously means having the appropriate policies and strategies in place before an incident occurs. There are some steps you can take on your own, while others might require hiring a firm that specializes in cyber security.
Either way, it’s critical that your organization advances on the path toward true security. From privacy to business continuity, your entire operation can be affected. Below are five tips to enhance your security profile.
1. It Starts With Smart Policy
One of the biggest vulnerabilities within any organization is the staff that works within it. If employees are clicking links in suspicious emails, sharing passwords, or are simply unaware of security threats like malware, you are asking for trouble.
Conduct regular cyber security training to keep your employees on the side of common sense when interacting with coworkers or clients electronically. Have your employees regularly change passwords in company systems, teach them not to click suspicious links in emails (or to verify with the sender first), and consider blocking websites that may contain viruses.
Policy extends from employees’ workstations to their mobile devices as a part of your small business phone solution. Your internal staff should be able to conduct basic training to give you some semblance of security.
2. Don’t Forget Physical Security
When focusing on cyber crime or electronic threats, managers and business owners too often forget good old-fashioned physical threats. Restrict access to servers and data centers to all but those professionals who absolutely need to be there. Other steps can include prohibiting employees from leaving passwords written down and left visible on a desk. These rules don’t need to be draconian and are just as common sense as locking the door at night.
3. Stay up to Date
If you are relying on software like firewalls or antivirus programs to keep your systems secure, make sure everything is updated regularly. Cyber threats are always evolving, and new malware is created every day. Most software platforms have options to enable auto-updating. Make sure these settings are enabled.
Sometimes your systems will need more than just a simple update. For instance, Microsoft will soon be ending its support for Windows 7. It won’t be long before systems that use it will no longer be secure.
4. Use an Effective Backup Solution for Small Business
Business continuity is a critical aspect of any organization’s cyber security strategy. If you don’t have plans and infrastructure in place to navigate the maze of a disaster situation, the loss can be catastrophic. Threats range from natural disasters to intrusion from hackers. Both are dangerous and both can be mitigated with appropriate disaster planning.
Creating offsite backup solutions or leveraging the cloud are both viable strategies depending on your situation and security needs. Cloud solutions for small business have the extra benefit of staying updated per the third item on this list.
5. Consider a Professional Managed Security Provider
Training and software updates can only get you so far. Network security solutions companies are the key to reducing risk and ensuring that your business is protected. Computer Technology Management Services (CTMS) offers a holistic suite of cyber security solutions that range from compliance to system backup.
If you have concerns about your existing security profile or think your internal staff could use a helping hand, give us a call today.
As of November 2, 2018, Ohio’s Data Protection Act, also known as a “safe harbor” law, grants businesses protection from lawsuits relating to data breaches if they are reasonably complying with industry-standard and federal regulatory frameworks. This groundbreaking legislation may soon be mirrored by other states but is limited to Ohio for now.
To qualify for “safe harbor,” as it were, a business must design its cyber security strategy to:
- Protect the security and confidentiality of confidential information
- Protect against any unanticipated physical or cyber threats or other hazards to that information
- Protect against unauthorized access to and acquisition of information that is likely to result in a material risk of identity theft or other fraud to the individual to whom the information relates
Cyber Security Frameworks Enumerated in the Law
The three provisions listed above can fit under a variety of regulatory frameworks. This means that businesses, including those in the healthcare industry, that reasonably conform to these frameworks are granted safe harbor. Although safe harbor does not provide total immunity—and thus businesses cannot use it as an impenetrable shield—it does offer protection against torts, which can result in closed businesses, especially for smaller operations.
The Regulatory Frameworks Under Safe Harbor:
- National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Cybersecurity Framework
- NIST Special Publications 800-53, 800-53A, or 800-171
- Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program Security Assessment Framework
- Center for Internet Security Critical Security Controls for Effective Cyber Defense
- International Organization for Standardization/International Electrotechnical Commission’s 27000 Family – Information Security Management Systems
- Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 Security Rule
- Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act
- Title 5 of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act of 1999
- Federal Information Security Modernization Act of 2014
Reasonably Conform—What Does That Entail?
There are some situations where safe harbor will not apply. This can include a breach of contract or a violation of other law. Safe harbor is designed as a defense against tort claims claiming that the security protocols mandated by the regulatory standards mentioned above were not met.
To use a safe harbor defense, an organization must demonstrate that they have taken steps to meet all of the requirements under a given framework. Moreover, when these frameworks are updated based on new technology or processes, organizations have one year to conform or they may be forced to abandon the safe harbor defense.
Because many of these regulatory frameworks can be general in their suggestions whereas others can be quite specific (like HIPAA’s 29 required organizational policies), it can be hard for businesses to know if they are meeting standards or not. This is especially complex based on a variety of factors: the nature of the information being protected, the size of an organization, the resources available to that organization, and the availability of compliance tools.
In this sense, a cyber security solution provider like Computer Technology Management Solutions may be required so that organizations can mount the best defense possible and avoid being put out of business. Surveillance and cyber security solutions are not just crucial to keeping a business running efficiently; they are vital to keeping an organization running at all.
Industrial Cyber Security Solutions
Depending on the industry, compliance with one or more cyber security frameworks is critical to ensuring efficient operational functions and privacy. Although compliance can seem like a burden at times, through the Data Protection Act Ohio has added an extra layer of defense and protection for businesses and other entities that are making their best effort to conform and protect patients and other entities they may work with.
By consulting with a cyber security solution provider like CTMS, business owners and IT directors can improve their chances at fighting torts and reduce the risk of harmful data breaches.
When it comes to cybersecurity, there are several critical hazards that can devastate your network. It doesn’t matter if you own a small startup company or run a corporate empire, you need to take proactive measures to protect your company from these threats. In this blog, we’re going to discuss what makes these risks so dangerous and how you can prevent them from infecting your system.
Cybersecurity’s Most Dangerous Threats
Disaster is inevitable, especially with the rising importance of internet use. While the internet is a valuable network of information, it can quickly transform into a dangerous battlefield. Cyber disasters can strike from nearly any angle at any point in time. If you find yourself in a cross-fire of cyber dangers, then you may be at risk of losing some of your most valuable assets including passwords, business plans, financial information, and any other form of sensitive data.
In order to keep your network unscathed, it’s important to educate yourself on these critical cyber hazards:
Denial-of-Service (DOS)
Did you know that your website has certain capacity limits? While it’s important to generate a lot of traffic to your site, there is such a thing as too much traffic. If there are too many visitors entering the same webpage simultaneously, the site can get overwhelmed and be forced to shut down abruptly. Most of the time, these issues will stem from denial-of-service (DoS) attacks.
DoS attacks are when a hacker sends several requests to a target server. The influx of illegitimate requests forces the server to process and try to authenticate the requestor, overwhelming the system. As a result, this blocks users from making service requests online.
Another version of this kind of attack is the distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack. While the goal is the same, the attack is done slightly differently. Instead of the hacker sending fraudulent requests from their system, they instead get the help of multiple malware-infected devices to spam requests.
Phishing
What would you do if you got a random email from the CEO of your company? Chances are that you’d probably open it with a sense of panic, confusion, and urgency. That’s the intent of phishing scams. In this type of social engineering attack, hackers pose as high-authority figures or trustworthy businesses in order to reel in vulnerable users.
If you get a suspicious email from your boss, a financial institution, or some other entity, be careful when opening it. The scam may contain some type of manipulative call to action (CTA) asking you to click on a link or download a file. More than likely, these are just malware traps aimed at infecting your network. Up to 75% of organizations around the world experienced a phishing attack in 2020.
The best way to avoid phishing is to set up filters for your inbox that can automatically flag suspicious email. In some cases, these messages can make it past your filter, requiring you to do the hard work yourself. If you think a message is suspicious, ask your IT help desk to investigate. You can also look out for telltale signs like spelling mistakes in the address and text or CTAs to follow a link or download a file.
Man-in-the-Middle (MitM)
Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) attacks occur when communication between two users is intercepted by an unauthorized third-party. When this type of cryptography takes place, attackers gain the ability to access information shared in what appears to be a private conversation. What makes matters worse is users are led to believe that the attacker is actually a trusted agent who is supposed to relay information to the right source.
Instead, the “man-in-the-middle” is really just eavesdropping and collecting sensitive data that they deem valuable for their own personal gain. Once the hacker confiscates this information, chances are that it won’t ever reach the person on the other end of your conversation.
The unfortunate truth about MitM attacks is they’re difficult to detect. Unless you’re actively looking into your communications to see if anything was intercepted, a MitM attack can remain unnoticed until it’s too late. Setting up tamper protection software can help deter this type of attack.
Malware
Malware is an umbrella term that refers to all types of malicious software meant to hurt or exploit a computer system. Depending on the type of malware and what’s infected, a hacker can gain full control of your network. This means they have the power to take possession of your most confidential assets.
Here’s a list of some types of malware:
- Ransomware
- Trojan horse programs
- Computer viruses
- Spyware
- Rootkits
- Logic bombs
- Worms
- Droppers
Birthday Messages
This isn’t your annual “happy birthday” message from your grandparents. This is something dangerous with some of the most severe consequences. These manipulative algorithms are all over the web and appear as a result of a message digest (MD)—a defective hash function. Birthday message attacks appear in the form of questionnaires that are conducted by hackers. Victims are tricked into submitting important sets of data to the hacker, which gives them what they need to take control of your network.
Drive-By Attacks
Have you ever thought of how malware gets planted onto a website? It’s not the same way as a traditional malware attack. If your website is crawling with viruses, then chances are, you were hit by a drive-by attack.
During drive-by attacks, hackers insert malicious scripts into the HTTP code on certain webpages. These scripts are malware traps that are instantly activated when visitors arrive on that particular page. Drive-by attacks can be triggered by practically any web-based activity, so in order to prevent them, you need to keep the number of plug-ins on your computer at a minimum.
Brute-Force Attacks
Passwords can be easily stolen with brute-force attacks, which refers to when hackers try guessing your password as many times as possible to take possession of it. This can be accomplished if your passwords are encrypted. In order to prevent outsiders from cracking into your network, it’s important that you use strong passwords, multi-factor authentication, and an account lockout system.
Call CTMS To Mitigate the Risk of Emerging Threats
When it comes to cybersecurity, there’s no one better to have in your corner than Computer Technology Management Services. We’re here to ensure that your network is left unharmed from any and all cyberthreats. Schedule a free security evaluation with the CTMS team today.
When creating a compound strategy for your business, cybersecurity and disaster recovery form the ultimate tag team.
Millions of cyber threats surround today’s digital landscape, and some are strong enough to keep your entire business out of commission for a long time. And what it comes to network security, you can never be too careful. Just because you have a firewall system and some antivirus software installed doesn’t mean that you will be safe. As technology evolves, cyber attacks intensify, which increases the likelihood of your network being invaded by a hacker. When this occurs, you could be endangered to lose any of your hard-earned valuables.
This won’t happen when you incorporate cybersecurity into your disaster recovery (DR) strategy, because when these two elements complement each other, you can expect:
- An unscathed business
- Technology that operates in peak form
- A firm grasp on your most valuable data
This blog will show you how these two elements work together to create the perfect risk management solution.
Where Does Cybersecurity Fit In With My DR Plan?
Disaster recovery and cybersecurity form the best combination since peanut butter and jelly, especially when they are under the same service bundle. Simply put, cybersecurity streamlines all DR initiatives, making the road to business recovery so much easier. When this program is incorporated into your DR plan, you’ll have fewer data to restore, which enables you to rehabilitate your business back to a stable operating form.
In order to align both of these elements together, you’ll need to follow these three steps:
Define the Most Important Priorities
Data is the backbone for practically any business, regardless of its size or industry. With that said, it’s important to note that not all business data is created equal. This is why you need to shield each data set with a different level of protection. The key action during this phase of cybersecurity planning is prioritization. Identify which files are most sensitive and carry a higher overall value. In order to keep sensitive information out of harm’s reach, make sure that you are planning for the worst case scenario, keeping your passwords encrypted, and backing up critical files in offsite data centers.
Always meet with your managed service provider (MSP) before you put your cybersecurity strategy and DR plan into effect. This gives you the opportunity to construct the perfect protection program for your most important assets.
Plan Against Select Threats
While there are millions of hazards circulating around the web, it’s important to know that not every cyber threat bears the same amount of danger. Many cybersecurity risks carry various levels of strength. Even one data breach can hold enough power to take your entire business out of operation. Educate yourself on different types of cyber threats and develop specific defense strategies to help fend off as many cyber hazards as possible.
On the other side of things, make sure that your backup and recovery plan applies to each individual threat. You’ll want to especially plan for threats that carry ransomware and malware viruses.
Pave the Road to Recovery
It takes a lot of work to get your business back up and running following the impact of a disaster, whether it’s physical or virtual. To get your operation performing at normal speed, your disaster recovery plan needs to revolve around three critical activities:
- Disaster containment
- Threat eradication
- Data restoration
The digital landscape is crawling with a variety of unique threats so you’re recovery strategy needs to be adaptable to each individual scenario. Make sure that your network is constantly monitored by an experienced cybersecurity specialist. This will help you identify existing vulnerabilities in your IT system so that you know what needs the most protection. From there, establish DR blueprint that is applicable to all of those specific discoveries.
When cybersecurity is incorporated into your DR plan, you’ll be able to identify and neutralize incoming attacks. This helps speed up business continuity and will allow you to focus on what’s most important—serving your customers and growing your business.
Disaster Recovery Planning Done Right With CTMS
When it comes to cybersecurity, there is no one better to have in your corner than the CTMS team. We have the skills, resources, and know-how to keep your computer systems at its most optimal level. We build custom solutions that will help you protect sensitive data from any type of potential threat. With our team by your side, you’ll have the peace of mind knowing that your sharpest cybersecurity professionals safeguarding your most coveted data.
Give us a call and plan your free security evaluation with our team today.
