How an astonishingly simple infrastructure modification can be an answer to complex cyberthreats
As we close out National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, it’s an ideal time to reflect and review preparations to protect your business. Cybersecurity is often focused on tips to prevent cyberattacks before they strike your business, but not enough attention is paid to how you can recover once an
attack has already happened.
Cyberattacks are becoming increasingly prevalent, in the face of complex threats exacerbated by work-from-home and the COVID-19 pandemic Nowadays it’s not a matter of if you will experience a cyberattack, but a matter of when it will happen. And when it does, it can prove very costly.
The costs and challenges of cyberattacks
According to Forbes,
- Ransomware cost the world $20 billion in 2021
- In 2021, 37% of all businesses and organizations were hit by ransomware
- Recovering from a ransomware attack cost businesses an average of $1.85 million in 2021
- Out of all ransomware victims, 32% pay the ransom, but they only get 65% of their data back
Some other key data points to consider:
- The average downtime after a ransomware attack is 24 days, according to Statista
- There was a 400% increase in cyberattacks during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the FBI
- 19% of attacks are internal, according to the Verizon 2023 Data Breach Investigations Report
- 67% of IT decision makers are not entirely confident they can fully recover according to a survey by Dell
- 75% of IT organizations will face one of more attacks, according to Gartner
Hybrid and home work can improve sustainability, but making strides toward net zero requires assessing your digital workplace and reducing the carbon footprint of your devices.
It’s not just ransomware, in 2020, 82% of organizations reported suffering from a disruptive event (like downtime or data loss), according to the Dell Technologies Global Data Protection Index 2020 Snapshot. Over time, cyberattacks have become more advanced. Criminals exploit vulnerabilities, gaining access to data and information and using it for their own financial gain.
Hence, cybersecurity is no longer solely about trying to prevent an attack from happening, but being resilient for when the inevitable strikes. It’s becoming increasingly important to provide levels of security over and above prevention — not just to save data and money, but for the peace of mind it can provide knowing proactive steps are being taken.
Why cyber recovery is so important
As technology continues to evolve, there are ways you can prepare and protect your valuable data. Cyber recovery needs to be implemented before an attack, but it can make a big difference in the outcome — especially on the time to recover and loss of information. The exact methodology will differ depending on the cyber recovery solution you choose, but the overall process is astonishingly simple. Here's how it works:
First, consultants will identify your most critical data assets in consultation with your teams and according to your company’s data governance and regulatory needs. Then, permanent copies of your business-critical data are stored in a piece of infrastructure that basically amounts to a cyber vault. This vault is isolated from your production systems and therefore protected from potential attacks — meaning that your critical back-up data is ready to be used immediately for recovery in the event of a ransomware or cyberattack.
This simple procedure — applied to your infrastructure — allows for your most business-critical data assets to be immutably secured and available to you any time you need to recover. Atos can not only identify those critical assets, but can also implement and manage the end-to-end solution.
Cyberattacks can hit any company: big or small, non-profit or for-profit. Whatever the size or shape of your organization, preparation is key. Cyber recovery is not just important, but essential in an evolving digital world. As technology advances, so do the cyberthreats that can compromise your data and disrupt your business.
You need to be ready for any scenario and have a plan in place to recover quickly and effectively. It gives you confidence that your data is safe and accessible, no matter what happens. Finally, it also gives you a competitive edge, as you can demonstrate your reliability and trustworthiness to your customers and partners. Cyber recovery comes in several different levels of protection, but any step you take now can make a big difference in the long run.
Posted on: October 30, 2023
