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Tag Archives: data security

  HomeDSM Group   : :   data security
immutable and mutable backup
Posted on By Author DSM Group Categories Cloud Backup, Security

Offering Immutable Data Backup as Standard: A Game-Changer in Data Security by DSM Group

In today’s fast-paced digital landscape, data is the lifeblood of businesses. From financial records and customer information to intellectual property and operational data, companies rely heavily on their digital assets. With the ever-increasing frequency and sophistication of cyber threats and the potential for accidental data loss, having a robust backup strategy is essential for any organisation.

One innovative approach to data backup that has gained traction but is still far from the industry standard is “Immutable Data Backup.” Immutable data backups offer a level of data protection that goes beyond traditional backup methods, providing an added layer of security against ransomware attacks, human errors, and data corruption. While very few companies currently offer this service due to the associated infrastructure and costs, some forward-thinking organisations are breaking new ground.

One such company is DSM Group, which has made it their mission to prioritise data security and offer immutable data backup as a standard service. Their investment in cutting-edge infrastructure, including a solar farm and a water-cooled data centre, has allowed them to provide this game-changing service to their clients without breaking the bank.

Understanding Immutable Data Backup

Before delving into the benefits of immutable data backup, it’s essential to understand what it entails. Immutable data backup refers to a backup method where once data is stored, it cannot be altered, overwritten, or deleted until a predefined retention period expires. In other words, it guarantees the immutability and integrity of your backup data, making it impervious to external threats or accidental data modifications.

The Advantages of Immutable Data Backup

  1. Ransomware Resilience: Ransomware attacks have become increasingly prevalent and sophisticated. Attackers often target backups, rendering them useless and leaving victims with no option but to pay a ransom. Immutable data backups are immune to such attacks, as the data remains unalterable, regardless of external interference.
  2. Data Integrity: In a world where data integrity is paramount, immutable backups provide assurance that your data will remain unchanged, ensuring its accuracy and reliability for compliance and auditing purposes.
  3. Protection Against Human Errors: Accidental data deletion or modification is a common cause of data loss. Immutable backups safeguard against these mistakes, guaranteeing the ability to restore your data to its original state.
  4. Historical Data Retrieval: Immutable backups preserve historical versions of data, enabling organisations to recover files or records from any point in time. This can be invaluable for investigating incidents or tracking changes over time.
  5. Peace of Mind: Knowing that your critical data is secure and immutable can offer peace of mind to business owners and IT professionals, allowing them to focus on strategic initiatives rather than worrying about data loss.

The Slight Space Requirement and Cost

One consideration to keep in mind when adopting immutable data backup

is that it typically requires approximately 20% more storage space compared to traditional backup methods. While this might lead to concerns about increased costs, it’s essential to emphasise that the additional storage cost is minimal when weighed against the substantial benefits of data security and protection against potential data breaches or loss.

The investment in the extra storage space for immutable backups is a proactive measure that ensures the integrity and availability of your critical data. In the grand scheme of data security, this added expense is a small price to pay for the peace of mind and resilience it offers against cyber threats and data disasters.

Overcoming the Cost and Infrastructure Challenge

The primary reason many companies have yet to adopt immutable data backup as a standard service is the perceived cost and infrastructure required. However, forward-thinking organisations like DSM Group have found innovative solutions to overcome these challenges.

By investing in renewable energy sources, such as a solar farm, and developing an efficient water-cooled data centre, DSM Group has managed to significantly reduce operational costs. These investments not only make their data centre environmentally friendly but also allow them to pass on cost savings to their clients, making immutable data backup an affordable option.

Making Immutable Data Backup Accessible to All

The move toward offering immutable data backup as a standard service is a significant step in enhancing data security for businesses of all sizes. While the infrastructure and costs may have been barriers in the past, companies like DSM Group are demonstrating that it’s possible to overcome these challenges.

In an era when data breaches and cyber threats are a constant concern, investing in immutable data backup is a proactive approach that can protect your organisation’s most valuable asset: its data. As more companies recognise the importance of this service, it may become an industry standard, ensuring that businesses are better equipped to safeguard their digital assets in an increasingly volatile digital landscape.

In conclusion, immutable data backup is a game-changer in data security, and DSM Group is leading the way by making it accessible and affordable to their clients. As businesses continue to prioritise data protection, immutable backups may soon become the gold standard for safeguarding critical digital assets. The minimal cost of additional storage space pales in comparison to the invaluable protection it provides for your data.

If you would like to know more or get a quote please call us or fill in the form below.

    data backup
    Posted on By Author DSM Group Categories Cloud Backup, Disaster Recovery

    Four key reasons why you should backup your data

    Today’s world revolves around electronic data; Business simply cannot operate without it.  No data = no business.

    Data is one of the life bloods of a business; With the ever increasing risks (viruses, hackers, natural disasters, hardware failures etc.) it’s almost inevitable something will, eventually, go wrong;  It’s not an ‘if’ but more like a ‘when’. The scale of loss could be anything from a hard drive failure to a ransomware attack.

    We have created a list of the four main reasons why you should ensure your data is correctly and securely backed up.

    Hacking and ransomware

    It is estimated around half of UK businesses faced some form of cyber-security breach in 2019/20. Most of the time the firewall and/or anti-virus software will trap the attempted infiltration however…. just like some human viruses, there’s an occasional one that gets through and causes havoc.

    In extreme cases, hackers can encrypt and hold your data to ransom. If you don’t have your data backed up (effectively), the only way to recover it might be to pay them.  There is, of course, no guarantee that your data will be returned.

    Ransomware or a virus may not be specifically targeted to you – they are designed to be smart and will automatically seek the weakness in IT systems then spread further and embed themselves until the circumstances are right for maximum damage.

    The best way to negate a ransomware attack is to ensure your systems are correctly patched, firewalled and an effective data backup is in place.

    Not all data loss is malicious

    While it’s easy to think of data loss as being a purposeful act, UK government stats, indicate that the vast majority of data losses and breaches are the result of human error.

    Staff within your business have to handle your data as part of their job, so there’s always a chance of data being deleted by accident. If you don’t want your company to be detrimentally impacted by a business critical file or email that’s accidentally been deleted (or maybe purposeful by a disgruntled employee), you need an effective backup solution.

    Disasters happen

    When protecting against data loss, businesses also need to think about the safety of the hardware that stores their data. It is often more fragile than you might think.

    Disaster is often thought of as being a grand scale event eg: Fire, Flood, Explosion but, in fact, it’s often more mundane actions that cause the issues: Poor-quality electrics, leaking roof or pipe, failed air conditioning unit etc

    Without an effective backup, you can seriously risk the future of your business.

    Critical data loss destroys businesses

    Approximately 9 out of 10 companies that lose their data for more than 10 days end up filing for bankruptcy within a year. In fact, many of those businesses file for bankruptcy immediately.

    Why? The loss of data can cause significant business interruption. Most businesses simply cannot afford such downtime. Depending on the scale of the breach, a business may also be subject to regulatory fines (as a result of GDPR for example).

    Data loss can also prove catastrophically damaging to reputation. Companies can find that the cost of losing (and subsequently trying to win back) customer confidence, following data loss or theft, far outweighs the actual cost of the data loss itself.

    The faster you can get up and running again, the more likely you are to retain customer confidence. This is why an effective data backup is imperative.

    Protecting your data

    There’s a number of ways you can backup your business data however, the most recognised and effective solution is an offsite, cloud backup.  ‘Cloud’ is not a  mythical place but a purpose designed building with specialist technical staff and systems.

    By working with such a specialist provider, you can ensure that your critical data is automatically backed-up  – effectively and securely and perhaps, more importantly, capable of being recovered – easily.

    Don’t know where to start? We are here to work with you to create a custom backup solution for your business data.

     

    CyberTerrorism 1
    Posted on By Author DSM Group Categories blog, Cloud Computing, Hosting & Colocation, IT Support, Server Replication

    Cyberterrorism – The Silent Threat?

    The business benefits of cloud computing are widely recognised but, for many organisations who have to comply with regulatory requirements, there is a need for evidence of enhanced security from their Data Centre partner.  Stolen or corrupt data can lead to loss of customers, high recovery costs and – most of all – a damaged reputation.  If an organisation is using a cloud solution they must rely on their supplier to provide the necessary level of security technology and processes.  In the Data Centre environment both physical and virtual security requirements must be demonstrated to the satisfaction of their customers.

    The physical security of a data centre plays a significant role in ensuring information is kept safe.  Access to the site should be restricted to authorised people only and have round the clock surveillance.  Electronic access control systems as well as interior and exterior high resolution CCTV is a must and Data Centre managers must ensure that security is not compromised by failure of resources such as electricity.

    Not only must the site be physically secure, the network infrastructure must also be safe from unauthorised penetration.  The scope of system security in the Data Centre should include security policies and practices, firewall protection, anti-virus software and continuous monitoring for incidents.  Automated solutions can be used to detect security breaches and to replicate data for regulatory compliance requirements.

    “Data Centre security is of vital importance.  It’s up to the owner to ensure that the infrastructure is safe and all security procedures are fully documented and rigorously followed.   This allows our clients to focus on their core business without having any concerns over the safety of their data,” said John Morton, Sales Director, DSM.

    New solutions are being introduced constantly to counter threats and meet compliance requirements in web application security and data security.  There is a wide range of security ‘add-ons’ including alerts to network events and real-time visibility into routing and traffic anomalies.  Many Data Centres are now using smart monitoring features such as Intrusion Detection which quickly identifies and alerts if human attackers, network worms or bots are attempting to compromise the system.

    Only by ensuring their Data Centre partners are well protected and incorporating the latest security technologies can organisations be confident that their data remains safe.