Focus On Business ContinuityĪ continuum of solutions that covers the whole range of customer needs is hard to find. If that data is then stored in immutable form, with the right technology and good restore and recovery practices, you can access unaltered data within minutes of a breach. Immutability is also key when paired with other data protections, such as continuous data protection, which can capture data on each write at very quick intervals measured in seconds. Unlike data encryption, there is no key, so there should be no way to "read" or reverse the immutability. In computing, the dictionary defines immutable as " an object with a fixed structure and properties whose values cannot be changed." Immutability is the key to successful ransomware protection because your data is converted to a write-once, read many times format that can't be altered. That's why IDC recommends a new take on the traditional backup rule: 3-2-1-1, with the extra "1" representing immutable storage. Unfortunately, to some degree, all of your backups are vulnerable to a ransomware attack. 3-2-1-1: Immutable Storage Locks Your Data Down As an added layer of security, the "1" in 3-2-1 says that one of those backup locations should be in the cloud or secure storage. The last thing you want to worry about is latency or access. That’s because it’s important to keep your backups as close to your endpoints as possible so your data can be retrieved as quickly as possible if disaster strikes. Two Plus One Equals Added SecurityĪs mentioned above, in the traditional 3-2-1 rule the “2” refers to the number of media types (or devices) you should use onsite. That could add a ton of time for your applications and data to come back online after a disaster. With secondary storage primarily built for backup security and scale at a relatively low cost, these systems can bog down your recovery if they can't quickly transfer the huge amount of data that typically needs to be recovered. That’s when you turn to your offsite backups. Say both of your data copies are compromised, so you shut your systems down and put your backup and disaster recovery plan into motion. What happens when disaster strikes and takes both of your onsite devices down? And if ransomware gets into an admin’s system it can spread like wildfire and even infect your secondary storage. While it sounds like having two copies onsite means you automatically have quick access to your backup if your primary storage fails, that may not be always the case. Store two of those copies on separate media and store at least one additional copy at an offsite location. In essence, it recommends that you keep at least three copies of your data. Let’s take a look at what the traditional 3-2-1 rule entails. That might also force you to turn to slow backup systems for recovery, which may make it impossible for you to meet your recovery time objective (RTO) and recovery point objective (RPO). But the most glaring problem with the traditional 3-2-1 backup rule is that your backups could become compromised, too, and you might not be able to recover your data at all. That may be enough motivation for most IT pros. Costly, too, to the tune of $5,600 a minute according to Gartner. If you get hit by a successful attack, every second that your systems are down is painful. Ransomware is the driving force behind our reasoning. But in the digital world 11 years is a very long time, and just like any technology (or technology process in this case), it’s ripe for an update. This backup strategy has helped prevent data losses for an untold number of organizations. Peter Krogh originally shared the concept in his 2009 book The DAM Book: Digital Asset Management for Photographers. Interestingly, we have a professional photographer to thank for the 3-2-1 backup strategy that many companies employ today.
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