The Hidden Risks in Your Backup Strategy
Picture this: a ransomware attack hits, your systems lock up, and your data is being held hostage. What’s your move? If your answer is anything other than “We restore from a secure backup and keep moving,” you might have a serious problem. That’s exactly why the National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (NCCoE) has laid out a no-nonsense guide for Managed Service Providers (MSPs) to ensure businesses—yours included—don’t get caught off guard.
Backups: More Than Just a “Nice to Have”
Data backups aren’t just a safety net—they’re your business’s lifeline. But here’s the catch: not all backups are created equal. NCCoE stresses that simply storing files somewhere offsite isn’t enough. You need a well-structured plan that prioritizes critical data, defines clear recovery time objectives (RTOs), and ensures system dependencies are accounted for. Think of it like preparing for a fire—you wouldn’t just have a fire extinguisher; you’d have an evacuation plan, alarms, and fire drills.
Cloud Backups: A Different Beast
Using cloud services? Great—but don’t assume your data is automatically protected. Many businesses rely on cloud-based applications, but NCCoE warns that backup strategies need to be tailored to each platform. Some services retain data for only a short time, while others offer limited recovery options. The takeaway? Know where your data lives and how to get it back when disaster strikes.
Testing Makes Perfect
A backup you’ve never tested is like a parachute you’ve never opened—risky at best. NCCoE recommends regular testing to ensure backups actually work when you need them. That means running drills, checking for corruption, and verifying restore times. After all, the worst time to discover your backups failed is when you desperately need them.
The Bottom Line
Cyberattacks and system failures aren’t if scenarios—they’re when. If your business isn’t taking data protection seriously, you’re rolling the dice on your future. The good news? Working with an MSP that follows NCCoE’s guidelines means you don’t have to lose sleep over worst-case scenarios. Because when disaster strikes, you don’t need panic—you need a plan.
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