Many of the small and medium organizations we work with are moving toward cloud storage in greater numbers than they were in the past and there are many reasons for that. We work with many business owners with whom we share 5 tips for cloud storage protection, as a starting point.

Cloud storage has a myriad of providers including Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud and AWS from which to choose. We do know that Microsoft and its cloud product offers ease of access to the vast Microsoft ecosystem, AI (artificial intelligence) readiness and sophisticated automation.

While there are benefits to cloud storage for business owners who want to give employees and vendors access to certain and specific information, there are also potential drawbacks that come with every public cloud storage platform.

Some of those drawbacks and vulnerabilities include:

  1. User error. In most instances of data breaches it is the human factor that leads to that breach. It may not be malicious and could be simply using a weak password, but it still falls in the lap of the user and of the company owner whose IT department doesn’t strictly enforce password and other login protocols.
  2. Hardware failure
  3. Data corruption
  4. Ransomware

As a managed service provider (MSP) we know how to protect the data of our clients. In addition to data protection, we work with our clients to prepare a business continuity and disaster recovery (BCDR) plan and run it through various scenarios that may arise to ensure the client will be able to recover as quickly as possible in the event of a breach.

5 Tips For Cloud Storage Protection

Being able to recover from a ransomware attack involves mounting the backup plan that helps ensure your normal business operations are up and running with minimal downtime. Truly, how long could your business afford to be “closed” because of a data breach? Not long, we assume.

5 Tips For Cloud Storage Protection

When we are working with our clients to prepare their BCDR plan and are looking to your cloud storage, here are the items we consider in the protection of their virtual machines, or VMs.  

  1. It must be predictable. When you implement a backup protocol you need to have confidence it will work when you need it. A BCDR should provide advanced backup verification and should confirm that the VM will restart correctly and with all the applications and data intact.
  2. Ransomware scanning should be included. As part of the solution, scanning for ransomware will help ensure your data is protected. In a recent study it was found that “more than 70% of managed service providers consider ransomware the most common malware threat to small business owners.”
  3. It must be easy to use. If you are in the midst of a ransomware crisis or other data access crisis, you don’t want to struggle to implement the virtual machine restoration. We implement disaster recovery solutions that allow us to onboard your info – within minutes – not hours or days. We know how important your uptime is. If you’re looking for an MSP find one that offers a centralized cloud backup portal – this will allow you to remotely view and manage all your information.
  4. It must be efficient. We are always looking for methods to make monitoring and streamlining operations because we know that makes a difference in recovery and response times. Look for a cloud and BCDR solution that is all-in-one – cloud backup storage, unified backup and disaster recovery all in one system. Since we are looking to reduce downtime for our clients we always look for solutions that are able to provide instant virtualization to quickly restore your information in the event of a breach.  
  5. Look for flexibility. An optimal business continuity and disaster recovery solution lets us choose the most current backup (whether from Azure VM or other cloud storage provider) to any previous backup. This offers increased flexibility around your desired recovery point objectives. The need for this is that you need to have a “clean” backup when you restore. If you’re restoring from a backup that still has malware embedded, you will again suffer a breach.

When you work with the team at WareGeeks Solutions you can rest assured we seek and help prepare solutions that provided dedicated cloud support and recovery.

WareGeeks Solutions is a Roselle, New Jersey-based full-service IT Solutions and Service Provider.
We specialize in Data Protection, specifically Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery (BCDR) and Cyber Security. We work with all small, medium, and large companies. We conduct a multi-level risk analysis that identifies processes procedures and/or technology that stifle productivity with oppressive layers of complexity. If you have IT or security questions contact Seth at WareGeeks Solutions. For information or a consultation, call (877) 653-7146, or email us at info@waregeeks.comwww.waregeeks.com