Network firewalls have gotten better and better at blocking risks.

They do their job almost 100% of the time. But, when that 1-in-a-million threat makes it past security and wreaks havoc on your data, the firewall is not enough to protect your business. What will you do then?

Usually, the answer is to restore your data to a previous time before the threat entered the network. Your standard backups may be able to get the job done, but now is the time to make sure that is an accurate assumption. Consider these questions as you evaluate your current backup plan as the solution to recovery:

1. Is the frequency of the backups adequate to restore your data without major data loss?
2. Is the backup storage in a safe place (off the grid) so that the threat can’t get to it?
3. Can the backup be restored quickly enough to keep downtime costs minimal?

If your evaluation leaves you feeling confident that your current backup plan is a solid business continuity plan in the event of network compromise, put the plan in writing so you will have it when you need it most.

If the answers uncover a vulnerability, here are a couple of ways to supplement your firewall and be ready with a plan for business continuity after an attack.

1. THE VAULT: Move your backups to a vault, a storage area that is only connected to your production network when it is performing the backup. This method ensures that the backups will not be compromised by threats that breached security. Also, the vault is designed with the capability to restore quickly so business downtime is minimal.
2. ALWAYS-ON REPLICATION: Move to an “Always-on Replication Plan” that supports rapid recovery with seconds-old data. In other words, keep 2 copies of your data, one in production and one at a secondary location. This involves keeping a write log of every data change to ensure that you can pinpoint the best time to restore before the network was compromised.

Both of these solutions can be integrated into on-prem, cloud, and hybrid infrastructures and both offer more effective and efficient recovery from threats than most standard backup plans. Either will provide the extra layer of business protection that a firewall alone cannot.

LATG has been building IT success with people and planning for 22+ years. We are here to help you navigate the cybersecurity planning process and implement solutions to strengthen your cybersecurity and business continuity plans in 2022.