Cyber Recovery vs. Data Protection
Cyber security is a vast field. When deciding on the appropriate cyber security solution for your business, there are a lot of options, and there is overlap between some of the most commonly used terms. One example of a pair of terms with some overlap is cyber recovery and data protection.
In a nutshell, cyber recovery refers to your ability to recover your data after a malicious attack or data breach. Data protection, on the other hand, typically refers to the ability to recover your data after an unpredictable event such as a natural disaster. In both cases, it’s highly recommended that you introduce strategies that minimize the impact to your business from a cybercriminal or unplanned disaster.
What is Data Protection?
In the world of data management, data protection is the practice of guarding sensitive data. According to the Storage Networking Industry Association, data protection uses a variety of methods for keeping data safe from “corruption, compromise, or loss and providing the capability to restore the data to a functional state should something happen to render the data inaccessible or unusable.”
Data protection solutions ensure that data remains uncorrupted and ready to use for its intended purpose. These practices also keep data compliant with the regulatory requirements of any given industry.
Different types of data protection strategies include:
- Data loss prevention
- Data recovery
- Data backup
- Authorization
- Authentication
- Firewalls
- Encryption
- Endpoint Protection
- Cyber recovery plans
Another important function of data protection is to keep your data secure in the event of a natural disaster. Whether it be a wildfire, hurricane, or flood, it’s critical that businesses also protect their data from the forces of mother nature. At Sanity Solutions, we recommend a 3-2-1-1-0 data protection strategy to prepare for disruptions whether they’re man-made, or due to a natural disaster.
What is Cyber Recovery?
Cyber recovery is a novel data protection practice that utilizes key technologies to keep business workflows running smoothly in the event of a successful cybercrime attack.
According to the Wall Street Journal, cyber recovery is a method of data protection that “takes essential backups and business data and stores them in segregated, secured, and immutable form” in preparation for cyber attacks. By following a cyber recovery plan, companies don’t have to stop operating if they experience a data breach.
By utilizing sophisticated integrations such as machine learning, cyber recovery systems are able to increase cyber resistance for your business in the event of a cyber attack. Many cyber recovery systems also utilize cyber vaults to keep sensitive data protected so it can be trusted after a breach.
What Types of Operations Benefit from Cyber Recovery?
Any company that has data of value to how it operates is under threat from cybercriminals, those that house financial data and consumer info are particularly prone to malware and ransomware attacks. Especially for large institutions like banks, the prospect of shutting operations down for a data breach is simply not an option.
Cyber recovery systems not only protect data for large operations but also help ensure business continuity and reduce recovery time if their cyber security is compromised.
Data Protection Law
With the rapid advancement of critical internet activities like online banking and e-commerce, the U.S. government created several laws to protect sensitive consumer information. Using data protection and cyber recovery systems will help ensure you stay compliant with these privacy regulations.
Important federal data protection laws include:
- Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA)
- Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
- Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA)
- Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
- Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
- Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA)
- Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA)
- Federal Trade Commission Act (FTC Act)
- Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA)
Do I Need Data Protection and Cyber Recovery for My Business?
The short answer is yes.
Did you know that malicious email attacks are up 600% since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic?
In today’s business world, sound cyber security practices are more important than ever. With an increased dependency on the internet with COVID-19, hackers are more sophisticated and can more easily identify vulnerabilities. Malware and ransomware attacks are more common, and as such, data protection is a critical part of any functional cyber security plan.
But don’t forget to think about the unthinkable.
Data Protection vs. Cyber Recovery: What Can You Afford?
The average downtime a company experiences after a malware attack is 21 days. Even if you can’t afford top-of-the-line solutions, your business also can’t afford to be down for three weeks.
If you’re a small business or you’re on a budget, there are ways to budget cybersecurity into your operating costs. Start with a cybersecurity gap assessment. Then identify how much you can budget for cybersecurity or data protection, and take care of the most critical issues. Some companies, like Sanity Solutions, even offer IT financing solutions to help businesses get to where they need to be.
Learn more about your options with Sanity Solutions. Contact us today!
