Perigon One recently joined with Datto in a prestigious “Lunch and Learn” event, where we talked about Business Critical Data and how to plan for a tech disaster. The aim of this friendly gathering was to provide our clients with valuable information on these topics, and to present a range of solutions offered to businesses by Datto.
Nobody wants to think about the worst-case scenario, but in business, we have to face the fact that disaster can strike. Whether it’s caused by natural events like a fire, or by more sinister cyber threats, it’s only sensible to plan ahead and to come up with a Disaster Plan. In this way, you can save yourself unnecessary worry, financial losses and costly downtime by having your disaster solutions in place.
To begin with, we shared our tips on general data safety, which anyone, especially in business, should follow to protect themselves against cyber attack. Then we introduced Luke Saunders from Datto, who talked to us about Business Continuity. As well as the usual disaster scenarios like power outages and floods, we learned about the very real and increasing threat from ransomware.
Hackers & evolving threats
Ransomware tricks you into giv
ing access to hackers, who then encrypt your files and lock you out of your own computer systems. You’ll have to pay them a ransom to get back in – or, in some cases, you’ll be asked to pass on the infection to others. Next, we learned that hackers have also found their way into Zoom meetings. With the growth of home working since the COVID-19 pandemic, video conferencing has become a big part of our lives – and now poses an additional threat.
Luke explained how Datto provides business continuity today, using on-premises data redundancy solutions and secure back-ups. He showed us how their Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery (BCDR) set-up works, and talked us through the various verification procedures it requires. Luke also went through the wide range of restore options offered by Datto’s BCDR solutions. We then moved on to planning against disaster, particularly in terms of staff training and eliminating the risks posed by careless computer users.
Security & the cloud
To wind up his demonstration, Luke showed us how today’s on-prem data platforms would eventually migrate to cloud-based applications, and how Software as a Service (SaaS) would be tomorrow’s norm. He indicated that tomorrow’s business continuity must include SaaS security, to protect against hackers gaining access through the cloud.
Using Microsoft 365 and Google as examples, it was easy to see how the levels of protection were differentiated: the service providers protect their own system and applications, while it’s the end-user or the managed service provider who’s responsible for any loss of data that might occur. Moreover, SaaS is itself vulnerable to ransomware, when hackers get into your Microsoft 365 or Google accounts and install ransomware through that application.
For a grand finale, we learned how the Internet of Things is opening up the potential for hackers to get into your systems through seemingly innocuous avenues, as even smart devices like fish tank thermometers can be hacked. As our connectivity increases, future security solutions will include all-platform protection, from on-prem to cloud to user-based applications.
Datto and Perigon One together can provide you with current and future solutions to keep all your Business Critical Data safe.
