A fundamental element in data security

Air gapped backup

You frequently make several backups of your organisation’s most critical data, you ensure that the copies are stored on two different mediums, one of which is stored in a different location to the source data and the other copy. Sufficient safety measures, wouldn’t you say? Unfortunately, this is not the case.

Cyberattacks are becoming more and more advanced and this requires an approach that goes beyond the 3-2-1 rule. Because what if your backups are infected with ransomware? This could cause incalculable problems. Nowadays the air gapped backup should be part of every solid backup strategy to protect your data effectively.

What is air gapped backup?

Air gapped backup is an element of a backup and recovery strategy and can be part of a disaster recovery plan. It literally means that there is a ‘air gap’ between the original data on your network and the copy of it. In practice, a backup is air gapped when it is physically disconnected from the internet. The copy is both offline and off-site, making it very difficult for cybercriminals to get remote access to these backups. This is why it’s a powerful strategy for protecting a copy of your data against cyberattacks.

Encrypted data in your backups

The ransomware attack via the Kaseya software is still etched in our memory. Not only were hundreds of Dutch organisations victims of this attack last year, but thousands of organisations worldwide also found themselves facing its damaging consequences. In Sweden, for example, the Coop had to temporarily close 800 supermarkets because the checkout systems stopped working. The affected companies were informed that they would receive a universal decryptor to regain access to their data storage if they paid a sum of 70 million dollars.

Cybercriminals use ransomware to encrypt your data and files so that you can no longer access them. This has enormous consequences for day-to-day business continuity. Backups in your network are not safe either since most ransomware attacks are designed to encrypt your backup data too. This makes it more likely that you will pay the ransom to regain access to your data. But if the copy is disconnected from your network, it cannot be hacked. This is the reason why it is so important to make these types of backups.

The safest solution: tape

The best solution is to keep the copy completely offline. This brings us quickly to the traditional LTO tape, the oldest way of storing data securely. It is the ideal backup medium for making a ‘golden copy’ of your business data which is free of encryption and inaccessible to hackers. We hear you thinking that this is an impractical solution for you: having to put the data on tapedrives and transporting them to an off-site location where you then have to store them. This whole process is called air gapped backup. Luckily there is an experienced, professional party available to help you; Backupned!

Why air gapped backup?

Here are six of the main reasons for opting for the good backup we offer.

1. Physical disasters

The main reason for an air gapped backup is physical disasters, such as very severe weather conditions, natural disasters, or a break-in. You will need a copy of your data if your office is flooded, for example. It’s also possible that a fire breaks out in your offices or that your disks fail due to a power outage. Our underground nuclear bunker enables us to ensure that these physical disasters cannot affect your data.

2. Security breach

A security breach can occur in your office. Backupned’s full service ensures that you can always be certain that your information and data will not be lost forever. This is because you have a secure backup in our underground nuclear bunker. With this air gapped backup, you know there's always an extra copy.

3. Peace of mind

Put simply, knowing that you always have an extra copy of critical data gives you peace of mind. No stress about the data you store in the office because there is always a backup.

4. You save on space

Your physical space in your office is probably limited. Our underground nuclear bunker is big enough to store all your important data. We help you to use the space in your office for what it was intended.

5. Simple to scale up

Your business is growing, but you don’t necessarily want to move to bigger premises? Very understandable! If you make use of our full service, we have a huge amount of space available to accommodate your expanding data.

6. A backup whenever you need one

Normally, you make a frequent backup of all your data. This is no longer necessary if you make use of our backup service. We make life easier for you, and your important data is safe with us.

Air gapped backup is essential for your backup strategy

Because it is a fundamental element of your data security, it is not surprising that the 3-2-1 rule has been expanded into 3-2-1-0, with an offline and off-site copy being added to ensure that your backups are free from ransomware. Tape is ideal for this. At Backupned, we have been convinced of this for over 27 years, as have our current and new customers, which include several very prestigious organisations.

Not only is tape storage cost effective and secure, it is also a sustainable and low-carbon solution. We take care of the physical transport by collecting the LTO 9 tapes and storing them in our underground depots. And we are now able to offer online data transfer too: your data is sent to one of our depots through ultra-secure fibre connections. There, your data is transferred to tape, which is stored off-site and offline again, in other words, air gapped

Like to learn more about our air gapped backup? Contact us for an introduction with no further obligation.