Having resilient data is one of the primary objectives, as cyber threats continue to expand and evolve year after year. How can we prepare for this scenario? ITD Consulting presents today the basic aspects to consider for achieving resilient data.
According to Check Point, the number of cyberattacks registered in 2022 was 38% higher than the previous year. During the fourth quarter of 2022, a historical record was set with an average of 1,168 cyberattacks per week. The need to prevent these attacks from affecting and halting our operations is clear.
General Guidelines for Resilient Data
Now let’s review some of the general aspects that we should consider to ensure we have resilient data. ITD Consulting outlines five basic characteristics that your company should incorporate at all levels. The key is to involve all employees with the support of the IT team as the guide for processes.
1. Classified Data
One of the initial and central processes in data management is classification and cleaning. This process not only improves data usage but also contributes to cybersecurity by classifying data based on its importance and type. This allows us to provide the best cybersecurity alternatives based on the type of data, ensuring the most sensitive data is protected.
For this procedure, we can use data managers and assign responsibility for data protection to each employee. Additionally, we must delegate data cleaning and integrity responsibilities carefully to our IT team.
2. Identification of Essential Data
As mentioned in the previous point, having classified data helps us identify the essential data for our company. This allows us to manage a specific backup system for that data with the shortest possible backup intervals, ensuring that this data is always available and that our operations do not stop in the event of a cyberattack.
It is important that our employees are thoroughly aware of which data is essential to the company, so they can be trained on the correct protocols for handling it, reducing the risk of human error, and ensuring it is properly managed.
3. Workflows Focused on Resilient Data
Having an established protocol known to all employees for managing data backup and recovery is essential. Each employee must know what to do if they detect a cyberattack or suspect one. To this end, clear communication channels must be established, allowing for swift communication between involved departments, and ensuring that the established protocols are followed.
We recommend running drills to evaluate the functioning and knowledge of everyone, as well as conducting training sessions to ensure that all departments fully understand the protocols and are aware of their importance.
4. Data Lifecycle
Having a well-established map of the entire data lifecycle in your company ensures that data is protected at every stage, from creation to deletion. Remember that there can be gaps in this cycle that we need to close to ensure cybersecurity.
Resilient data is data that is protected throughout its entire lifecycle. Make sure to assign responsibilities according to your IT team’s role.
5. Monitor
It's not only important to supervise the processes or the effective execution of recovery through drills, but you should also monitor the data lifecycle to ensure each step is appropriately managed by the responsible parties. Furthermore, encourage constant collaboration between your IT team and the rest of your employees, so they understand the best ways to maintain cybersecurity and ensure data resilience.
Specific Tips for Resilient Data
1. Cybersecurity Culture
As mentioned in previous articles about cybersecurity and malware, many times these threats exploit human error to compromise our systems. Detecting a cyber threat can be complicated due to the variety of strategies that exist. However, you must instill a cybersecurity culture in your company, making sure all employees are aware of what might seem suspicious.
This should be complemented by regular training and updates, as well as providing each employee with an efficient and fast communication channel with your IT team to assist them and answer their questions in case of a suspected threat.
2. Consolidation and Automation
Simplify processes and reduce cybersecurity gaps. By using SaaS services, you can reduce the pressure on your IT team by sharing responsibility for cybersecurity with the service provider.
First, analyze the processes carried out in your company: map the architecture. This will allow you to understand the complexity of the critical workflows and determine which ones should be consolidated.
Along with this, introduce automation, as manual processes increase system insecurity. Automation contributes to resilient data because it reduces the risk of human error that could compromise data.
3. BC/DR
Business Continuity (BC) refers to the continuity of business operations, meaning focusing your efforts on ensuring that your business operations do not stop due to a cyberattack or system failure. In this focus, data and related systems are considered a priority.
Disaster Recovery (DR) is the technology that supports the BC goal. Through the proper integration of these systems, resilient data can be achieved. Remember, one key consideration for DR is time. The system must be able to recover in the shortest possible time.
ITD Consulting invites you to evaluate your systems and consider some of the suggestions provided in this article to achieve resilient data. Additionally, we remind you that you can count on specialized services such as ITD Consulting’s backup and recovery services to strengthen your cybersecurity.
With growing cyber threats, better prevention protocols are necessary. Let’s aim for resilient data that won’t halt our business. If you want to start implementing this in your company, contact us at [email protected] and we’ll provide the best cybersecurity solutions to ensure your data resilience.
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