World Backup Day 2023 - Cyber and Fraud Centre

In today’s digital age, our lives are increasingly dependent on technology. We use computers, smartphones, and other devices to store and access everything from family photos to sensitive financial information. And while technology has made our lives easier in many ways, it has also made us more vulnerable to data loss. That’s why World Backup Day, which falls on March 31st every year, serves as a reminder to everyone about the importance of backing up our data.

While technology is brilliant at storing, sorting, and showing our data, most modern-day devices are pretty fragile. Anyone who uses a phone, laptop, or tablet will know that a few drops of water or a short fall to the ground is often enough to damage a device beyond repair. Whoever coined the term “don’t cry over spilt milk” clearly never spilt milk on their computer!

Unfortunately, not just the physical elements can damage a device’s data but the cyber ones too. Cyber attacks can wipe terabytes of information in seconds, and even the best anti-viruses and firewalls can still be bypassed. The threat of your personal data and your organisation’s data being completely lost is daunting. Thankfully, there is one safety net in place that can mitigate such damage: data backups!

Backing up your data provides a second copy of your important files, photos, and information accessible from devices other than your primary computer or phone. In an emergency, this can allow you to access the information you need and mitigate the disruption or damage that would otherwise be caused.

Backing up data is vital for organisations as they rely on the data stored on servers and computers. Think about it: how would your organisation cope if it had no access to work devices for a day, a week, or even a month? If the answer is “it wouldn’t”, backing up your organisation’s data is essential.

Types of backup methods

There are multiple ways to backup your data, and it is essential to understand them if you are looking to backup larger datasets. There are three main backup methods: full, incremental, and differential.

Full Backups:

As the name suggests, full backups involve backing up all data you wish to have stored. Typically, if you haven’t done any backups previously, you would do a full backup before using the other two backup methods.

Full backups are quite intensive and require a lot of network usage and an extended time. Because of this, it is recommended only to do full backups occasionally.

Incremental Backups:

Incremental backups involve only backing up files that have changed or been newly created since the last backup took place, therefore taking less time and involving less network usage.

The disadvantages of incremental backups are that they are time-consuming to restore, and complete restoration may only be possible if one of the incremental backups is damaged or missing.

This backup method is recommended when you regularly have large amounts of data with minute changes. Incremental backups allow only the changed data to be saved rather than the entire dataset. However, should those large datasets need to be restored quickly in an emergency, such as a ransomware attack, it may take a long time before you can fully access the restored data.

Differential Backups:

Differential backups, the final primary backup method, merge full and incremental backup characteristics. This technique backs up only the altered files since the last backup; nevertheless, when the differential backup grows to a specific size or a predetermined number of files are modified, a full backup is performed.

With differential backups, you can choose the frequency of full backups, giving your organisation better access to restored data in case of need. Moreover, this method enables you to establish distinct backup policies for diverse datasets. For instance, your personnel database may undergo infrequent modifications and require a full backup only every few months. Conversely, your customer information database may experience frequent changes and necessitate more frequent full backups.

Where can I backup my data?

There are many different options for storing backed-up data, so it is essential to consider the needs of yourself or your organisation. For organisations, it is important to remember to backup data stored in at least two different types of storage.

Cloud Storage:

Cloud storage is one of the most common forms of storage for organisations. The idea revolves around your data being held in the ‘cloud’ and accessible from anywhere in the world with internet access. An important thing to remember with cloud storage is that the term ‘the cloud’ means someone else’s server – your data is not guaranteed complete protection and may still be compromised should the organisation holding your data suffer a cyber attack.

Cloud storage is offered in many different formats by many organisations, and it is essential to research which organisations are right for you.

Physical Storage:

Physical storage, such as hard drives, USB sticks, and SSDs, allows backed-up data to be stored in a secure location that is not accessible from the internet. As these storage methods can only be accessed from the device that they are connected to, they have a downside that they are not as easily accessible as data stored in the cloud. However, this means that in the event of a compromised account, you know that there is a limited chance of a malicious user being able to access data stored on independent physical media.

While storing large databases on physical storage may not be practical, smaller amounts of data can be stored there to allow for quick access in an emergency. Storing critical data, such as emergency staff contact information, your organisation’s business continuity plan, and other important documents, can allow access to these forms if needed.

Physical storage methods also allow quicker data recovery than cloud storage and do not rely on internet access.

Some key points to remember:

Below are some tips that can help you know how to backup and protect your data:

Identify essential data that your organisation relies on day-to-day. This can include staff contact data, emails, and customer information. Understanding what data your organisation depends on can allow you to know what should be a priority when backing up or restoring data.
Use the 3-2-1 rule for data backups. Keep at least three copies of your data across two different types of storage, with at least one copy kept off-site, such as on an external hard drive or the cloud.
Make sure your backups cannot be accessed by unauthorised users or malware. Limit access to your critical backups to only administrative users to prevent a typical user account from tampering with the data should it be compromised.
Test your backup recovery method to ensure that data can easily be accessed should you need it in an emergency, as well as let you know how long it may take to recover data should a ransomware attack you. This can be done by downloading data onto a new device or server from your backup method.
Encrypt your backups. Most cloud storage providers will have this as an option, and ensuring that all data, especially sensitive data, is encrypted when stored is crucial. This can help prevent unauthorised users from accessing your data without you knowing.

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