Do you know this too? You are engrossed in a project, working on an important document, are in a productive peak phase and suddenly: standstill. The mouse cursor cannot be moved, the computer freezes and the supposedly only way to continue the project is to restart the computer. At this point, at the latest, the inner reproach spreads: “If only I had made a backup copy…”. We know better, but what is holding us back?

On the occasion of the International World Backup Day, we would like to draw attention to this:

• Why it’s absolutely necessary to create backups.
• Why you should update them regularly.
• And which form of backup is most effective.

Be ahead of a third of computer users and start right now, because it’s not for nothing that they say: “No backup – no pity”.

The 4 W’s of Backup

Hard drives, computers, servers and entire systems can be rendered unusable by technical defects or by cyber attacks, such as the installation of malware. Backups create backup copies of your data. These can be used to restore lost or destroyed content and even entire systems. The range of types of backups is wide:

• From automated, in-drive backups or
• the storage of data on other areas of the network, via
• external storage media such as hard drives or USB sticks, up to and including
• Using a cloud, the possibilities are very diverse.

Not sure which backup type is right for you? Don’t worry, the mantra here is that any option is better than no option.

Do backups protect against a cyberattack?

Backups cannot prevent cyberattacks – but they can significantly minimize the consequences of an attack. Cybercriminals can transfer malware to your computer via infected email attachments or compromised websites, among other things, and thus take control of your system infrastructure. In so-called ransomware attacks, your data is encrypted and made inaccessible to you. In this form of cyberattack, cybercriminals often demand a ransom and promise to decrypt your data after payment has been made. However, there is no guarantee for the consideration. In some cases, the encryptions are even so sophisticated that decryption is technically a massive challenge or even impossible. Through well-thought-out and organized backup strategies, you will improve your position against the blackmailers. You can counteract powerlessness and restore your data through the backup copies yourself or with the help of IT experts.

“I store my data in my cloud”

In addition to storing it on the hard drive, do you regularly transfer all your data to your cloud automatically or manually? Storage capacities are unlimited, real-time synchronization facilitates collaboration: The advantages of cloud systems cannot be denied. However, you shouldn’t rely on the cloud as the sole backup medium, because essentially the virtual storage location is a server configuration of a huge external data center. And these are not invulnerable, as a recent major fire in Europe’s largest cloud provider shows. Therefore, rely on the use of several different media and store them in different locations.

The 3-2-1 Backup Strategy

We recommend the 3-2-1 backup strategy, which provides you with sufficient protection against the loss of important data:

• Make three backup copies of your data
• Save them to two different types of media (e.g. external hard drive, cloud, etc.)
• Keep a copy stored off-site – that is, in a separate location – so that, for example, a copy will remain intact even after a fire.

When creating backups, pay attention to regularity and quantity, as ransomware can also be installed on the backup and encrypt it. Therefore, make sure that as many previous backups as possible are stored. Be sure to save your copies in “Read only” mode. This means that your backups cannot be changed afterwards – not even by ransomware.

Humans are creatures of habit. Start creating your backup copies right away and integrate their regular updates into your everyday work. In this way, you not only minimize the possible consequences of a cyberattack, but also save valuable time and nerves – even in the event of a simple technical defect.