Present Blog-IT thought leadership in Canada

Air Gap Backups: Enhance Your Cybersecurity Protection

Written by present | May 4, 2023 5:00:00 PM

Last year, 45% of companies experienced a data breach.

Worse.

Up to 94% of companies that experienced a severe data loss never recovered.

Data breaches are a rampant phenomenon.


That’s why protecting your data has never been so important. 

Not only will it ensure your business thrives, but it will also ensure your reputation stays intact. Yet, in a world where cybercriminals are becoming increasingly sophisticated, keeping your data and IT systems safe can be challenging. 

That’s where air gap backups come into play.



W
hat is Air Gap Backup?

An air gap backup is a type of backup storage that is completely isolated from a network or any other digital connection.

This ensures that the data stored on this backup storage is protected from online threats, including hacking, ransomware or malware attacks. 


But how does that work?

Air gapping involves creating a physical gap between the backed-up data and any online systems that could potentially be compromised.


There are two types of air gaps:

1. Physical Air Gap 
With physical air gap backup, the backup data is physically disconnected from the network or online systems. 

This can be achieved by manually transferring backup data to external hard drives or tapes and storing them in a secure offline tape library.

2. Logical Air Gap 
Rather than physically moving the data to a separate device, logical air gap backup leverages security technologies to create invisible protection between the online data access and the actual data.


What are the benefits Of Air Gap Backups?

Air gap backups have four main benefits:

1. Enhanced security
They’re one of the most secure strategies when it comes to data backup. 

Why is that? 
Because they are completely isolated from online systems. 

And this, in turn, makes it more challenging for cyber criminals to access backed-up data. This type of protection is valuable for all types of business. Especially those dealing with sensitive or confidential data, including financial or healthcare institutions.

2. Protection against cyber threats
Air gap backups don’t just prevent data corruption or data loss. 

They can also protect your business against various cyber threats, including hacking and ransomware attacks. 

These cyberattacks are particularly devastating because they can spread quickly through online networks. And this makes it extremely difficult to contain and remediate them. 

An air gap backup provides an additional layer of protection against these cyber threats, enabling businesses to restore their data to a safe state after a cyber attack. 

3. Compliance
Many government and industry regulations require organizations and businesses to maintain backup copies of their data for a certain period. 

Air gap backups are a great way for organizations to meet these compliance requirements by providing a secure data storage method.

4. Business continuity
Let’s imagine a flood or fire destroys your systems and networks. If you don’t use air gap backups, you might lose all your data. And this can cost you thousands, if not more, and prevent you from getting back to business as soon as possible. 

Air gap backups provide a reliable method for restoring critical data and systems, helping you minimize downtime and maintain business continuity in the face of unexpected events.

If data security and compliance are important to you, invest in air gap backups. 
They’ll provide you with extra protection against data loss or theft and ensure your business can keep running regardless of unexpected events. 



Need Help To Improve Your Cybersecurity?

At Present, we pride ourselves on helping clients like you implement the best cybersecurity practices to protect their sensitive information and avoid the devastating consequences of data loss, malware or ransomware attacks.

We use a wide range of tools and technologies to ensure you have access to the latest cybersecurity strategies.

So, don’t hesitate to get in touch. We’d love to discuss your needs and how we can help protect your business.