Why is a good backup strategy so important for companies?
Why is a good backup strategy so important for companies?

Cybersecurity, ransomware, business continuity, offsite backup, cloud backup – many technical terms that we have already discussed in detail. But how are they connected and why are they so important for companies? We explain this and more in this blog post.
Cybersecurity
In times of digitalization, cybersecurity is becoming increasingly important. Hackers and malware are becoming increasingly “intelligent” and are constantly adapting to evolving IT security systems. To a certain extent, a “cat-and-mouse game” is emerging. Newly developed malware, phishing emails or falsified information – there are various dangers for companies. It is therefore essential to keep up to date to protect your own data.
But how can companies protect themselves from attacks by cyber criminals?
Protection against cyber attacks is made up of two components – the human factor and technical and organizational measures, which in turn describe an effective and interlocking combination of processes and technology.
Doch wie können sich Unternehmen vor Angriffen von Cyberkriminellen schützen?
Der Schutz vor Cyberangriffen setzt sich aus zwei Komponenten zusammen – der Faktor Mensch und die technisch-organisatorischen Maßnahmen, die ihrerseits wieder eine wirksame und ineinandergreifende Kombination aus Prozessen und Technologie beschreiben.
A comprehensive risk concept therefore consists of a number of overlapping layers of protection that can safeguard the central asset – the company, its expertise and the jobs associated with it. The ongoing development of these measures is just as important as this awareness. Just as cyber criminals are constantly looking for new gateways, it is just as important to keep pace and continuously adapt to these risks.
Ransomware
Malware – one of the threats to businesses just mentioned – is “malicious software” that wants to infiltrate your device without you realizing it. One particular variant of this malicious software is ransomware.
Essentially, there are two types of ransomware – locker ransomware and crypto-ransomware.
Locker ransomware attackers lock users out of their devices so that they can no longer use them. The hackers then demand a ransom to unlock the device again.
However, companies are usually attacked by the crypto variant, as individual devices are typically replaceable – but company data is not.
Crypto-ransomware encrypts important company data and users lose access to it. The virus can also specifically infect those servers, network components or devices that are not secured with the latest methods and solutions. They therefore look for the weakest link within the structure. From there, they then begin to spread or open doors for further malware. In order to recover the data, the cyber criminals demand high ransom payments. And even after paying the ransom, there is no guarantee that access to the data will be restored. In the worst-case scenario, this can lead to the end of the company’s continued existence.
Business Continuity
Fast recovery (business continuity through an external backup)
Business continuity & disaster recovery (BCDR) is an essential part of any effective cybersecurity concept, not least due to the dangers of ransomware described above. BCDR essentially means that you can quickly restore your data in the event of an emergency (such as a ransomware attack) and continue working without significant interruption (and thus impact on business operations, customer and supplier relationships, etc.).
“The question is not if, but when and how hard you will be hit by a hacker attack.”
What sounds dramatic is unfortunately a reality and is still being suppressed by too many company managers. It has become a highly lucrative business model for hackers to penetrate company networks, encrypt data and backups and then extort ransom money. In this case, it is important to have a functioning overall strategy in order to remain capable of acting in an emergency.
With intelligent solutions and methods for multi-level backups, business continuity and disaster recovery, we want to support you in being well prepared in the event of an emergency.
Offsite backup
An effective backup strategy requires an offsite backup in addition to a local backup for “everyday use”.
Local data backup alone is not enough – the need for offsite backup
You would think that every company, government institution and administration would have an up-to-date backup strategy these days. Unfortunately, this is not the case – many companies still rely solely on their local backup – and for some, not even this exists or has not worked for weeks or months and nobody has noticed. However, cyber attacks – such as the ransomware already mentioned – show impressively that this type of data backup alone is not enough to be adequately protected.
However, it is not only hacker attacks that pose a threat to company data, which cannot be solved with local backup copies alone. For example, files may not be fully backed up or recoverable. Fires or water damage in the building are also underestimated but realistic dangers, as they can destroy not only the primary data but also the local backups.
A good backup strategy must therefore include at least one offsite backup. An offsite backup is the storage and securing of a backup copy in a “safe place”, external to the company structure. This can be done in the traditional way by storing data carriers such as hard disks or memory cards externally. However, this requires too long a recovery time in emergencies and requires a great deal of manual effort – combined with the typical susceptibility to errors when individual employees are entrusted with swapping, storing and transporting data carriers. This can be prevented by automated off-site storage, e.g. in an IT service provider’s data center or a “backup cloud”. What’s more, this type of storage eliminates the risk of physical theft or loss of the storage media. These smart alternatives are ideal for small and medium-sized companies, as they eliminate the effort and costs of hardware and software licenses and do not require any support or administration from the company itself.
No backup strategy without good planning
A good backup strategy requires a lot of thought and planning before implementation. Areas of responsibility and competence must be determined and the procedure defined. What do you back up and how often? By what means and on which systems should the backups be saved? What happens in the event of data recovery? And so on – many other aspects need to be considered beforehand.
Developing an appropriate, economical and effective strategy therefore requires a great deal of effort and expertise.
Cloud backup
What is a “cloud backup”?
A cloud backup is a smart, modern option for the external data backup just described. The data is not stored on the local structure, but transferred to decentralized storage media via the Internet using a network.
“Decentralized storage in the cloud? So my files are just floating around on the internet?” – of course not! For many, the cloud is still intangible and almost “mystical” – in reality, it is not. The data is not stored in a floating Internet cloud, but in highly secure, certified data centers.
What are the advantages of a cloud backup?
Less effort thanks to a professional IT service provider
With cloud backup, you avoid high investments such as expensive room rental, servers, hard disks and maintenance by renting memory and server capacities individually according to your needs in our data center.
What’s more, you don’t have to employ specialist staff within your company to continuously monitor and adjust the technical parameters of the backup. This is exactly what the IT service provider does as part of a “Managed Backup” concept. This allows you to focus on your core business and what makes your company tick. The automated processes provide you with a high level of convenience and cost-effectiveness, as you do not need any administration work and costs or your own hardware and software licenses.
Ein Cloud-Backup-Service ist aber aus monetärer Perspektive nicht nur durch eingesparte Investitionsaufwendungen sehr attraktiv. Denn durch die hohe Transparenz der fortlaufenden Kosten haben Sie obendrein langfristige Planungssicherheit. Zudem sind die Speicherkapazitäten gut skalierbar und können gegebenenfalls problemlos aufgestockt werden. Und das beste: Sie zahlen nur das, was sie brauchen!
Certified, encrypted storage of your data
Your data is encrypted before transmission and then also stored in encrypted form in a data center located in Germany – geo-redundant storage is also possible on request, i.e. the backup is also stored at another data center location – in other words, double security.
Our data center and our services are certified in accordance with ISO 9001 (quality management) and ISO/IEC 27001 (information security management) and meet the highest data protection requirements. This ensures that company-relevant data and customer data are secured and protected and that your company meets the relevant requirements of the EU GDPR.
Fast recovery and constant availability
The cloud backup described protects you from data loss due to attacks on the local structure. It also allows you to easily restore your data in the event of an emergency and continue working.
However, storing and backing up your data externally does not mean that you store it and then no longer have access to it – at least not with cloud backup. Quite the opposite: you can access it at any time thanks to secure access. The redundant structure of our systems also ensures high availability so that you remain operational at all times.
Data security is becoming increasingly important
Cybersecurity is not a passing trend, but is becoming increasingly important
As everyone can see, the IT world is very dynamic and it is not only felt that the pace is increasing. In order to be able to protect and secure companies against newly developed threats, the corresponding security systems must be continuously (further) developed. Cyber criminals are constantly looking for new ways to achieve their goals. IT security therefore requires not just a one-off development of protection programs and measures, but continuous adaptation in order to always be up to date with the latest security standards. Working from home has changed the requirements of the digital business world even more. It is therefore important to raise awareness of the challenges in order to reduce the risk of cyberattacks, especially now – when users are working alone from home and the IT manager is not within easy reach.
About us
We are a powerhouse of IT specialists and support customers with digitalization. Our experts optimize modern workplace, DevOps, security, big data management and cloud solutions as well as end user support. We focus on long-term collaboration and promote the personal development of our employees. Together, we are building a future-proof powerhouse and supporting customers on their path to successful digitalization.