BDR

ActiveImage in SCADA environment

Industry Trends / / / ,
Scada BDR

SCADA (Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition) Systems control the automation in many industries such as Power, Water, Manufacturing, Energy, Mass Transit and more. SCADA systems are computer based, and so even the best system will fail at some point for reasons such as:

  • Hardware Failures (disk failure, power surges, aged equipment, etc).
  • Software Failures (viruses, operating system errors etc).
  • Accidental System Changes.
  • Network Failures
  • Acts of God (fire, flooding, earthquake)

Depending upon the process being controlled, the cost of SCADA system downtime can be astronomical. Rebuilding a SCADA system from scratch, including the operating system, applications, databases and other customized settings is not satisfactory. It is absolutely critical to have a Disaster Recovery plan for all SCADA systems.

Imaging based backup and recovery solutions have proven to be particularly effective for protecting SCADA environments.

ActiveImage Protector takes regular images of the various SCADA computers and stores them in the cloud or on backup disks. An image is a “photo” of every bit of data on the computer’s hard drives which can then be used to precisely restore the computer back to the time when the image was taken.

The images created by ActiveImage Protector are also “Bare Metal Compatible”. Bare metal restoring will restore the actual state of the machine prior to a failure. This means the operating system, applications, databases and other customized settings are all restored to function exactly as they were at the time the backup image was taken. Bare Metal compatibility also means that all this information can be faithfully restored to different computer hardware, such as a spare server or a spare PC.

This “bare metal restore” process also becomes very useful when you want to retire older SCADA system hardware  and move the application to newer hardware.

ActiveImage Protector also lets SCADA users take advantage of Server Virtualisation technology. Virtual servers (and the hosts on which they are running) can be backed up and recovered just as with physical servers.

Virtual ‘standby’ servers may also be created in a Microsoft Hyper-V or VMWare environment. These standby servers can be started within a few minutes; providing business continuity at no additional cost.

ActiveImage caters for the strict security requirements of SCADA environments with military grade encryption and offline activation.

Offline activation permits administrators to manage all aspects of backup and recovery without ever requiring an internet connection. For larger environments, ActiveImage provides the ability for customers to install their own Licensing Server.

So, in summary, if you have SCADA Systems in your workplace, or have customers with SCADA systems – imaging based backup and recovery solutions such as ActiveImage provide a reliable, flexible and simple means of minimizing downtime.

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“3-2-1 rule” of backups in the modern world

Backup Solutions / / / ,

When looking for the best backup option for your business, you may come across something known as the 3-2-1 rule. This rule outlines three key steps that should be taken to ensure sufficient backup precautions for your business.

What does 3-2-1 stand for?
The rule states that a business should have 3 copies of its data, of which 2 copies should be stored locally through external storage and through other devices, and 1 copy should be stored remotely, for example, on the Cloud.

Why use the 3-2-1 rule?
Although the rule has been around for many years, it has not become dated, and is still considered the perfect approach to backup strategies. Regardless of what happens, there will always be a copy of the data for the business to rely on, which ensures business continuity. The rule makes sure there can be no single point of failure and that even the backup is backed up.

The strategy has the best of both worlds, as an onsite backup can have your business up and running in no time, whereas an offsite backup makes sure that if a major disaster were to happen, such as a fire, flood or even a burglary, and the onsite backups were lost, there would still be a copy.

The proof is in the Mathematics (example)
Statistically why the 3-2-1 rule decreases the chances of you losing valuable data: If you have a 1 in 100 chance of losing data, but you had a second device with the same odds, then your chance of failure and data loss is 1 in 10 000 (1/100 x 1/100). Additionally, if you had a third storage device or platform with the same odds, the chance of losing data drops even more drastically to a 1 in 1 000 000 chance (1/10 000 x 1/100)!

Therefore, if you think you are sufficiently protected from data loss by two copies, you only stand to gain from a third, which significantly improves your chances of restoring all your data. The 3-2-1 rule is not called the golden rule for nothing!

How to implement the rule with today’s technology:
The 3-2-1 rule is simple and the best way to implement it is to keep it that way. To establish your three copies leave the original data on your internal storage and make two external copies on two different mediums, for example a CD or external hard drive. Here is where traditional methods of recording data on tape should not be sneered at, as they are still effective measures of storing data when part of a well rounded backup plan.

The different mediums or devices on which you store your data externally can also be put in two seperate local locations to decrease the risk of an accident getting rid of both copies.

The third copy must then be stored completely off site, meaning a different city or even a different country. This has become increasingly easier to do as there are an ever increasing number of Cloud vendors that offer Public and Private Cloud solutions that can tie in the 3-2-1 rule into your backup plan, and all you need is network access. Virtual machine replication is also another way modern technology has changed the way a business can plan their backup strategy and make identical copies of information to facilitate the rule.

However, if you do not have the resources or budget to get your data on the Cloud, you can use traditional methods of storage and store the third copy on an external device, which is kept in an offsite storage locker.

Another great feature is that businesses can apply this rule to any data stored on physical hardware, virtual machines or on a provider’s infrastructure, it works every time for any type of data.

Don’t settle for second best! The 3-2-1 rule is a tried and tested strategy, so when choosing a plan for your business, ask your provider or vendor about whether the options they are offering are 3-2-1 compliant.

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Shouldn’t you be using a single platform for both backup and disaster recovery?

Backup Solutions, Disaster Recovery / / / ,

IT professionals and business owners will eventually need to come to a decision with regards to their backup  and disaster recovery plans moving forward. This is a big and important question that is crucial to the continuity of the business and needs as much research and consultation as the business can afford.

In the beginning, data backup and disaster recovery were not seen as the same thing. A backup or the person responsible for backing up the system can fail and the data will be lost forever. This is why disaster recovery functions became available, as there is no real point in backing up data without a means of recovery. A recovery plan means having the right operating systems, trained people, processes and tools.

However, with the advancement of technology, IT professionals have seen that backup and disaster recovery features are converging, so that DR is becoming a feature of backup products, whereas before they were seen as separate functions.  Another case of this can be seen in the convergence of backup and archiving software.

These advancements make way for businesses to use a single platform for both functions.

Many backup software solutions providers offer a variety of products to solve BDR issues but deciding on the correct one for your business needs and budget can be a challenge. ActiveImage is one of those that deserve serious consideration. The solution is built for Windows, Linux and VM protection. Standardising on one solution means less cost on training, more efficient updates and maintenance, better pricing, single points of contact for sales and support to name just a few benefits. . 

Further efficiencies include, streamlining the archival process; the test and development replicated system that can be spun-up on demand; the data analytics and converged architecture, among other features.

However, whichever single platform a business chooses, there are various advantages in a single platform solution. If you are using multiple vendors, solving issues or making product improvements can be a complicated process. A single, consolidated BDR solution would be time saving.

Managing multiple BDR tools is also not an efficient way to protect your data, and a daily BDR management struggle will only cost the business time and money. Instead, on a single platform, you will be able to manage all your BDR needs from a centralised place and also have one point of contact should there be an issue. This will ensure a more efficient system and decrease the stress of a complex process.

In this case, less equals more, as the fewer vendors or MSPs you have to deal with, the more you can build your relationship with your specific vendor/MSP. A strong relationship will assist in keeping you up to date on available products and features.

Businesses continuously worry about the long term cost of a product, while a single platform will help reduce costs. Labor costs will be reduced as a business will no longer need their own technicians to monitor, maintain and manage BDR tools that perform routine tasks that do not move the business forward. Technology costs can be reduced as unconsolidated technology is priced and packaged differently; and single BDR solutions can end up cheaper. For MSPs it helps reduce storage costs as they save on Cloud storage fees since it allows them to pool the storage across their client base.

For this reason, the reduction in cost is the main factor in why single platforms are a rising trend, why more and more technology is expected to be created to support it, and why a business should ask itself whether or not to move to a single platform.

 

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BDR: Why all data cannot be seen as equal

Backup Solutions, Industry Trends / / / , , ,

Questions businesses or enterprises need to ask themselves is how to protect, store and handle their data. What is just as important is how the data should be managed. Should the data be stored and for how long? What data is the most valuable and needs the most protection? What data is more valuable to the company today and what will be more valuable in the future?

Some companies do have a Chief Data Officer and systems in place to categorise data, but those who don’t can find these questions difficult to answer and therefore keep all there data in one lump to sort through later. According to a report, ‘Not All Data Is Created Equal: Balancing Risk and Reward in a Data-Driven Economy’ compiled by Gregory Fell and Mike Barlow, they interviewed a data strategy consultant, Q. Ethan McCallum, who said in doing this companies miss out on potentially useful data and also could be holding onto harmful data.

McCallum also said that the value of data would be different to different people and it is important to know the 5W’s and H of the data, which would let anyone know who is using it, what it is being used for, and where, when, why and how it is being used. Having this knowledge would help a company package its data correctly and help in identifying the data’s value to the company as a whole and how it should be protected. This can also be worked out by using the ‘golden rule’ of corporate data security, which was discussed in the report by Fell and Barlow, and boils down to not spending more than the data is worth on protecting it.

Another method utilised by companies to manage their data risk and analyse it in relation to the value of data is to use the CIA method, which stands for Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability. The confidentiality of data indicates the secrecy it requires, the Integrity would outline its consistency and accuracy and its availability would refer to the level of reliability needed in the systems that process and store the data. Each category is allocated a score out of three, with three being the highest and one the lowest. Once this is done, the company is able to calculate the risk and how much it will cost the company if that data was lost. Using this information, a company can make decisions on how to more effectively implement its BDR plan to protect valuable data.

Independent anti-fraud strategy advisor and former director of the Deloitte Forensic Center, Toby J.F. Bishop, suggests a company should visualise the risk/reward trade-off of data using a quadrant grid. The grid would measure rewards on the y-axis and risk on the x-axis. The data in the upper right quadrant would be high risk and high reward, which would prompt higher data control, while the data in the lower left quadrant would be of low risk and reward. Here the company could implement ways to increase the profitability or it may eventually become of too high risk and need to be purged. Using the logic in the above examples a company would be able to map out the risk/reward of their data and deal with it accordingly.

Regardless of the many methods a company decides to implement, proper data management is crucial to a strong BDR strategy, as data is a valuable asset, and all assets in any business need to be utilised to their full potential to increase profitability.

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Attention MSPs! How Cybersecurity offerings can add to your bottom line in 2018!

Industry Trends / / / , ,

The increase in cyber attacks and with it, a demand for more cybersecurity, means that hundreds, if not thousands, of Managed Service Providers (MSPs) are all trying to build a viable and more profitable practice.

How to stay on top
To lead the pack and add to your bottom line this year, MSPs are needing to enhance its standard cybersecurity risk management offerings. According to an article by TruMethods, these offerings should include a higher level of compliance, which will then demand a higher price.

It was also stated MSPs need to remember that their current ‘specialty packages’ will eventually become apart of every providers standard package. To not fall behind the times each MSP needs to continuously monitor their competition and update their offerings.

From the experts
In the lead up to a panel, which will take place at a security conference at the Channel Partners Conference and Expo in Las Vegas, between 17 and 20 April, moderator Peter DiMarco, vice president of VAR sales at D&H Distributing, and panelist Lyle Epstein, president and CEO of Kortek Solutions, discussed how MSPs and VARs can improve on their profit margins this year in a preamble to their panel titled, ‘Selling Cybersecurity Services: Secrets to Success.’ In this discussion it was observed that Cloud based services continue to be on the up and up with regards to securing higher margins.

The benefits of providing Cloud based services include having no personnel that needs to be dispatched to a site as the Cloud is a virtual platform. This means service providers have a greater client reach and can provide backup and other solutions for anyone from all over the country or even the world. More flexible and self-configurable solutions were seen to be the most profitable services as it suits the client but also means less administration and labor for the Value Added Reseller (VAR).

In the same discussion, DiMarco and Epstein, advised that solutions that affect a business as a whole and layered solutions that will protect a business from both external hackers and internal threats are the most profitable. Products that solve broad scale issues that affect many business, such as email phishing, are easier to sell.

They agreed that MSPs and VARs would be able to move into a higher profit margin if they offered more of a range of hosted cybersecurity services such as backup and recovery, as well as compliance solutions and network assessments, among others.

It is a lot of information to process and implement but, DiMarco assured that vendors and distributors are working to educate MSPs and VARs on their options so that they are able to make the most out of this complicated but lucrative industry, which only proves to be growing bigger and more diverse.

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Latest Ransomware trends: Should you be concerned?

Cybersecurity & IT Threats, Industry Trends / / / , , , , , ,

Experts predict that in 2018 ransomware will continue to increasingly be a threat and everyone should be concerned.

McAfee stated in its report about the economic impact of cybercrime that it now costs the world $600 billion as these crimes touch more than two billion people. It attributes ransomware as the fastest growing tool to aid cybercriminals, especially since it is able to affect everyone from consumers to enterprises, labelling it the fastest growing threat.

Ransomwares enormous available is a draw for cybercriminals as, according to McAfee, more than 6000 online criminal marketplaces have around 45 000 ransomware products for sale. Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) is becoming increasingly popular too as these platforms allow the creator of the ransomware to get a cut of the ransom and increase their reach for a fee. Another threat is Ransomware Worms which are able to affect many computers as it spreads through a network.

We can see the evidence that the trend has been growing in Datto’s State of the Channel Ransomware Report, which uses findings gathered between 2016 and 2017 from over 1700 MSPs that serve over 100 000 small to medium businesses, which states that ransomware attacks will continue to increase over the next two years. Of the Managed Service Providers (MSPs) that were interviewed that had dealt with ransomware, 85% reported seeing Crytolocker. Other common ransomware include Crytowall, Locky and WannaCry.

MSPs need to be extra vigilant for the report indicated that 30% of the MSPs outlined that a ransomware virus would stay on a business’s system and launch another attack at a later date. A third of the service providers explained it would encrypt the business’s backup, which made the recovery more difficult.

The report added that the industry verticals that are most targeted are the construction, manufacturing and professional services. It also warned that Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) applications, especially Dropbox, Office 365 and G Suite, are at risk. Do not forget about your mobile and tablets for as the use of these devices increases in the workplace, so does the increase in attacks.

MSPs also reported that despite active anti-virus software, spam filters and ad blocks among others, they were vulnerable to attacks, and therefore reported the only good defense is a backup and disaster recovery (BDR) solution, as 96% of the MSPs were able to fully recover from an attack since they had a BDR system in place.

Therefore, it is important for any business to be aware of ransomware and how the business is able to cope with an attack, as it is not the ransom that breaks the bank, but the downtime that makes a business lose revenue.

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