Backup: context, trends and technologies

Data protection and backup are important aspects in today's digital world. The need to protect data and ensure its recovery in case of loss or damage has led to the development of various backup techniques and strategies. One of the earliest backup strategies was data backup to magnetic tapes or secondary hard drives, which allowed for data recovery in case of primary device failure. 

Over time, backup techniques evolved to include data replication, disk imaging, and virtualisation, which ensure data availability in case of a disaster or service disruption. Nowadays, data protection is more important than ever due to the increasing volume and complexity of data, as well as the ever-more-sophisticated cybersecurity threats. 

Below are some current trends in this field: 

• Greater use of the cloud: cloud-based backup solutions are gaining popularity as they allow businesses to backup, their data on remote servers, ensuring that data is available in case of disasters and offering greater flexibility and scalability. 
• Greater focus on privacy and security: data security and privacy is a major concern for both businesses and consumers. Therefore, there is expected to be a greater focus on data protection and ensuring that backup solutions are secure and protected against threats. 
• Automation: backup process automation is a trend that is becoming increasingly popular. Automated backup solutions can ensure that data is copied and stored correctly without the need for human intervention. 
• Use of artificial intelligence: artificial intelligence (AI) is being used more and more to protect and backup data. AI can identify suspicious activity patterns and alert administrators about potential threats or vulnerabilities. 
• Real-time backup: real-time backup is another important trend in data protection. Real-time backup solutions allow businesses to backup data as it is created or modified, ensuring that an updated copy is always available. 

Data protection is more important than ever 

It is important for businesses to consider these trends when choosing backup solutions to ensure the security and protection of their data. 

Ransomware attacks and how to be protected 

A ransomware attack is a type of cyberattack in which malicious software (known as ransomware) is used to encrypt a company's files and demand a ransom in exchange for the decryption key. The attack typically starts with a phishing email, a malicious link, or a download of infected software that installs the ransomware on the victim's system. Once installed, the ransomware encrypts the victim's files, spreads throughout the network, infecting both user machines and corporate servers, and displays a ransom message that demands payment in cryptocurrency in exchange for the decryption key. Ransomware attacks can cause serious harm to businesses and organizations, including loss of important data, downtime, and damaged reputation. 

Protection against ransomware is an increasing concern for businesses and organizations, as ransomware attacks can result in the loss or encryption of valuable data, and sometimes extortion for its recovery. 

Data immutability can help protect against ransomware attacks. By ensuring that data cannot be modified without authorization, it prevents attackers from encrypting or deleting data. While not a complete solution, data immutability can be an important tool in the fight against ransomware. 

Backup solutions with data immutability allow backup data to remain immutable and protected against accidental or intentional manipulation or deletion. In this regard, technology has evolved to provide the following capabilities: 

• Write-protected backup tape: write-protected backup tapes are a simple and effective solution to ensure data immutability. These tapes have a write-protect switch that prevents the data stored on the tape from being modified or deleted. 
• Cloud backup solutions with immutability: some cloud backup solutions offer data immutability features, such as the ability to store backups in read-only mode or the use of encryption and digital signatures to ensure the integrity of backup data. 
• Blockchain-based backup solutions: some companies are exploring the use of blockchain technology to create backup solutions with data immutability. These solutions use blockchain's distributed ledger technology to ensure that backup data is immutable and resistant to manipulation. 
• Long-term write-protected backup solutions: some backup solutions offer long-term write-protection features to ensure data immutability. These solutions use long-term storage techniques and retention policies to ensure that backup data is not modified or deleted. 

It is important to consider that each solution has its own characteristics and limitations, so it is important to carefully evaluate specific needs and requirements before selecting a backup solution with data immutability. There are several manufacturers of backup solutions with data immutability on the market. Below are some of the most prominent manufacturers: 

• Dell offers backup and data recovery solutions that provide data immutability features to protect data from malicious or unauthorized manipulations. One of Dell's backup solutions that provides data immutability is Dell EMC Data Domain. 

Dell EMC Data Domain uses disk storage technology to provide efficient and scalable data protection. It uses the write protection feature to ensure that backup data is immutable and resistant to malicious manipulations. The write protection feature prevents backup data from being accidentally or intentionally modified or deleted. 

In addition, Dell EMC Data Domain uses encryption and digital signature techniques to ensure the integrity of backup data. Encryption protects backup data in transit and at rest, while digital signatures ensure that backup data has not been modified since it was created. 

• Veeam Software offers cloud-based backup and data recovery solutions with data immutability features, such as the ability to store backups in read-only mode. 
• Commvault offers backup and data recovery solutions with data immutability features, such as write protection and long-term retention. 
• Veritas Technologies offers backup and data recovery solutions with data immutability features, such as write protection and encryption. 
• Cohesity offers backup and data recovery solutions with data immutability features, such as write protection and long-term retention. 
• Rubrik offers cloud-based backup and data recovery solutions with data immutability features, such as the ability to store backups in read-only mode and protection against accidental or malicious deletion. 

The write protection feature prevents backup data from being deleted

End-to-end data protection 

Protecting data point-to-point is essential to ensure the security of data during transmission and storage. In addition to the backup systems discussed earlier, here are some measures that can be taken to protect data to ensure that it is secure in the event of loss. 

• Using encryption protocols to protect data in transit is an important measure. Encryption ensures that data cannot be read by unauthorised persons. There are several encryption protocols available, such as SSL/TLS and VPN, that can be used to secure data transfer. 
• Using user authentication to ensure that only authorised users have access to data. Authentication can take various forms, such as passwords, security tokens, or digital certificates. 
• Implementing firewalls and perimeter security. Firewalls are used to protect entry points to the network. A firewall can block unauthorised traffic and reduce the risk of data interception. 
• Implementing physical security measures. In addition to logical security measures, it is important to implement physical security measures to protect data. This can include storing servers in secure rooms, controlling network access, and monitoring network traffic.

We will expand on this in following posts about DevSecOps and DevOps in public cloud environments.