How Fully Managed Backup Reduces the Risk of Devastating Downtime

On June 18, 2024, CDK Global was hit with a ransomware attack that took down many of its core systems. While it was attempting to recover from that incident, the company was hit with a second cyberattack. CDK Global provides management systems for car dealerships, and more than 15,000 new car dealers suffered downtime due to the incident. It took more than two weeks for all systems to be restored. A consulting firm estimates that the attack collectively cost the dealerships more than $1 billion.

The BlackSuit ransomware gang was responsible for the CDK ransomware attack​, initially demanding $10 million in ransom. That amount was later increased to more than $50 million, and CDK Global reportedly intended to pay.

The CDK ransomware attack​ should serve as a reminder of the critical importance of data backups. If an organization is hit with a ransomware attack, a recent backup offers the best chance of minimizing downtime. Unfortunately, organizations of all sizes continue to struggle with backup processes.

Why Backups Fail

In a 2024 global study on ransomware and disaster preparedness, IDC found that organizations suffered an average of 4.2 data-related disruptions within the preceding 12 months. Almost one-third (32%) of data loss incidents were the result of backup failures.

Common reasons for failure include:

• Human error. Research finds that nearly 30% of failures stem from human error, often involving the inadvertent deletion of database data or modifications of command line interfaces.
• Media failure. Although this was a more common occurrence when tape was the primary backup media, disk isn’t entirely reliable, either. A Carnegie Mellon University study found disk failure rates of up to 16%.
• Hardware failure. As with all mechanical devices, disk arrays, tape libraries and other backup hardware components have moving parts that wear out. For example, backup servers have a life expectancy of only about three to five years.
• Software updates. Operating system, application and policy updates can create incompatibilities with backup software.
• Cyberattacks. Ransomware and other types of malware commonly move laterally throughout the IT environment, infecting any backup systems attached to the network.

Backup and Recovery Challenges

The IDC study looked at organizations with 500 or more employees. The top disaster recovery challenge was a lack of adequate IT resources, while IT skills gaps ranked third. With data increasingly distributed across multiple cloud platforms, branch offices and endpoint devices, backup processes have become so complicated that organizations of all sizes are struggling to manage them effectively.

Fully managed backup minimizes the risk of downtime by ensuring data is securely backed up and easily recoverable, even in cases of cyberattacks or system failures.

Cloud backup services have grown in response to these challenges, but they can also introduce complexity. In fact, “moving disaster recovery to the cloud” was the No.2 challenge cited by respondents to the IDC study. Many cloud backup services lack the breadth of coverage to support today’s multi-cloud environments and hybrid cloud architectures.

Recovering data from backups is also a challenge for organizations. In the IDC study, 48% of organizations that decided to pay the ransom in a ransomware attack did so despite having good backups. They felt that paying the ransom would result in less data loss or faster recovery, or because restoring data from backup would have been difficult. (Note: Only 20% of organizations recovered all their data by paying the ransom.)

IT Backup Solutions​: Fully Managed Backup Is the Answer

When looking for IT backup solutions​, know that a fully managed backup service can help relieve these headaches and reduce the risk of devastating downtime. In this approach, a managed service provider (MSP) will implement an advanced backup solution and monitor and manage that solution to ensure that backups are completed successfully. Fully managed backup solutions minimize capital investments while allowing customers to reduce the administrative overhead associated with backup processes.

In addition, a qualified managed service provider will test backups frequently to ensure that data can be recovered in the event of a system failure, cyberattack or other data loss event. The MSP will also assist with the recovery process, helping to minimize business disruption.

A managed backup approach can be especially useful for companies that have large numbers of remote workers with essential company data and applications on laptops, tablets and home computers. Lightweight software agents installed on these devices can interface with backup systems to ensure that remote data, files and applications are protected and recoverable.

GDS is the Managed Security Service Provider​ You’ve Been Looking For

Although the consequences of data loss are well understood, backup failures remain an all-too-common occurrence. As a managed security service provider​, GDS can help you eliminate much of the uncertainty surrounding data protection with our managed backup offering. 

We’d welcome the opportunity to demonstrate how we can help you protect your critical data, systems and applications. Contact us directly through our website and tell us a little more about your organization. We’ll reach out to you shortly with more detailed information on how our IT backup solutions​ can help you.

Benefits of Managed IT Services from Global Data Systems

• Strategic Managed IT: We help you solve your technology related business problems.
• Connectivity: We get you reliable, secure connectivity anywhere in the western hemisphere in 48 hours.
• Support: When you need help simply call our 24x7x365 support number.
• Billing: Instead of managing hundreds of vendors - get one, easy to read bill from GDS.

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