During my research I came across a company that has reported issues, problems, concerns about their backup procedures is GITLAB. They had a massive issue during their backup procedure which led to loss of 300GB data as their backup procedure failed in the middle of the process. This meant loss of data of numerous users which shows the chaotic situations it can lead and system failures, error by humans or hacking can cause so much issues.

Issues of securing backups –

1.       Organizations need data backups that too frequently as it keeps updating rapidly so we need to have secure data in case of any incidences. Data should be secured carefully as large amount of data needs more recovery and backup time along with that it needs improved business continuity plan. Data storage process are increasing, and company needs to find something that is price efficient for the organization.

2.       The other issue is to keep the data safe from employees within the organization as they might have the intention to harm the organization. They might try to obtain credentials for the backup storage and leak sensitive information.

3.       Natural disasters can lead to loss of data and there is very little that we can do to avoid such situations, but we can have backup in clouds as they have the benefit of having data in multiple locations.

Securing Data backup media

1.       One of the ways to secure backup media is using encryption method, it will protect data stored as well as while transmitting any information as it modifies data to unreadable format using encryption keys.

2.       We can have remote backup options which makes it safe in several situations such as natural disasters. “Additionally, cloud services give you anytime access to data and applications anywhere you have an internet connection, with no need for you to invest in networks, servers, and other hardware.”

Off-site Storage of data

This has become a very popular choice amongst organization as many companies are providing with facility of off-site in form of cloud services which are available in multiple locations and they provide more secure. “Cloud service providers can often encrypt user data, making it harder for attackers to access critical information. However, cloud users have little or no direct control over their data or knowledge of their cloud service provider’s security practices. Shared clouds store your data along with many other users’ data in the same cloud infrastructure, posing a security risk.”

References –

Paul Ruggiero and Matthew A. Heckathorn, Data Backup Options retrieved from https://www.us-cert.gov/sites/default/files/publications/data_backup_options.pdf

Kadam Shweta , Khot Swapnali  , Katkole Pooja, Sargade Pradnya  , Nalwade Snehal (March 2016 “Design of Efficient Backup with Security” retrieved from https://www.ijarcce.com/upload/2016/march-16/IJARCCE%20269.pdf

Protecting your data with offsite backup retrieved from https://www.uscomputers.com/resources/USC_Backup_Services.pdf

Difference Between Onsite and Offsite Data Backup retrieved from https://www.backupassist.com/education/articles/difference-between-onsite-and-offsite-data-backup.html