Does Your Cloud Data Have a Back-up?

Perception is not reality.

Many organizations that use cloud-based platforms such as Dropbox, Google Drive and Microsoft 365 have a common misconception that it’s the vendors’ responsibility to protect their data, and cloud backup isn’t necessary. Because of these critical knowledge gaps, businesses fall victim to data loss.

Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) providers have best-in-class security and disaster recovery capabilities to protect against infrastructure threats, including hardware and software failure, power outages and natural disasters. However, they can’t protect you from some of the leading causes of SaaS data loss.

Key Reasons for Data Loss

Human Error

Employees can intentionally or unintentionally overwrite important files or delete business-critical information. Suppose an employee inadvertently deletes an important email or account or accidentally downloads a malicious attachment. If this goes unnoticed, it can lead to massive data loss. SaaS providers have no way of determining whether the request was intentional, so they treat it as a legitimate request and handle it accordingly.

Sync Errors

By using third-party data sync services, you can have multiple users accessing the same file from different devices and locations.

Although this is great for collaboration and information sharing, you cannot ignore its downside. If any of your teammates deletes a shared file, the changes will be reflected on all devices, and you may lose access to the file forever. While most sync services offer limited ability to restore changed or deleted versions of files, they are not true backups and are still prone to large amounts of data loss.

Ransomware

As cloud storage synchronizes with local storage, it is susceptible to ransomware attacks. For example, Dropbox, OneDrive, and other file sync and share solutions allow you to work on your files locally while syncing changes to the cloud. Ransomware not only encrypts your files locally but also syncs this encryption with your cloud storage copy.

Insider Threats

The biggest threat to your data is probably your workforce, especially when they have malicious intentions. Employees with malevolent intent and access to sensitive data might readily circumvent security measures to erase or delete crucial corporate data.

4 Reasons You Need a Second Back-up for SaaS Apps

SaaS applications are becoming increasingly popular among companies looking to save money and gain flexibility, but these cloud service providers have multiple bugs that increase the chances of data loss.

• SaaS RETENTION POLICIES. Many SaaS apps contain a data retention policy outlining how long the data will be retained, including Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace. Most companies are unaware of this. Microsoft allows a maximum retention period of 180 days before permanently wiping the data. Google Workspace’s trash folder is automatically erased after 30 days. Once data has been removed from the trash, it cannot be recovered or restored.
• PROGRAMMATIC ERRORS. This occurs when a program is being executed. The SaaS provider might not always be able to protect your data from programming faults. These kinds of failures might occur while integrating different SaaS apps. This can be brought on by a wide range of other variables, such as an incorrect code setting or unexpected input. Your data could become corrupted or lost forever if such errors happen.
• HARDWARE FAILURE. There are thousands of servers and network equipment in data centers that provide SaaS services with speed, redundancy and uptime. Despite the high level of redundancy these items offer, it does not lessen the likelihood of a hardware malfunction that could result in data loss.
• CYBERATTACKS. Cyberthreats like malware, phishing and ransomware attacks aren’t going away any time soon. Cyberattacks are growing more sophisticated, and cybercriminals are becoming more intelligent. You need additional protection because built-in backups are insufficient to protect your data from these sophisticated threats.

For more information on cloud back-up myths and solutions, download our eBook, Why Cloud Based Data Needs a Back-up, and call Flagship for a cloud readiness assessment.