Tech CEO warns businesses to strengthen data security ahead of World Backup Day

Businesses are being urged to review their data security policies as global instability and rising cyber threats increase the risk of data loss, according to a leading technology CEO.

With World Backup Day taking place on 31 March, Roy Shelton, Group CEO of managed service provider Connectus Business Solutions, has highlighted the importance of ensuring critical business data is properly protected against a range of potential threats.

Recent figures underline the scale of the issue. Around 21 per cent of people have never made a backup, while nearly a third of data loss cases are caused by accidental deletion. In addition, up to 20 per cent of PCs become infected with malware each year, leaving businesses exposed to potentially serious disruption.

Shelton said the current geopolitical climate has added further urgency to the issue, with heightened risks from cyber attacks as well as more familiar threats such as hardware failure and human error.

“The conflict in the Middle East has emboldened state-backed bad actors in terms of looking for high-profile targets to attack, but there are many other risks associated with unprotected data,” he said.

“Losing proprietary code that has been worked on for months or years could be disastrous if it has not been backed up, but there are many other areas of data security that would be worth reviewing.”

He added that many organisations may not fully understand the vulnerabilities within their existing systems.

“You may well make some surprising discoveries if you look at if and how important business records, documents and multimedia files are backed up,” he said. “You may find that you are at risk of hardware failure if you are backing up to old equipment. You may even find that existing backup processes are not actually working as they should due to human error.”

Shelton is encouraging businesses to adopt simple but effective strategies to safeguard their data, starting with the widely recognised “3-2-1 rule”. This involves keeping three copies of data, stored on two different types of media, with at least one copy held off-site.

He also pointed to a range of practical backup solutions available to organisations of all sizes. Cloud-based platforms can offer automatic and regular backups that are accessible from multiple locations, while Network Attached Storage systems provide dedicated on-site solutions for continuous data protection. External hard drives and USB devices can also be used for manual backups, although these should be stored securely.

Alongside backup processes, Shelton stressed the importance of protecting systems against cyber attacks, particularly ransomware.

“The best way is to make sure that your systems have ransomware protection in place,” he said. “Without it, you risk your business data being effectively hijacked. Hackers will encrypt your data and demand a significant ransom payment to provide a decryption key.”

He warned that paying such demands carries significant risks, as attackers may not provide access even after payment or may demand further sums.

Shelton added that World Backup Day also provides an opportunity to raise awareness among employees, who can often be the first line of defence against cyber threats.

“All too often a single click on a link in an email can lead to disaster for a business,” he said. “Managers can use this date to remind staff to be cautious about data security and to encourage suggestions for improvement.”

He said that by taking proactive steps now, businesses can reduce their exposure to risk and ensure they are better prepared for an increasingly complex digital landscape.