Is Network Backup Software in the Plan?
A Backup Article Contributed by Melissa Larose
Is Network Backup Software in the Plan?
Network backup data is vulnerable without the right software to manage it. It would seem that data backup sent to a removable media, like a zip or CD, or local hard drive would not raise any concern, especially since the data is staying within the confines of the company network and not going anywhere else. But the popularity of sending your network backup into other company networks means that files saved in simple text can be read easily.
In fact, those files you saved to that spare hard drive within the confines of your own company are simple text. If the wrong person gets a hold of that disk then the files can be read.
Network Backup Software Encrypts
It may seem like a paranoid delusion to think that someone within your own company would compromise critical data but stranger things have happened. Leaving everything open to trust is a sure way to invite disaster. Curiosity alone may cause data corruption if disks of data are not protected in some manner.
As for sending data across networks, doesn't it just make sense the data should be encrypted? When using a remote site for network backup storage makes sure you are using software that can encrypt your data. You want to compress and then encrypt your data with your software of choice and then send it to the remote site for storage.
Network Backup Software Authentication
The next item to investigate is the authentication capability of your off-site service provider. Although you have encrypted your data and you know someone can't read the data, if the service provider has no authentication on their end then the data is open to corruption or even total destruction. No authentication means anyone can access your data.
Authenticating the data means that when you request it from the remote site you are asked for a user name and a password. If your network backup service doesn't request these forms of security your data is vulnerable.
The most secure systems require a password every time a network backup has been requested to take place, every single time. Many users of this type of system like to run restores and backups at night when their asleep. This means the password and the encryption keys are stored somewhere on the network and vulnerable. Leaving a password and encryption key where anyone can get to it just makes no sense from a security stand point. In fact it makes security obsolete. The password and key should be used and then deleted as soon as the work is completed.
Network Backup Software Should Be in the Plan
Your company backup and data is important to the continuity of your business. Often the network backup process is one of the most overlooked processes in a security plan and a disaster recovery plan. Proper backup is key to recovery of critical data. Why then not take as much care with the security of your network backup as you do with the security of the original data? Locate software that can offer you more security when you backup that network.
