Backups are undeniably important for data protection and guaranteeing the continuation of corporate processes. At a time when cyber-attacks and other vulnerabilities pose a danger of data loss, the importance of having a reliable data backup solution cannot be overstated. There are various traditional methods for backing up your data. However, these are only sometimes adequate to provide complete data security.
Conventional backups are vulnerable to unintentional deletions, mistakes, and data corruption, jeopardizing data integrity. That is why you need immutable storage. Immutability is one of the most secure data backup strategies that businesses may use to protect critical information.
You cannot erase or encrypt the data stored with this form of backup. They restore your backups promptly in the case of a data breach, ransomware attack, data compromise, or loss. In this post, we will look in depth at immutable backup options and highlight the primary advantages of employing these storage solutions.
What Does Immutable Storage Refer To?
Immutable storage is a kind of data storage in which the data, once written, cannot be changed. This implies that modifications to the data do not erase old data; rather, changes generate new data.
Immutable storage is rapidly being used in various businesses, particularly those that handle sensitive data, since it maintains data security and integrity over time. Immutable storage ensures that data is not altered by authorized and unauthorized users – even if related accounts or systems have been hacked. As a result, it is a game-changing solution for protecting sensitive data.
How Immutable Storage Works?
Immutable storage systems’ technical design consists of a mix of hardware, software, and security methods that work together to assure data immutability. It uses modern data storage technologies like write once read many (WORM), which are programmable at both the hardware and software levels. These are often supported by advances such as access control mechanisms and versioning to ensure data integrity.
Users may examine prior versions of data thanks to versioning. This ensures that prior versions of data may be accessed even if they are unintentionally erased. Access control technologies, such as multi-factor authentication (MFA) and role-based access control (RBAC), guarantee that only authorized users can access protected data.
An immutable backup system employs extra data storage methods, such as cryptographic hashing, content-addressable storage, and digital signatures, to ensure data security, authenticity, and immutability. Content-addressable storage, for example, employs data hashing to provide a unique identification code: a message digest that reflects the original data or file. The program also provides a digital signature, which certifies that the data has not been changed and is legitimate. Once the data has been sealed and saved, it cannot be modified or removed without changing the addressable storage identity of the content.
These methods are crucial for increased data security in the financial, medical, and legal sectors.
What Are the 4 Benefits of Immutable Storage?
Any industry may use immutable storage to preserve vital data from alteration or destruction. The following are four of the most significant advantages of employing immutable storage to safeguard your files:
Protect Yourself from Ransomware and Other Cyberattacks
Data backups have become a major subject as the frequency of cyberattacks has grown. According to recent studies, ransomware assaults may be quite costly. The average cost of recovering from a ransomware attack is $1.85 million, which includes downtime, ransom paid, and lost sales.
Immutable storage, on the other hand, may help you avoid the aggravation and expenses associated with ransomware and other assaults by securing your data from hackers and other bad actors.
Avoid Accidental File Deletion
Even if you instruct your staff to store and back up their data routinely, human error and device malfunction are nearly unavoidable. When many workers routinely access sensitive data, the danger of unintentional deletion or change increases.
Instead of risking losing crucial data, employ immutable storage to guarantee that important files are not unintentionally removed or rewritten. If you need to examine or update these files, you may specify a time limit for the immutability to expire.
Maintain Data Authenticity
Immutable storage guarantees that your data is accurate and avoids manipulation, a concern for many regulatory agencies. Furthermore, immutable storage can keep things like video surveillance footage, log files, historical analytics data, and digital proof intact.
Meet Regulatory Compliance Requirements
Immutable storage may help your organization meet legal requirements for keeping sensitive data, such as payment information and health records, and preserving your important files from loss or theft.
Use Cases of Immutable Storage
Immutable storage may be a helpful data backup solution for any firm, but certain industries need more file integrity than others.
For example, organizations with data retention regulations must adhere to tight criteria governing how long data should be archived in addition to preserving information. The following are some use cases for immutable storage.
Healthcare
Any company that manages healthcare data, such as patient records, understands how critical it is to keep this information secure. These files are necessary for the day-to-day operations of a healthcare company. Still, they must also be adequately safeguarded to comply with regulatory obligations such as HIPAA.
Financial Institutions
Cyberattacks often target organizations that utilize and hold financial information. Immutable storage prevents hackers from stealing important information such as credit card numbers, addresses, and Social Security numbers..
Law Enforcement
Law enforcement agencies generally store huge volumes of video and audio surveillance data and are critical for prosecutions and trials. These companies may ensure that the files can be utilized as evidence in the legal process by adopting immutable storage to confirm the validity of this data.
Conclusion
In today’s data world, immutable storage is a critical option for protecting against cyber-attacks and unintentional data loss and ensuring data authenticity and regulatory compliance. It protects sensitive information against ransomware and other intrusions by prohibiting data modifications. It also protects against accidental file loss and device failure.
Furthermore, immutable storage is critical for organizations like law enforcement, healthcare, and financial institutions that rely on unmodified, original, and regulatory-compliant data. Immutable storage provides a strong barrier against growing data threats in a future where data integrity is critical.
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