As ransomware attack WannaCrypt sweeps the globe, compromising tens of thousands of computers across as many as 100 countries, one Canadian IT solutions provider is looking to help companies stay secure and plan for the worst.
Scalar Decisions Inc. has announced it will be offering a cloud-based Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS) that will allow clients to copy backups of their data to in-country Amazon Web Services (AWS) or Microsoft Azure data centres, which can be restored in the case of a digital attack.
“Anyone who says that they’ll never be targeted by a cyber attack is deluding themselves – it’s a matter of when, not if, they’ll experience a security breach” Neil Bunn, CTO of Scalar, tells IT World Canada. “We’ve introduced this DRaaS for our clients so that they can still run their business quickly, securely and reliably for both a short period of time or long term, in the case of a digital attack.”
He points out that AWS and Microsoft opening data centres in Canada in recent years has helped make DRaaS a reality. Canada has strict data privacy and residency regulations, which say that any company offering cloud or digital services to Canadians must store their data in country.
“Most organizations love the concept of having a backup of their entire business stored elsewhere so that when something was to happen, they could access the data and continue with business as usual, but it can be expensive and complicated. It’s been particularly challenging in Canada because of the data residency concerns, but with AWS and Microsoft now having facilities in the country that are stable, mature and robust, this concept is now an attainable goal for Canadians,” Bunn explains.
The service is based on the Commvault backup platform and geared towards companies both small and enterprise-size, and everything in between.
With this service, Scalar is looking to eliminate the biggest threat that malware poses to businesses, which is doing something you don’t want to do, like pay a ransom to get your files back.
“When hit by a ransomware, you have to pay someone to get your files back and keep your business alive, but if you have a different way of doing that, you’re not beholden to that digital terrorism anymore,” Bunn stresses.
And for those hoping things will go back to normal soon, Bunn has some bad news. He predicts that cyber attacks and security breaches will only increase going forward.
“The reality is that cyber attacks will certainly increase until the world as a whole changes how it view security. It’s only been over the last couple years that security has been anything other than an afterthought, and people are only starting to pay more attention to it now after so many global attacks,” he says.
But digital attacks have taken a dark turn, he warns. While they were once often done as pranks by digital anarchists looking for some disruptive fun, cyber criminals have become malicious businesspeople motivated by politics or finances.
As a result, Bunn highlights the importance of having a well-thought out strategy for dealing with cyber attacks. Relying on security products and best practices is not enough in this day and age with so many sophisticated attacks.
“There are so many companies saying their product would’ve stopped this digital attack or that attack, but there’s a huge difference between having a product at the right time and place, and actually having a strategy in place to deal with the threat and the potential ramifications,” he concludes. “Products will always fail – something will always get through security measures – but good digital strategies succeed in the long run, and typically involve multiple people, products and approaches.”
