The Importance of Backing Up Microsoft 365 Email

Backing up your Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365) email is important for several reasons:

Data Loss Prevention: Regular backups help mitigate the risk of data loss due to accidental or malicious deletion. Users can accidentally delete important emails, and without a backup, these messages may be permanently lost. In the event of a cyberattack or unauthorised access, emails could be intentionally deleted.

Security Threats: Cyber threats such as ransomware and malware can encrypt or damage your data. Having a backup ensures you can recover your emails even if they are compromised.

Legal and Regulatory Compliance: Many industries have regulations that require the retention of certain data, including emails. Regular backups can help you comply with these regulations and avoid legal issues.

Business Continuity: System Failures, server crashes, hardware failures, or other technical issues can result in the loss of data. Backing up your Microsoft 365 email ensures business continuity by providing a means to restore critical information quickly.

User Errors: Human errors, such as accidental overwrites or misconfigurations, can lead to data loss. Having a backup allows you to recover from such mistakes.

Migration and Upgrades: When migrating to a new email platform or upgrading your Microsoft 365 subscription, having a backup ensures a smooth transition by allowing you to transfer your email data easily.

Complete Data Protection: Backup solutions often provide a comprehensive approach to data protection, including calendars, contacts, and other important information, as well as email.

Unforeseen Events: Natural disasters, fires, or other unforeseen events can physically damage infrastructure. Having a backup stored offsite provides an additional layer of protection against such incidents.

Microsoft 365 does provide some basic data retention features, but they may not be sufficient for all scenarios. While Microsoft offers some level of in built protection against data loss, it’s essential to understand that it is a shared responsibility between the service provider (Microsoft) and the customer. Regularly backing up your Microsoft 365 email ensures that you have control over your data and can recover it when needed.

CYBERSECURITY: WHY YOU SHOULD IMPLEMENT DARK WEB SCANNING

We all know how crucial cybersecurity has become for all businesses but are you including dark web scanning? Companies should consider implementing dark web scanning as part of their cybersecurity strategy for some very compelling reasons:

Early Threat Detection:
Dark web scanning allows organizations to detect compromised credentials and potential security threats at an early stage. Identifying threats before they are exploited can prevent unauthorized access and data breaches.

Protection Against Credential Stuffing Attacks:
Cybercriminals often use credential stuffing attacks, where stolen usernames and passwords from one breach are used to gain unauthorized access to other accounts. Dark web scanning helps organizations identify and mitigate the risk of such attacks.

Proactive Security Measures:
Implementing dark web scanning is a proactive approach to security. It enables organisations to take corrective actions, such as password resets or multi-factor authentication implementation, before malicious actors can exploit compromised credentials.

Data Leakage Prevention:
Dark web scanning helps organisations identify instances where sensitive data, such as customer information or proprietary data, is leaked or exposed on the dark web. This allows for timely action to prevent further data leakage.

Compliance Requirements:
Many industries and regulatory bodies have specific requirements regarding the protection of sensitive information. Implementing dark web scanning can help organisations comply with these regulations by actively monitoring for potential security risks.

Incident Response Preparedness:
Early detection of compromised credentials through dark web scanning contributes to incident response preparedness. Organisations can respond more quickly and effectively to security incidents
when they have timely information about potential threats.

Protecting Reputational Risk:
Data breaches and security incidents can severely damage a company’s reputation. Proactively monitoring the dark web for potential threats helps organisations protect their brand and maintain the trust of their customers and stakeholders.

Preventing Financial Losses:
Cybersecurity incidents, such as data breaches, can result in significant financial losses. Dark web scanning helps organizations prevent financial losses by addressing security threats before they lead to costly incidents.

Continuous Monitoring:
The dark web is dynamic, and new threats emerge regularly. Continuous dark web scanning ensures that organisations stay ahead of evolving cybersecurity risks and maintain an up-to-date security position.

Employee Awareness and Training:
Dark web scanning results can be used as part of employee awareness and training programs. It highlights the importance of using strong, unique passwords and following security best practices.

Third-Party Risk Management:
Organisations often work with third-party vendors, and the compromise of a vendor’s credentials can pose a risk. Dark web scanning can be used to monitor for potential risks associated with third-party credentials.

Competitive Advantage:
Demonstrating a commitment to cybersecurity and taking proactive measures, such as dark web scanning, can be a competitive advantage. It can instill confidence in customers, partners, and investors.

Implementing dark web scanning should be part of a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy that includes other preventive, detective, and responsive measures. It is an important tool in the overall effort to protect sensitive information, maintain trust, and safeguard the integrity of an organization’s digital assets.

Keep Hackers At Bay With Multi Factor Authentication

Multi factor authentication requires at least 2 forms of authentication and is becoming increasingly important as hackers employ more sophisticated and aggressive tactics. As a Managed Service Provider (MSP) we implement 2-step verification, also known as two-factor authentication (2FA) and recommend our clients do the same for a number of reasons:

  • Enhanced Security: we handle sensitive data and have access to various client systems. Implementing 2-step verification adds an additional layer of security protecting against unauthorized access. It significantly reduces the risk of security breaches and data theft.
  • Safeguarding Client Information: we are entrusted with confidential client information. Enabling 2-step verification on client accounts ensures that even if an MSP employee’s credentials are compromised, unauthorized individuals won’t be able to access client systems without the second authentication factor.
  • Compliance Requirements: Many industries and regulations mandate robust security measures to protect client data. Implementing 2FA helps meet these compliance requirements and demonstrates commitment to data protection.
  • Mitigating Credential Attacks: Passwords can be compromised through various means, including phishing, brute-force attacks, or data breaches. By using 2-step verification, even if a password is leaked, the second factor (e.g., a one-time code) acts as an extra barrier against unauthorized access.
  • Client Trust and Confidence: Clients expect their MSPs to have strong security practices in place. Utilizing 2FA shows a commitment to cybersecurity, fostering trust and confidence with clients.
  • Ease of Implementation: Many modern systems and services offer built-in 2-step verification options, making it relatively easy for MSPs to enable this security feature for their accounts and their clients’ accounts.
  • Scalability: Implementing a standardized 2FA procedure across all accounts can simplify security management and ensure consistent protection for both MSP’s and their clients.
  • Reduced Downtime and Recovery Costs: By preventing unauthorized access, 2-step verification can help avoid potential security incidents that could lead to downtime, data loss, and costly recovery efforts.

In summary, 2-step verification is a crucial security measure that MSPs should adopt to protect their own accounts and their clients’ sensitive data. It helps prevent unauthorized access, mitigates security risks, and enhances the overall trustworthiness of the MSP’s services.

Why You Should Review Your Data Security NOW!

Cyber Attacks On The Rise

Another week, another serious data breach is fast becoming the new normal. Cyber security has always been a vital component of any decent IT Strategy and an all too frequent occurrence in the IT press, but as hackers become more and more sophisticated, and bigger names are affected, we are hearing about it more and more as mainstream news. The government have recently published research that finds many business leaders still don’t prioritise cyber security until after a major breach. Make sure you Review Data Security.

SME’s Need To Take Action

Too many SME’s are putting their heads in the sand and we often hear “Why would anyone want to attack our site or systems we aren’t big enough”. The idea and popular misconception that major data breaches only happen to larger companies or big names being specifically targeted is now dangerously outdated, and leaves smaller companies even more exposed. There has never been a better time to make sure you have the right IT provider in place who will help you shape and proactively enforce your data security requirements.

Take Action Before Your Own Data Breach

A government report, published by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) confirms:
“in response to these increasing levels of risk, nearly all participants acknowledged
the need for ever greater levels of vigilance and investment in cyber-security, as the
controls that were appropriate a few years ago are now seen as less effective. That
said, while interviewees from medium and large organisations said they tended to
have formal plans in place and budget allocated for further cyber security investment,
interviewees from smaller organisations were more likely to assert they did not,
largely citing resource constraints. Their response to the perceived growing cyber
security risk therefore appears to be largely piecemeal and reactive”

Find The Right IT Provider

The general manager and IT manager at one SME (10-49 employees) said the breach it suffered made the organisation “more vigilant” at senior management level. This heightened vigilance allowed both managers to get immediate sign-off from the board when it came to contracting a new IT provider. This came after the previous company was blamed for a slow response to an attack which saw an email intercepted and client funds were stolen.

What Can I Do To Prevent Cyber Attacks?

With an estimated 40% of UK businesses having experienced some form of attempted cyber attack, don’t let this happen to you. Talk to us at KeyInsite about keeping your cyber security up to date. We pride ourselves in being proactive and providing 24/7 round the clock support to give our clients peace of mind. We also give you guaranteed response times so you can be sure we’ll be there to help even in case of emergencies.

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