THE FUTURE: BCDR (BUSINESS CONTINUITY AND DISASTER RECOVERY)
Hello,
I hope you had a happy Holiday Season and are having a great start to 2021. In the “I.T. world” the new year is traditionally a time to re-evaluate your backup systems and with all the recent government hacks, security breaches and the rise of ransomware, this is a critical time to make sure you have the correct backup system to save your business in the event of a catastrophic data loss due to ransomware or some other disaster.
The reason I am writing to you is because you are a valued, long term customer of ours and I have an important notification for you. Due to recent events, effectively immediately:
C4 Computer Consulting is no longer reselling or recommending Ctera Backup Systems.
I am very concerned about your business networks and data and we want you to have the proper backup. If ransomware hits, it could potentially cost you tens of thousands of dollars (or more) if you do not have the proper backup system.
Why am I so concerned?
Microsoft admitted to CNN on 12/23/2020 that there was not only a massive US government security breach but also their own network was compromised which allowed Russian hackers access to the Microsoft windows source code for the first time ever in history. With access to this source code hackers can identify vulnerabilities in the windows operating system and develop new hacking tools, viruses and ransomware to target and infiltrate US companies.
#1 Threat facing companies and organizations today: Ransomware.
What is ransomware? Ransomware is a computer virus that quickly moves through an entire network, and it locks up all of the computers and servers and other end points (including some backup systems) on the network by encrypting all of the files. It can start on one computer and then move to all of the other computers and even the servers on the network. If you have the wrong backup system the ransomware can even get into the backups, locking them up and making them unusable! When it has done its dirty work, and making your entire network unusable you usually receive a “ransom note” from the hackers demanding a large sum of money for them to “unlock” your network for you. These ransoms can be anywhere from thousands to millions of dollars. Some organizations have had no choice but to pay the ransom, while others have had to spent large sums of money to pay IT companies to restore all of the computers and servers. Either way its going to amount to lots of loss, loss of work productivity, loss of time, and loss of money.
We can no longer recommend Ctera Backups because they can do very little to help you in the event of a ransomware attack, ransomware has shut down entire city governments, local hospital systems, school systems (the entire Baltimore school district was brought to a halt by ransomware) and businesses. You do not have to look far to find example after example of organizations being held hostage by ransomware. The ransomware they have out today is so sophisticated it renders backup systems like Ctera useless, and can even infect the backup system itself!
THE FUTURE: BCDR (BUSINESS CONTINUITY AND DISASTER RECOVERY)
We are now recommending the best backup system available. It’s called a Datto BCDR device which stands for Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery. It is made by our long-time partner Datto. Datto is the company that makes the software our business runs on, so when you get a Datto BCDR device it is completely integrated with our system. You may already be familiar with Datto because they make the remote support software we use to manage and monitor your computers remotely.
Why is Datto BCDR backup system so much better?
The Datto BCDR backup system is ransomware and disaster proof.
How? Instead of just backing up your files, the Datto BCDR takes complete images of all of your protected computers. It then scans those images for ransomware and other viruses before storing it on the device and uploading it to the cloud. The Datto BCDR takes a new image of every protected machine once every hour! That way if disaster strikes in any way shape or form you can simply roll that machine back to the previous hour.
Peace of mind with backup verification: I once had a client who was a long time Ctera backup user ask me “How do I know if my backups are good?” and to be honest I really did not have a good answer. The only way you can know for sure with traditional backups like Ctera is to restore the files manually and check them yourself, and even then, you do not know for sure if there is some piece of malware lurking there. Either way not a very practical solution for verification.
The Datto BCDR device verifies the image by mounting it and making sure it is bootable, and then it sends you an email report once a day with an actual screen shot of the protected device so you know for a fact it has been backed up, scanned for viruses, booted to make sure it works and then safely stored away. Personally, I have not seen any other device on the market that can provide these features. This business saving device is quick and easy to setup, simple to monitor and maintain, and gives you piece of mind day in and day out knowing your crucial business data and systems are protected from disaster.
With so much of your business on your computers and servers, it is vitally important to make sure you can recover from a disaster such as a ransomware attack, hardware failure, natural disaster like a fire, a theft, or any of the other many threats you face each day. If you want to know for a fact that you are protected, we recommended you get a Datto BCDR device as soon as possible to replace your aging Ctera box that has no doubt served you well but is now facing obsolescence.
Thank you for reading my lengthy email. My main goal is to make sure you are protected, and I wouldn’t be doing my job if I did not recommend you move from Ctera to the Datto BCDR device.
Please let me know if you would like more info or a price quote.
I also highly encourage you to read the articles I included at the end of this email.
Thank you very much and stay safe out there!
Thomas Van Riper
Branch Manager
C4 Computer Consulting
Phone: (315) 394-7008
Mobile: (315) 558-9157
C4 Computer Consulting
230 Ford Street, Ogdensburg NY
A DIVISION OF HOWLAND PUMP & SUPPLY Co, Inc.
References:
“Microsoft says hackers viewed it’s source code” 12/21/2020 CNN.com
“3 St. Lawrence County hospitals hit by ransomware” 10/27/2020 WWNYTV.Com”
“Ransomware completely shuts down Ohio town government” 02/02/2017 techcrunch.com
“The 11 Biggest Ransomware Attacks of 2020” 06/30/2020 CNN.com
“Baltimore County Schools suffered ransomware attack” 11/20/2020 baltimoresun.com
