Unfortunately, Sarasota’s experience isn’t unique. The U.S. Department of Justice estimates more than 4,000 ransomware attacks have occurred every day since the beginning of 2016, and government is a prime target.1 According to a recent Bitsight report, government agencies had the second-highest rate of ransomware and the second-lowest security rating among six industries examined.2 Given such risks, a robust disaster recovery and data protection plan is critical for any state or local government organization.
Disaster recovery and data protection are especially important as agencies push more services online. Today’s employees and citizens expect always-on availability and access to online services.3 In fact, 73 percent of citizens say they expect the same or higher quality from government digital services as they do from the private sector. Agencies are responding to the demand, but that convenience can be costly if data isn’t protected.
Regulatory compliance and e-discovery requirements are another reason state and local government agencies need to take data protection and disaster recovery seriously. As agencies continue to move critical applications like email to the cloud, they need to maintain control, visibility and access to data.
This brief explores four best practices for data backup and recovery.
