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To protect organisations from unforeseen risks such as human errors, cybercrimes, and natural disasters, many owners have begun to implement solutions such as a disaster recovery strategy. While it is advisable to do so, most backup and disaster recovery vendors and their clients tend to assume that the proposed solutions are effective. As a result, they overlook the importance of running disaster recovery drills. In this article, we will outline the significance of disaster recovery drills, followed by Aegis’ disaster recovery strategies. 

Disaster Recovery (DR) Drills

A Disaster Recovery (DR) drill is a simulation of an organisation’s DR recovery plans and solutions. It involves testing, examining, and evaluating the DR plans to ensure that the organisation can recover data, continue operations, and restore business-critical applications during times of disaster. Some common focus of a DR drill includes application recovery, data recovery, communications, recovery point objective (RPO), and Recovery Time Objective (RTO). 

While it is common to have organisations involving DR plans, many fail to invest time and resources into simulating their policies. This scenario can be caused by the restrictions and expenditures of running DR drills. However, without simulation and evaluation of DR plans, organisations risk having ineffective and unsuccessful recoveries in times of real disaster. This is because there is no evidence that the DR plans can execute as expected when disaster strikes.

Besides ensuring the effectiveness of DR plans, DR drills also aim to guide enterprises in reviewing, updating and testing their DR plans. Should any unforeseen disaster arise, the DR plans should meet the organisation’s RPO/RTO requirements. It is also vital to run DR drills whenever there are new and upgraded products. This is because very few business operations remain stagnant. Any change in business growth or expansion could knock your DR plan out of alignment.  

Aegis Disaster Recovery As-A-Service (DRaaS)

Aegis Disaster Recovery As-A-Service (DRaaS) is the best model for businesses that require disaster recovery services that bundles with unlimited DR drills. With more than 10 years of proven workability track record, Aegis DRaaS proves to be a solution that empowers businesses to roll out the most workable and cost-effective disaster recovery plan. That being said, Aegis DRaaS promises business continuity during an emergency, minimising if not eliminating the outages and downtime caused. 

To protect different organisations’ data and systems across heterogeneous platforms, Aegis launched two products that come with Aegis DRaaS: 

1. Aegis Cloud Disaster Recovery (CDR)

Powered by Aegis 1PAT, this cloud backup/restore solution is made for both cloud and on-premise users. The Cloud infrastructure of this solution provides scalable back and front-end architectures. Besides, one of the fundamental features of this solution is to increase capacity and performance on-demand. Hence, with Aegis CDR, rest assured that you could enjoy maximum admin productivity and manageability while minimising expenditures and complexity.

Key features of Aegis CDR:

• Dual DR Site:
  • To ensure infrastructure redundancy, Aegis offers two DR sites with the secondary site being complimentary. The primary Disaster Recovery Centre (DRC1) is in Cyberjaya, while the secondary Disaster Recovery Centre (DRC2) is based in Kuala Lumpur.

• 1Price-Any-Technologies (1PAT)
  • To ease the complexity of selecting the right backup software for your business needs, Aegis CDR provides 1PAT – a cloud backup service that license client to utilise any backup technologies at a fixed recurring price.

• Complimentary DR-In-A-Box (DRIB)
  • To ensure fast recovery, a DRIB box will be put at client’s production site. DRIB is a consolidated appliance designed to cater for disaster recovery service equipped with built-in 1PAT and limited Aegis DRaaS.

• 100% Managed Services
  • To ensures smooth manageability of backup and DR, Aegis CDR provides fully managed services include patch management, on-demand backup, restore, and replicate, as well as DR declaration.

• ISO 27001 ISMS certification
  • Aegis CDR is the first and only Cloud Disaster Recovery service in Malaysia to receive this certification. This assures clients that Aegis CDR’s practises and processes are governed by strict data security and integrity protocols

2. Aegis Cloud Veeam Backup (CVB)

Aegis Cloud Veeam Backup (CVB) fully integrates with Veeam to provide the best cloud backup services that cater to on-premise clients. This solution comes with complimentary and unlimited DR resources. Besides, Aegis CVB promises fast and secure backup services that replicate any on-premise data and store them in Aegis’ Cloud. Veeam on-premise users can also leverage on Aegis cloud’s disaster recovery services and privileges.

Key Features of Aegis CVB:

• Offsite Backup
  • Existing on premise Veeam clients are eligible to backup to Aegis Cloud to enjoy free and unlimited access to Aegis DR resources.

What’s in Aegis DRaaS?

Now that we have discovered the Aegis solutions that are accompanied by Aegis DRaaS, it’s time to unpack and outline what Aegis DRaaS offers.

1. Complimentary & Unlimited Cloud DR Resources

Aegis DRaaS contains Cloud DR Resources that are completely free. Such resources include:

• DR Virtual Machine (VM)
• DR Virtual Central Processing Unit (vCPU) and Virtual RAM (vRAM) 
• DR Security
• DR Bandwidth
• DR Drill
• DR-In-A-Box (DRIB)
• Aegis Managed Service

A feature worth mentioning is that clients are entitled to free and unlimited DR drills in a year. This ensures the effectiveness of Aegis solutions. 

2. Complimentary DR Seats

Aegis DRaaS offers up to 30 complimentary DR Seats for clients to perform their DR drills. 

3. Dedicated Aegis DR Drill Team

With Aegis DRaaS service, you will enjoy full assistance from the professional and dedicated Aegis DR drill personnel. The team will aid in ensuring successful DR drills. 

4. Complimentary Unlimited DR Drills

Clients can enjoy complimentary unlimited DR Drills in a year. This allows clients to ensure the effectiveness of their DR strategies.

Specialising in Cloud Disaster Recovery (CDR) services since 2009, Aegis is one of the pioneers in Malaysia’s cloud disaster recovery industry. The secure data backups and effective disaster recoveries make Aegis the best choice for organisations of all sizes and industries. These are all the key highlights about DR drills as well as Aegis DRaaS service offering. Find out more information regarding Aegis’ Cloud services and solutions.  

The advancement of technology has benefited our lives with innumerable convenience. However, this also opens the doors for cybercriminals to commit crimes via multiple malware, including ransomware. Backing up data is a key part of Ransomware protection and defending against other malware. Having known the threats of cybercrimes, Aegis seeks to protect the data and files of our clients by using cost-effective delivery systems. In this article, we will be exploring how Aegis Cloud Disaster Recovery (CDR) and its 4-3-2 Backup Rule helps you in fighting Ransomware. 

What is Ransomware?

Ransomware is one of the malwares that encrypts and attacks a victim’s files. As suggested by the name of this malware, victims are directed to make payments and obtain the decryption key. In other words, ransomware prevents victims from accessing and restoring their files until they make their payments. The amount of ransoms varies greatly. 

There are several ways in which Ransomware uses to access the victims’ computers. The most common delivery system being the phishing spam, which are the email attachments in victims’ mailboxes. These emails usually masquerade as trustable sources so that victims are more likely to download and open the files. Upon downloading or opening the files, victims will have Ransomware taking over their computers. Hence, protection against Ransomware is necessary for the security of your data.

Common Targets of Ransomware Attacks

Anyone who has essential and attractive data can be the target of a ransomware attack. Recently, educational institutions such as private schools, colleges, and universities are one of the top ransomware targets. This is because educational institutions often carry a vast amount of essential data, such as research, financial data, medical records, and intellectual properties.

Furthermore, governmental agencies are also an easy target for ransomware attacks. These agencies often carry crucial and time-sensitive data, which makes them more likely to recover their data as soon as possible by paying the ransom. That said, healthcare departments are vulnerable to ransomware attacks due to a similar reason. They are more likely to pay ransom due to the urgency of recovering their patients’ data, especially those who are in critical stages of life.

Lastly, firms that carry a massive amount of data are also the targets of ransomware attacks. Some examples include retail, finance, HR, energy, and utility departments. It is of utmost importance to have reliable and effective ransomware protection strategies. To do so, you will require reliable services from cloud disaster recovery professionals, such as Aegis. Before understanding how Aegis protects your data, it is helpful to understand the common backup practices in today’s market.

Read More: 5 Steps to Recover Your Server After a Ransomware Attack

The Backup Rule

The usual backup practice in the market is following the 3-2-1 Backup Rule. The 3-2-1 Rule is an effective defence system against Ransomware. It can be broken down into three different parts, as shown below:

• (3) Copies of Data

This backup method has three copies of your data or files stored in multiple underlying storages. Having at least two backups for your primary data prevents you from losing all your data at once during incidents such as fire, theft, and vandalism.

•  (2) Different Storage Media

This step ensures that your data is stored in two different media types. Some common examples include storing copies in the cloud, tape, or hard drive.

• (1) Off-Site Copy:

This rule means that at least one copy of your data should be stored remotely. Ransomware attacks destroy the data stored in the same location quickly. Thus, this rule suggests having one copy of your data stored in a different location, city, state, or country. It usually involves storing your data in an off-site cloud storage.  

Different from the basic backup rule, Aegis Cloud Disaster Recovery (CDR) levels up the data protection game by provisioning the 4-3-2 Backup Rule instead!

• (4) Copies of Data:
  • a. Client’s primary server
  • b. Aegis DR Appliance at Client’s production site
  • c. Aegis Disaster Recovery Centre @ Cyberjaya
  • d. Aegis Disaster Recovery Centre @ Kuala Lumpur

• (3) Different Storage Media:
  • a. Aegis DR Appliance at Client’s production site
  • b. Cloud Storage @ Aegis Disaster Recovery Centre @ Cyberjaya
  • c. Cloud Storage @ Aegis Disaster Recovery Centre @ Kuala Lumpur

• (2) Off-Site Locations:
  • a. Aegis Disaster Recovery Centre @ Cyberjaya
  • b. Aegis Disaster Recovery Centre @ Kuala Lumpur

Aegis, More Than Just Recovery

Aegis provides multiple cloud backup and disaster recovery services that suit the needs of different clients. By incorporating the 4-3-2 Backup Rule, these services are effective in protecting your files and data against many cybercrimes, including protection from Ransomware attacks.

1. Aegis Cloud Disaster Recovery (CDR)

Aegis CDR provides cloud backup and disaster recovery services that are powered by Aegis 1PAT. The Cloud infrastructure of this service enables scalable back and front-end architectures. It is applicable for both on-premise and cloud users, offering complimentary and unlimited DR resources to all clients.

2. Aegis Cloud Veeam Backup (CVB)

Aegis CVB offers cloud backup services that entirely integrate with Veeam. Clients can enjoy complimentary and unlimited DR resources while having their on-premise data replicated to Aegis cloud. Besides, Veeam’s on-premise clients can also leverage on Aegis CVB services and privileges.

3. Aegis Cloud Office 365 Backup (COB)

This package is a comprehensive business solution that offers backup and restore services for all data of Microsoft 365. This service caters to Microsoft SharePoint, Microsoft OneDrive, and Microsoft Exchange. Aegis COB aims to protect and recover data from threats that are beyond Microsoft’s retention and backup policies. Some examples of threats include Ransomware, overwriting, and accidental deletions. The files and data of Microsoft 365 will be securely replicated to Aegis cloud.  

4. Aegis Cloud Endpoint Backup (CEB)

This automated and comprehensive backup solution focuses on the clients’ endpoint devices and the data stored in those devices. Aegis CEB aims to protect and reduce the risk of data loss from endpoint devices.

Since 2009, Aegis has been specialising in Cloud Disaster Recovery (CDR) Services. With over a decade of CDR experience, Aegis is the pioneer in cloud disaster recovery services in Malaysia. This sums up the Aegis 4-3-2 Backup Rule and Aegis’ services that help to combat Ransomware. Protecting your data from Ransomware is as easy as 4-3-2!

For more information regarding our services and solutions, visit Aegis’ official website.