Every year, March 31st marks another World Backup Day—a timely reminder to check if our data protection strategies are truly ready for today’s volatile cyber landscape.
It is an illusion to think that cyber attacks on any industry can be avoided.
In fact Check Point’s 2025 State of Cyber Security Report shows that the average number of weekly attacks per organisation are up 44% year-over-year.
Such attacks come from many sources – from ransomware, hacktivism, third party supply chain attacks, phishing, network intrusions and even data breaches.
But in 2025, simply asking “Have you backed up your data?” no longer cuts it. In an era of relentless ransomware, insider threats, and cloud-targeted attacks, the real question all organisations should be asking is if our backups for our business data are truly resilient—and if organisations are truly prepared to use them when it matters most.
Why Backups Still Matter More Than Ever
While backups aren’t new, their importance has only grown in today’s digitally dependent world. As we highlighted previously, cyberattacks are escalating—and no one is immune.
According to Statista, over 353 million individuals in the U.S. alone were affected by data compromises in 2023, including leaks and breaches across healthcare, finance, education, and government.
Ransomware, once primarily disruptive, has evolved into a multi-stage business model where attackers now exfiltrate and leak sensitive data, or encrypt systems which leads to operations being disrupted and business being stopped.
Others seek and destroy backup repositories to increase leverage.
In some instances, these events are life threatening, like for hospitals, where delayed care from a cyber-disruption could impact patient health, or municipalities shutting down public services because of a ransomware attack.
Cloud and SaaS platforms have brought convenience—but also confusion about responsibility. Many mistakenly believe that platforms like Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace provide complete backup protection, when in reality, retention is limited and recovery capabilities are constrained.
With the rise of hybrid and remote work, the threat exposure for all organisations is increased with more data being shared, edited, and stored across more devices than ever.
The integration of data backup and cyber security is where true digital resilience flourishes. Organisations can ensure data availability and integrity by combining data backup and cyber security practices.
In cyber incidents, having reliable backups enables quick recovery, reduces downtime, and minimises data loss.
Furthermore, embracing data backup and cyber security enhances the overall data security posture.
Backups provide the last line of defense when endpoints are compromised, files are deleted accidentally, or insider threats strike, with data backups providing a partial safety net in case preventive measures are breached.
Human Blindspot & Cloud Backup: Not a Cure-All
In today’s new era of cyber attacks, even utilising AI for a more smooth and expanded delivery of malware, a new form of data backup protection is necessary.
Organisations of today require data backup resiliency. Even the best backup technology can be rendered useless without organisational discipline.
For example, due to work schedules, restore drills are skipped, or perhaps roles and responsibilities are unclear.
At other times, backups are misconfigured or stored with weak access controls, with testing not on the agenda for regular operations.
Unfortunately, like all things that we get used to, this creates a dangerous illusion of resilience—where businesses believe they are protected, only to discover too late that their backups are either unusable or unreachable due to dated technology or vulnerabilities.
Whilst cloud solutions offer deep advantages such as scalability that flexes with business needs and even encryption and advanced security protocols to protect data in transit and at rest, with the ability to access data from anywhere, enabling hybrid workforces and remote recovery, there are still some risks.
Without secure configurations, regular testing, and role-based accountability, cloud backups are just another vulnerable asset.
From Mere Backup to Data Resilience
True digital resiliency occurs with the integration of data backup and cyber security as organisations can ensure data availability and integrity by combining data backup and cyber security practices.
In cyber incidents, having reliable backups enables quick recovery, reduces downtime, and minimises data loss and enhances the overall data security providing a safety net in case such preventive measures are breached.
However, resilience requires more than a backup—it demands a strategy that combines technology, policy, and culture.
On the technology side, the following are essential:
- Immutable, encrypted backups with MFA (multi-factor authentication)
- Segmented or air-gapped storage locations.
- Cloud-native backup tools with automated restore testing.
- Integration with threat detection to alert on tampering.
- Geographic redundancy for compliance and resilience.
As highlighted earlier, human errors can lead to such data breaches and vulnerabilities. To overcome this, organisations should:
- Assign clear backup and recovery roles to be prepared for any data breaches
- Conduct regular and realistic restore drills.
- Educate employees on what data is backed up—and what isn’t.
- Audit and update recovery plans quarterly.
- Cross-train IT and security teams on response procedures.
Protecting our Digital Future
Data is the backbone of modern business. It drives decisions, serves customers, fuels growth—and in many cases, saves lives. But like all strong assets, it can also be vulnerable, volatile, and persistently under attack.
Backups remain the most cost-effective insurance against data loss. But to be truly effective, they must evolve from passive storage into proactive, tested, and secured recovery systems.
Such backups should not be a technical afterthought, but rather considered as a strategic necessity, central to operational continuity and national resilience, where organizations must treat data recovery as a board-level imperative.
Resilience isn’t about whether you’ve backed up—it’s about whether you’re ready to bounce back fast, clean, and confidently when chaos strikes.
So on this World Backup Day, organisations should extend beyond simply checking if they have in place a strong data backup recovery plan; instead they should be considering whether they are prepared to recover with resilience—technically, operationally, and organisationally, beyond just backups.
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