Druva sees an affinity towards cloud-based solutions as businesses look for technology that helps to scale efficiently, minimally impact employees, improve business resilience etc

Present IT Landscape
Cloud adoption is set to dramatically increase in the coming years, with Asia-Pacific (APJ) expected to have the highest revenue growth rate for cloud system and service management software between 2020-2024, according to a report from IDC.  The Covid-19 pandemic has led to a surge in businesses adopting cloud as it is a bridge to digitization and getting workforce, distribution, supply chain, etc. online. During this phase, years’ worth of digitization has taken place. A natural affinity to cloud-based solutions is developing as businesses look for technology that can help them scale efficiently, minimally impact employees, improve business resilience, and can be deployed easily within today’s restrictive work environment. 

Business Growth
With data being created, stored, and shared in more ways than ever before, IT leaders in India are confronted with unprecedented challenges. Of serious concern are cybersecurity threats which have escalated rapidly, as attackers have looked to exploit the new environments and ways in which people are working. Cybersecurity therefore is right at the top of mind for businesses now, and CIOs and CEOs need to have a clear and effective strategy to address those concerns. According to Druva’s Value of Data Survey approximately one third (31 percent) respondents reported an increase in ransomware attacks on the organization since the pandemic began, and overall 89 percent of respondents are concerned now with protecting their organizational data from ransomware than before the pandemic.

Best Practices
The following best practices are recommended for businesses to improve their data protection
Review existing data – Before developing a backup and recovery strategy, review the current data architecture. Knowing who owns data and applications, current backup policies, and applicable regulations and requirements positions you for success.
Follow the 3-2-1 backup rule – Don’t forget the basics. Always keep at least three copies of your data, using two different backup media, and storing one copy offsite, ideally in a separate account to isolate it from ransomware attacks.
Invest in a cloud backup solution – Since data is so distributed, investing in a cloud backup solution has become a necessary line of defence in today’s modern IT landscape. Unlike on-premises backup protection, the cloud offers connectivity to all data sources, limitless storage for backups, and significantly lower management costs.
Perform regular tests –  A backup that has not been tested is a backup that should not be trusted. The best way to ensure that your backup is tested on a regular basis is to automate such testing. Not only will this ensure it gets tested more often, it will also ensure that the team will be comfortable with running a recovery when the disaster strikes. 

Bakshish Dutta 
County Manager, India & SAARC, Druva