Ransomware is a critical security threat to all organisations. It’s estimated that by 2021, organisations will be hit with ransomware attacks every 11 seconds.

The potential of being locked out of critical applications and data means that large and small organisations are looking to ramp up their IT security.

Ransomware is especially dangerous for small and medium businesses that have been particularly hard hit, with more than 50% of SMEs falling victim to this crime. Not only are they less well-defended, they’re also less likely to be able to afford to pay the cyber-criminals, increasing the risk of business failure.

Lee-Anne Williams, Product Manager for Veritas Technologies at Axiz, explains that this is a global problem and South African businesses are not immune.

“We’ve seen a spike in this tactic over the past two years. Typically, companies pay the ransom and hope that they regain access to their critical business data.

“The fundamental lesson that all businesses need to learn is the importance of a properly executed backup and recovery strategy,” she says. “With companies using applications that are hosted on-premises and in the cloud, even the smallest companies have quite complex IT environments. As a result, their old backup and recovery strategies aren’t adequate anymore.”

Veritas Backup Exec is a smart and affordable solution for companies to start protecting mission-critical data against ransomware. It offers a single backup solution for all data wherever it resides – virtual, physical or multi-cloud – giving companies the ability to protect their data.

Williams explains that Veritas Backup Exec takes a proactive approach, not only ensuring that data can be recovered in the event of a ransomware attack, but also defending itself against more intelligent ransomware that targets backup solutions.

“Our partners provide a critical service to their SMB customers, assisting them in making the right technology decisions,” she says. “Backup Exec allows them to ensure that their customers are adequately protected against this critical threat. With seamless integration into the Axiz ecosystem of vendors, including Microsoft, Oracle, Red Hat, VMware, HPE and Dell, this is an easy way to add value.”

Delivering a backup and recovery solution is a fundamental part of the overall technology solution and Backup Exec offers a highly competitive and easy-to-use solution that many companies are already familiar with. “In today’s IT world, where cyber criminals are constantly evolving, taking chances is not an option,” she comments.