The loss of digital data can be more than just an inconvenience—it can be devastating. Marked annually on March 31st, World Backup Day serves as a global wake-up call to protect everything from treasured memories to vital documents. Whether it’s a system crash, cyberattack, or accidental deletion, data loss can strike without warning. This day encourages individuals and businesses alike to take proactive steps in backing up their information before it’s too late.
We spoke to industry experts to understand why, in today’s digital-first world, investing a few minutes in backing up your data now can save you from major headaches—and potential losses—down the line.
Michael Cade, Global Field CTO at Veeam Software
It’s no surprise things have changed since World Backup Day was established over a decade ago. Backups used to be seen as an afterthought, a measure you put in place and picked up when needed. But today, they need a core element of wider data resilience planning.
Often targets of attacks themselves, backups need to level up to match these threats. Immutable backups need to be the standard, to keep backups tamper-proof, even when under attack. Following an attack, you need to be comfortable recovering from a backup you know is secure, with a tried-and-tested plan to get your systems operational again. While backups are vital, organizations can’t just rely on backups alone, a business-wide cybersecurity plan needs to be in place as a first line of defence for ransomware attacks.
Like backups themselves, World Backup Day needs to level up and evolve. It sparks great conversation, but it needs to go beyond talking just backups in isolation and cover the full data resilience picture.
Fred Lherault, Field CTO, EMEA / Emerging Markets, Pure Storage
Protecting your data is crucial, but it’s equally important to consider other critical aspects following a ransomware attack. One key consideration is the potential inaccessibility of affected storage arrays. In many cases, these arrays are locked down for forensic investigation by cyber insurers or law enforcement, preventing organisations from accessing or restoring data from compromised systems. Without an alternative data storage solution in place, businesses can find themselves at a standstill, unable to recover quickly.
Fortunately, there are now solutions designed to address this risk. Some vendors offer ransomware recovery service-level agreements (SLAs) as part of an existing Storage-as-a-Service (STaaS) plan. These services ensure a clean, operational storage environment following an attack, including bundled technical and professional support. This means that if your original storage arrays become unavailable, you can have a fully functional replacement up and running in just a few hours. This added layer of assurance helps businesses recover swiftly and securely, even if their primary storage is locked down for investigation.
Ziad Nasr, General Manager – Acronis Middle East
World Backup Day is an important reminder that protecting data is not a one-time task — it’s a continuous responsibility. In an age where cyber threats, hardware failures, and accidental deletions are all too common, regular and tested backups are essential to ensure your data is safe and recoverable. At Acronis, we emphasize not only the importance of creating backups but also verifying them and keeping them secure. Backups are a cornerstone of any solid cybersecurity strategy — because when data loss happens, your backup is your best defense.
Rich Murr, Chief Customer Officer & Chief Information Officer at Epicor
AI-driven data protection threats are on the rise, but so are AI-related defences, especially for businesses operating in the cloud. For small businesses that may not have extensive IT resources, moving to ERP SaaS can help them more easily and cost-effectively leverage AI-powered threat detection systems that can identify and mitigate cyber threats in real-time, significantly enhancing security. Cloud computing isn’t just about storage; it’s a way for businesses to safeguard their digital assets more effectively.
