Immutable backups and 5 Reasons Why They are Important

Whether you’re a business working with large volumes of sensitive data, an organization dealing with customer information, or any other kind of place that handles confidential content; chances are you’ve heard the term “immutable backups” thrown around.

Immutable back-ups provide an added layer of protection and security for storing your vital data away in case it were to ever become lost, corrupted – or worse – stolen. In this blog post, we’ll take an in-depth look at what immutable back-ups are, their benefits, and when/how they should be used.

Looking for the best immutable data backup environment/solutions? Check out our article on some of the most popular immutable backup solutions to try.

What are Immutable Backups?

In business, data is critical. Whether it’s customer information, financial records, or operational data, protecting data and keeping this information secure is vital to success. That’s why companies invest in backup systems such as immutable backup storage to protect their data in the event of a disaster. A proper data management solution with immutable backups is essential for those that are working with sensitive data.

But what if your backup system itself is vulnerable to attack? That’s where immutable backups come in. Immutable backups are a new type of backup that uses cryptographic techniques to ensure that your backup data cannot be modified or deleted by anyone – even someone with access to your backup system.

5 reasons why they’re important

1. Data integrity: Immutable backups ensure that the backed-up data cannot be modified or tampered with, preserving its integrity and authenticity.
2. Compliance: Some regulations and industry standards require that data be backed up in an immutable format to ensure compliance and avoid penalties.
3. Data recovery: In the event of data loss or corruption, immutable backups provide a reliable and consistent point-in-time snapshot of the data, making recovery faster and more effective.
4. Cybersecurity: Immutable backups provide an additional layer of security as they cannot be compromised by malware or ransomware, making it possible to restore data even in the event of an attack.
5. Cost-effectiveness: Immutable backups can be more cost-effective in the long run as they eliminate the need for expensive data recovery or forensic analysis in the event of data loss or corruption.

Immutable backups and how they work

Immutable backups are a type of backup that prevent backup data from being changed or altered in any way. They provide an extra layer of protection, ensuring that no unauthorized individuals can access the stored data. Additionally, these backups are not vulnerable to malware or other malicious attacks.

Immutable backups work by creating a virtual copy of the files in their current state and preserving them as a snapshot. Every time a user modifies the data, they create a unique version of the file and store all versions on storage media so users can access specific points in time. This process helps organizations restore their files to their original configuration if they ever become compromised or corrupted.

Benefits of using immutable backups for data protection

Using immutable backups provides a great way for businesses to archive and protect their important data. Thanks to the read-only nature of the backups, no unauthorized changes can be made to them, meaning companies are much less vulnerable to cyber security threats such as ransomware attacks.

The additional layer of protection from not being able to modify these backups puts an effective barrier between malicious individuals or groups and critical information. Being able to store and replicate this backup data also makes it very easy to restore information if any disasters emerge over its life cycle. Immutable backups provide an array of benefits that make them perfect for archiving and providing instant protection to a company’s most important data from malicious data corruption.

When would you use immutable backups to backup data?

Immutable backups are a secure way of making sure data is protected and can be restored when needed. These types of backups ensure that backups cannot be modified or overwritten and that only the most current version of a file can be accessed, at the same time enabling you to recover data when needed.

These types of backups are also important when it comes to regulatory data compliance requirements such as those within fields that work with sensitive data. For example, data that needs to remain the same, such as financial records or accounting information. If any changes happen, they can easily be pinpointed to find out when they were made, who made them, and why they were changed.

Additionally, immutable backups provide an additional layer of security by preventing malicious actors from manipulating important files. They are also perfect for securing sensitive information such as healthcare data or military secrets. Immutable backups are an invaluable defense against potential malicious attacks on important information.

How do you set up immutable backups for your computer or server?

Creating immutable backups of your computer or server can be an invaluable tool in protecting yourself and your data.

In order to create immutable backups, you will need to start by installing a backup software package that is compatible with your operating system. Before actually running any backups, you should also make sure you are properly backing up all the files and databases that are essential; this also includes making sure there is enough space on the destination drive to store all of the backup data.

Once the backup software has been installed and your important files have been selected for backing up, you will need to set parameters for when the backups should run and how frequently. This could include setting it for daily, hourly, and/or weekly intervals. When setting up the interval time, remember to account for any changes so that you have plenty of recent snapshots available in case of an emergency.

Immutable backup vs. traditional backup methods

Immutable backups are more reliable and secure than traditional backups because they maintain a complete version of an entity at any given point in time.

Immutable backups protect data from potentially destructive changes such as ransomware attacks, malicious nefarious activities, or honest human error, as once the backups are created they cannot be modified. This also helps with GDPR compliance by making sure deleted data is truly encrypted, protecting it from being tampered with.

In addition to their reliability, immutable backups can reduce the load on network performance since it allows for incremental and continuous backups instead of constantly running full backups.

FAQ

Some frequently asked questions about immutable backups.

Are immutable backups safe?

Yes, immutable backups are a secure and reliable way of making sure data is protected. Because they cannot be modified or overwritten, malicious actors are hindered from accessing the data and making any changes to it.

Are Veeam backups immutable?

Yes, Veeam offers immutable backups as part of its suite of products. They also offer a variety of features that make it easy to set up and manage your backups, ensuring you have complete control over your data.

Why do I need immutable backups?

Immutable backups provide an extra layer of security and reliability for important data, protecting it from accidental or malicious changes.

What is immutable storage?

Immutable storage is a form of data storage that allows users to create backups that cannot be modified or overwritten. It provides an extra layer of security and reliability, making it ideal for protecting sensitive information or financial records.

What are some common immutable backup solutions?

Some common immutable backup solutions are Rubrik, Cohesity, and Unitrends. Check out our article on some of the other popular immutable backup solutions to try.

Final thoughts

In short, immutable backups are incredibly useful in a number of scenarios and come with some big advantages over traditional backup methods. If you’re working with sensitive data or simply want the peace of mind that comes with knowing your backups can’t be corrupted, consider using this type of solution.

What type of data are you working with? Do you think it would be beneficial to have immutable backups for this type of data? Let us know in the comments.

To learn more useful business tools that can be leveraged by your business to save time and money, check out our other content.