There are few constants in the world. The sun will rise in the east. Rain will fall. Dropped toast will always land buttered-side down. And as quickly as technology advances, the threats to the data we rely on every day evolve as well.
While it is difficult to imagine every potential data loss event, since our founding 15 years ago, Acronis has gotten very good at anticipating and responding to threats so customers are always protected. Every solution Acronis offers is designed with the Five Vectors of Data Protection in mind – ensuring data is Safe, Accessible, Private, Authentic and Secure. We remember it by its acronym: SAPAS.
This week’s update for Acronis True Image 2019 is the latest addition to our SAPAS-defined protection portfolio.
The most reliable backup
Named Acronis True Image 2019 Cyber Protection, the latest update to our award-winning personal backup solution introduces more than 150 individual enhancements—all designed to make this our most reliable offering ever.
How can we say that it is the most reliable? Because after 15 years of protecting data, apps and systems, we know what it takes to keep your info safe. Plus, we really care about your data.
That’s why we continually test, innovate, and support our software in ways no competitor can match. That means we put our solutions under twice as many QA checks as any other vendor, and extensively test on as many hardware configurations as possible, including PCs, Macs, laptops, external devices, NAS. Our hardware testing lab is constantly expanding to reflect both industry progress and customer behavior.
As a company, our mission is to protect all data, no matter where it lives. That’s why we stand behind our recoveries 24/7 ... even if your license has expired. We take data recovery seriously – and personally.
Cryptomining blocker
Among the new threats to user data is the explosion of cryptomining malware. During the second half of 2017, there was a tremendous boom of interest in – and value of – cybercurrencies like Bitcoin. Cryptocurrencies exist because people complete mathematical calculations that verify each transaction, which is called cryptomining. Legitimate cryptomining is a critical part of creating units of cryptocurrency – and as part of the process, the first person to solve the mathematical problem gets the new coin. Usually that requires serious investments in computing power, electricity, and even cooling technologies so computers can work efficiently.
But what if you could complete the calculation without investing in those resources? That’s the question cybercriminals asked, and soon a new threat started appearing – illicit cryptomining. By infecting Windows and Linux machines, cryptomining malware hijacks computing resources to conduct the calculations needed to create new cryptocoins.
While it might not seem dangerous at first, illicit cryptomining can actually create a lot of problems. The malware slows your computer’s performance, increases your electricity energy costs due to the additional workload on your computer, and it opens your system up to other malware strains like ransomware that are frequently bundled with the mining malware.
With Acronis True Image 2019 Cyber Protection, we have expanded the heuristics of Acronis Active Protection – our AI-powered anti-ransomware defense – to detect and stop illicit cryptomining.
Our enhanced defense will now automatically detect and stop cryptojackers, ensuring the integrity and performance of our customer’s machines.
Microsoft 365 backups
In addition to this new defensive capability, Acronis True Image 2019 Cyber Protection introduces the ability to create a direct, cloud-to-cloud backup of personal Microsoft 365 accounts – safeguarding the emails and attachments in your Outlook mailboxes, as well as the files and folders of your OneDrive.
While Microsoft allows users to manually download the content in their Microsoft 365 account, there is no way to automatically back up the account and all the data it holds. This is an important need as having regular backups is the best way to ensure no data is lost.
By incorporating the ability to schedule backups that are created directly in the secure Acronis Cloud, we are ensuring users will not lose a single email or be without a file from their OneDrive if it is accidentally deleted or compromised.
Final thought
Every Acronis solution looks to address the five vectors of data protection – safety, accessibility, privacy, authenticity and security. With the launch of Acronis True Image 2019 Cyber Protection, we’re delivering the most reliable solution that customers can find ... one that is built for today’s threats, and the challenges to data that are on the horizon.
About Acronis
A Swiss company founded in Singapore in 2003, Acronis has 15 offices worldwide and employees in 50+ countries. Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud is available in 26 languages in 150 countries and is used by over 20,000 service providers to protect over 750,000 businesses.