3 reasons IT teams need to integrate their backup and security solutions

Today's businesses are no stranger to tool sprawl. In a research survey conducted by Acronis, 79% of organizations reported that they rely on up to 10 different IT solutions to keep themselves running productively and securely. These include ransomware protection and remediation solutions, anti-malware solutions, automated patch management tools, vulnerability assessments, URL filtering solutions, continuous data protection solutions and more.

At a glance, the IT professionals at these organizations have done their job, stocking their IT stacks with all of the recommended cybersecurity and data protection technologies businesses need today to protect their data, applications and systems from threats — accidental or malicious. Unfortunately, that may not always be the case.

According to one of Acronis’ most recent research reports, malware — especially ransomware — remains a top threat to companies’ livelihoods. Despite widespread adoption of security solutions and businesses’ continued attempts at awareness training and patching, about one out of every 10 threats makes it to the endpoint. So why is cybercrime still an issue if IT professionals have invested in all the solutions they need?

Frustratingly, part of the answer is that cyberattacks are increasing not despite these carefully populated and protected IT stacks but because of them.

By establishing a complex patchwork of data protection and cybersecurity solutions as the defense for their IT infrastructure, IT professionals are unknowingly creating challenges for their own management and for their business’ security.

“Threat actors are increasingly expanding their targets, while organizations are held back by the growing complexity of IT infrastructure,” says Candid Wüest, Acronis VP of Cyber Protection Research. “Only a small number of companies have taken the time to modernize their IT stack with integrated data protection and cybersecurity. The threat landscape will continue to grow and increased integration and automation is the only path to greater security, lower costs, improved efficiency and reduced risks.”

To illustrate this point, here are three reasons why IT professionals at organizations ranging from SMBs to enterprise should explore an integrated cyber protection approach.

Consolidating IT solutions and eliminating excess vendor relationships can save businesses money both at the time of purchase and consistently over time. In fact, according to a study conducted by Vanson Bourne, MSPs can save nearly $230,000 by consolidating their cybersecurity, backup and disaster recovery solutions.

While the figure may differ for organizations that manage their own IT infrastructure, the conclusion is the same: Replacing disparate solutions and vendors involved in your organization’s data protection and cybersecurity with an integrated platform reduces overhead. It also reduces the time needed to deploy, manage and train IT team members; exchanging the need for familiarity with a number of different interfaces for familiarity with a single management console that offers insight into a variety of different capabilities.

A 2020 study conducted by Stanford University reported that 88% of data breach incidents are caused by human error.

Cyberattack trends show that criminals are aware of this fact as well. Phishing has been the most common cyberattack vector for years, as cybercriminals use social engineering techniques to trick users into opening malicious attachments or links. The number of email-based attacks we observed in the first half of 2023 was 464% higher than in the first half of 2022. Phishing continues to grow rapidly today because it works, and because AI has made it easier than ever for criminals to generate huge numbers of legitimate-looking messages.

While robust training programs and the aide of preventative cybersecurity technologies are key components to closing this security gap, it’s important not to overlook the impact a more streamlined IT infrastructure can have on reducing human error. Eliminating complexity within your IT infrastructure reduces the risk of human error and improves productivity, opening your IT team to focus more on the support they provide — rather than managing the tools they use to provide it.

A key problem with the traditional approach to data protection and cybersecurity is the lack of communication and connection between solutions. As a result, organizations open themselves to unprotected attack surfaces and the threat of reoccurring malware attacks.

Because of the integrated nature of Acronis Cyber Protect, organizations can rest at ease knowing that when a cyberattack strikes their entire infrastructure will be protected. Should a threat manage to infiltrate your organization's infrastructure, backup scanning capabilities will ensure a rapid, complete and secure recovery while forensics capabilities help to identify and close the gap that led to the incident.

“This is the core of cyber protection, where we talk about combining all these different capabilities,” said Patrick Hurley, Vice President and General Manager for the Americas at Acronis. “It’s backup, disaster recovery, anti-malware, antivirus, ransomware protection, protection management — all the different security tools, together in one solution. When there is an event — and again, there will be events — you have all these things working together.”