Do you need help & advice with Cybersecurity?
Most businesses think their IT team can handle a cyber incident, but have they actually tested it? Dave from GoodChoice IT explains why a recovery test before ransomware hits can make all the difference. Can your team restore everything? Do you know who to call, how long it takes, or where insurance details are? Without a plan, recovery can take months and cost millions. A tested recovery plan helps you recover faster, protect contracts, and stay secure. Don’t wing it, plan it.
Key Takeaways
- Test Your Recovery Plan: Regularly test your IT team’s ability to restore everything after a ransomware or cyber incident.
- Know Your Contacts: Have readily accessible contact information for your insurance provider and policy details.
- Avoid Winging It: Relying on improvisation during a crisis leads to longer recovery times and higher costs.
- Survival is Key: Businesses with tested plans are far more likely to survive a significant cyber attack.
The Ransomware Reality Check
It sounds simple enough, right? Get your IT team together, spend some time testing what would happen if you had a ransomware incident and needed to restore everything. But how long would it actually take? What’s the process? What would they do first?
These are the questions that separate businesses that can bounce back from those that can’t. It’s not just about having backups; it’s about knowing how to use them effectively under pressure.
What Happens When Disaster Strikes?
When a serious cyber incident hits, like a ransomware attack, the clock starts ticking. You need to know how you’d contact your insurance provider. Do you even know their contact details? What about your policy number? Is that information stored somewhere safe, perhaps in a disaster recovery plan that can actually be used?
You really don’t want to be figuring this stuff out on the fly. When you’re in the middle of a ransomware attack or a major cyber incident, the pressure is immense. Trying to improvise solutions then is a recipe for disaster.
The Cost of Inaction
We’ve seen examples, like the recent Marks and Spencer attack. It reportedly cost them a staggering £300 million, and it’s expected to take them six months to fully recover. That’s a massive hit to any business, big or small.
There’s pretty clear evidence that businesses that have these tested plans in place are much more likely to survive these kinds of events. If you don’t have the plans, and more importantly, if you haven’t tested them, your chances of survival are slim to none. It’s not worth the risk.
