Immutable backup: everything you need to know

Cyberattacks and data loss are becoming increasingly common. One of the most effective strategies to protect your organization is immutable backup. In this article, we’ll dive deep into why it’s essential, how it works, and which solutions you can choose to implement it.

What is an immutable cloud backup?

An immutable cloud backup is a data copy that cannot be modified, deleted, or encrypted for a predefined period. Unlike traditional backups, where files can be altered or erased by users or malicious software, immutable backups are protected against any changes. This immutability is typically ensured by software mechanisms that prevent data modification after creation. Immutable backup strategies play a key role in a robust cybersecurity strategy, significantly enhancing ransomware protection.

Why is immutable cloud backup critical?

Immutable backups are crucial for several reasons:

1. Protection Against Cybercriminals: Since immutable data cannot be encrypted or deleted by attackers, businesses can restore their systems from these backups in case of an attack, ensuring robust data protection.
2. Data Integrity: Immutable backups ensure data remains unchanged and reliable for audits or future analysis, essential for data integrity and historical data preservation.
3. Regulatory Compliance: Certain regulations, particularly in industries like finance and healthcare, require organizations to protect sensitive data from unauthorized changes or deletions, making compliance requirements crucial to address. This includes strategies for insider threat mitigation.

How does immutability work?

Immutable backups rely on several technical mechanisms to ensure data cannot be modified or deleted for a set period. Here’s how it works in detail:

• Write Once, Read Many (WORM): WORM technology allows data files or blocks to be written once and read multiple times without the possibility of modification or deletion. Immutable storage solutions leveraging WORM technology effectively mitigate insider threats and support regulatory compliance.
• Retention Policies: Administrators define retention policies specifying how long data must remain immutable, ensuring immutable copy retention aligned with data lifecycle management.
• Object Locking: An administrator or user sets a period during which data is locked. During this time, the object cannot be altered or deleted, underpinning immutable architecture principles. There are generally two types of locking:
• Governance Mode: Only users with special privileges can modify or delete the object during the lock period.
• Compliance Mode: No user, including administrators, can modify or delete the object during the lock period. This is the strictest and safest mode.

Immutable Backup vs Traditional Backup

Unlike traditional backups that can be overwritten or deleted, immutable backups are designed to remain untouched for a defined period. This comparison highlights the added security and compliance benefits of immutable object storage models over traditional backup solutions, especially when managing sensitive or regulated data.

Which backup solutions should you use?

To implement immutable backups, you’ll need backup software to automate and manage backups and a storage provider to host and secure your data. Several software solutions on the market support immutable backups, offering features such as automated backup testing and immutable data verification tools to strengthen backup verification and data corruption prevention:

• Bacula: Bacula is an open-source backup software offering advanced features, including data immutability and encrypted immutable backups.
• Veeam: Veeam supports immutable backups through integrations with WORM-compatible storage systems.
• Rubrik: Rubrik provides a data management platform with immutable backup features, ensuring resource efficiency and rapid disaster recovery capabilities.

These tools support a comprehensive backup strategy that incorporates immutability, encryption, and redundancy.

Where should you store your backups?

Once you’ve selected your backup software, you’ll need to connect it to an online storage provider. We recommend our S3 Leviia Storag3 solution, which stands out for its immutable cloud storage capabilities and robust cybersecurity features, such as air-gapped backups:

• Versioning: Revert to a previous file version anytime, crucial for data loss prevention.
• Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): Secures access to your files by requiring dual identity verification.
• Geo-Distribution: Ensures your data is synchronized across two remote data centers in France, dramatically reducing your data recovery time objective.

Leviia Storag3 is ISO 27001 and HDS certified, meeting stringent regulatory compliance standards, and offering comprehensive audit trails to support secure backups. Its immutable object storage models provide reliable protection and ensure long-term data preservation.

What are the limitations of immutable cloud backups?

Despite their benefits, immutable backups have limitations, notably costs and setup complexities. While protected against modifications, immutable backups should be integrated into a broader zero trust security model to protect data comprehensively against theft.

Conclusion

Immutable backups represent a major advancement in protecting data against cyberattacks and data loss. They offer robust protection and cybersecurity resilience, safeguarding your organization’s operations and compliance status.

For more information on outsourced backups, check out this link: https://www.leviia.com/en/blog/offsite-backup/

At Leviia, we ensure secure, cost-effective, and standards-compliant immutable backup solutions, essential for data preservation and cyber resilience.