What is an immutable or air-gapped backup and do I need it?
Immutable = backup files that cannot be modified or deleted during a set retention period. The difference between surviving and not surviving a ransomware attack.
Try this first
- 1Realise: if an attacker gets domain admin, they can also reach your backup server. A regular backup share is then dead.
- 2Object lock on cloud storage (S3, Backblaze B2, Wasabi) makes objects truly undeletable until retention expires. Not even you can remove them.
- 3At the NAS level: Synology has WORM shares, Veeam has a hardened repository on a Linux box with immutable flags. These are separate projects to set up.
- 4Air-gap = literally disconnected. An external drive you unplug daily is air-gapped. So is tape. Works, but requires discipline.
When to bring us in
Setting up immutable storage is not a quick job. Wrong retention and you are stuck with costs, too short and it does not protect. Call us before you activate object lock; that is literally non-reversible.
See also
- We have backups but we do not know if they workA backup that cannot be restored is not a backup. Testing matters as much as taking the backup.
- Suspected ransomware: what to do RIGHT NOWThe first 30 minutes are critical. One wrong move spreads the damage. Read before acting.
- Someone accidentally deleted an important folderUsually fine to recover. The trick: do not save anything new on that drive until you know how.
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