A severe cybersecurity incident is the most dangerous risk most companies face. It is the greatest threat to a company’s ability to deliver for its customers, and so it’s value. This is the ninth in a series of posts about cybersecurity risk, and how you can reduce it to give customers and investors confidence.
Data loss is a when, not an if.
Despite the best efforts of millions of professionals around the world working in the tech industry and in IT departments, it is usually a matter of time until you lose important data. Ironically, despite the insane complexity of the modern technological world, with data centres, networks and computing devices all over the place, most systems are usually pretty resilient by the time they get to scale. Accidents happen however, and any time there is an organisation changing fast, a person trying to perform a task quickly, or a bad person with malicious intent, there is the risk of data loss. Whether it is accidental data loss from a software bug or project planning error, or malicious data loss from a threat actor, immutable backups are the best bet to try and reduce the impact of the loss.
What is an immutable backup? How do they work?
An immutable backup is simply a copy of your data that, once saved, can’t be changed, deleted, or tampered with—not by you, an attacker, or even accidental actions. Think of it as a digital time capsule. No matter what happens, the snapshot remains untouched and reliable, ready to restore your operations to a known-good state at a moment’s notice.
The magic of immutability lies in how these backups are stored and protected. Instead of traditional backups, which can be overwritten or erased, immutable backups use technologies like WORM (Write Once, Read Many) storage. Once the backup is written, it’s locked down—no one (not even an administrator on a bad day!) can change or delete it until its predefined retention period expires. This means your backup is shielded from ransomware, rogue insiders, and simple slip-ups alike.
Why immutable backups matter
Cyber threats have become increasingly sophisticated, with ransomware attacks often targeting and encrypting backups to force companies into paying ransoms. Immutable backups turn the tables: even if attackers gain access to your network, they can’t compromise these locked backups. But it’s not just about fending off hackers—immutable backups are also your safety net against accidental deletions, botched updates, and other everyday mishaps that can lead to catastrophic data loss.
I don't have servers, I am all SaaS - surely I don't need immutable backups?
All SaaS providers will make confident statements about their resilient infrastructure and disaster recovery plans, but ultimately this is just sales talk until proven. Not all SaaS providers are at the same level of maturity, and while these built-in protections are vital, they’re not infallible—or always designed with your specific needs in mind. You might be surprised at how many SaaS agreements explicitly state that data recovery is limited, slow, or not covered at all in certain scenarios. Relying solely on your provider’s backup and recovery mechanisms is rarely wise.
For IT professionals and product leaders, having your own immutable backup strategy is essential insurance. It’s about control, compliance, and, ultimately, peace of mind.
Let’s be honest—mistakes happen. Maybe someone hits ‘delete’ on the wrong folder or uploads the wrong configuration file. Operational errors are among the top causes of data loss, often as damaging as deliberate attacks. Immutable backups provide a safety net, ensuring that even when things go sideways, you have a pristine copy to recover to, ideally before many people even notice the loss!
Rapid Recovery for SaaS providers and critical infrastructure: Why Speed Matters
In the world of SaaS and critical infrastructure, downtime is a rapid shortcut to bankruptcy; it cannot be allowed to drag out. Waiting days (or even weeks) for data to be restored isn’t an option as customers will soon be enraged and stop paying. Immutable backups should be architected into your product infrastructure so that you can recover clean images in minutes, not days.
Bottom line
Immutable backups aren’t just another tick box in your cybersecurity plan—they’re your failsafe, your insurance policy, and your ticket to rapid, reliable recovery. Don’t leave your business’s future in the hands of chance or third-party promises. Take ownership, build your own resilient infrastructure, and ensure your data is truly protected.
If you are navigating some of these challenges at the moment we can help. Our mission is to help you reduce your cyber risk, and so our help can be in whatever form is most helpful to you, from conducting an assessment of your current setup, to advising on system architecture and config, introducing trusted partners, training up staff or helping with op model development or hiring. Please reach out below 👇
