Once upon a time, SMBs and MSPs might have had a false sense of security thinking they were safe from ransomware because that only happens to large enterprises—not the little companies, right?! However, over the last few years, it's become painfully obvious that’s not true. In fact, 2020 has seen ransomware besiege companies big and small in North America, ransomware attacks affected nearly 70% of companies. Unfortunately, it is likely that ransomware will only get worse from here.

But it’s not all doom and gloom. With the right partner and technologies, there’s a lot that can be done to combat ransomware and come out on the winning side of things.

There’s no single product that can prevent a ransomware attack. It requires a multilayer approach that comprises employee education; IT security, backup, and business continuity technologies; and policies and processes that emphasize the critical importance of keeping data (e.g., personal, financial) safe.

Today’s attacks are sophisticated and complex and often avert any first-line of defense measures like anti-virus/anti-malware solutions. This leaves employees vulnerable to deceptive tactics used in phishing emails to become the first point of entry for ransomware to take hold. Once ransomware infects a device, it can spread quickly and infect other systems, endpoints and SaaS applications making recovery time-consuming and challenging.

So, to close out our National Cybersecurity Awareness Month blog series, let's look at how Datto can help protect your business and your clients’ businesses from the devastating effects of ransomware.

How to Create a Unified Continuity Strategy that Protects Against Ransomware with Datto Solutions and Resources

Business Continuity Disaster Recovery (BCDR): Datto SIRIS is a reliable, all-in-one BCDR solution built for MSPs to prevent data loss and minimize downtime for clients. SIRIS can protect physical, virtual, and cloud infrastructure and data. Datto MSP partners consistently rank it as the most effective solution to combat against ransomware.

SaaS Protection: Datto SaaS Protection is a cloud-to-cloud backup solution that offers comprehensive backup and recovery for critical cloud data that lives in Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace (formerly G Suite) applications.

Cloud Continuity for PCs: MSPs can protect clients’ Windows-based computers from downtime and data loss and rapidly recover data if disaster strikes. It ensures complete protection from everyday forms of data loss including ransomware.

Cybersecurity Awareness and Education Resources: Datto can help you create a ransomware prevention program for your clients that teaches end users about the dangers of social engineering and phishing and explains email security best practices.