Cyber attacks threaten 69% of Saudi firms

JEDDAH: Computer security software corporation Symantec has revealed to Al-Eqtisadiah newspaper that 69 percent of Saudi companies cannot cope with cyber attacks due to their “lack of data backup operations on daily basis”.
Samer Sidani, regional director of Symantec Saudi Arabia, told the paper that “Corporate data and information is a direct communication link with users; therefore, it has great importance and priority.”
Sidani indicated that companies in Saudi Arabia show sufficient awareness in the importance of keeping backup copies of important information, such as company data, customer records, and legal documents. However, this process remains hanging on the list of actions that will be undertaken by these companies in the future, when it will be too late.
At the same time, he pointed out that only 31 percent of small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Saudi Arabia undertake a data backup process, through which they can retrieve data loss caused by cyber attacks, on a daily basis.
Sidani highlighted on the increasing number of cyber attacks directed at companies in the Middle East – hence the importance of having security solutions in place – and on the need for strong data backup and a restore strategy in the workplace. This would protect the information from all types of emergencies ranging from power cutoffs to physical damage of the infrastructure and cyber attacks that can put the company information and data at risk, or lead to systems crashes and damage computers in the company.
From this standpoint, Symantec gives advice to enterprises during its assessment of backup policy and its data recovery plan after facing emergencies. These tips evolve around the importance of having a plan, Sidani said, indicating the common excuses for the lack of plan in the company, such as “We have paper records”, “The backup process is expensive compared to the few data we have”, and “The backup process is complex and wasting time”. Meanwhile, it is difficult to quantify the massive costs of the collapse of work systems in the company as well as the loss of data and important documents, although he considered the lack of a master plan to act accordingly in emergencies within the company in itself a disaster.
Sidani pointed to the importance of a testing data recovery strategy to ensure the strategy operates optimally.
He also stressed on the importance of backups that are stored outside the company, although that requires an additional step or two.
The regional director clarified that the consolidation of backups in all work environments using a single solution to get physical and virtual backups will reduce operating costs and the size of your storage. It will also speed up the process of retrieving data, he said.
Sidani explained that the merger between the backup process and data recovery tools is one of the most important steps in information security. It would reduce costs and at the same time simplify the day-to-day operations.
Implementing the above-mentioned proposals would ensure that there is a stable and consistent database can be relied upon to start the application process of appropriate solution to overcome the emergencies situations, and successful recovery of data in your company.
He advised people to select the most comfortable solution that ensures appropriate and complete data recovery in their work environment and will enhance the feeling of complete confidence that the vital lifeline of their company is strongly protected.