Help spread awareness of the importance of backing up important data all year long!
Why are backups important?
UW Administrative Policy Statement 2.6, Information Security Controls and Operational Practices, states:
“University of Washington shall … appropriately protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of institutional information that it creates, receives, maintains, or transmits.”
A failure to back up data could lead to unavailability of institutional information; impact the work of students, faculty, and staff; and cause reputational harm to the University.
What are the threats to data and devices?
- Lost and stolen devices
A major cause of breaches is exposure of data on lost or stolen devices.
Backing them up will help determine what data is at risk.
- Ransomware
Cybercriminals can lock up your files and make them inaccessible until a sum of money is paid. Sometimes they fail to unlock the data even if the ransom is paid.
- Hard drive & hardware failures
It’s a hard fact: hard drives fail!
Keep important data backed up on an external or network drive.
- Earthquakes & other disasters
Multiple copies of files, devices, and systems will speed up recovery after natural disasters and other catastrophes.
What to do
- Back up all data and devices that you are responsible for.
- Use multiple methods or formats to back them up.
- Ensure that at least one backup is not connected to your computer; backups that are connected can become infected by ransomware and viruses.
- Be sure to test your backups and restoration process before a catastrophe strikes.
The information below is available as an infographic that can be shared online and/or printed out and posted in common areas.
Instructions for printing are on our infographics page.