TAG Report Reveals Endpoint Backup Is Essential to Improving Data Resiliency

PRESS RELEASE

MINNEAPOLIS, April 2, 2024 – Businesses are facing a critical gap when it comes to protecting endpoint data, according to a study released today by TAG Infosphere, Inc., a leading  cybersecurity research and advisory firm. The report, conducted in partnership with CrashPlan, identified the ever-growing potential for ransomware attacks, frequent misuse of cloud collaboration tools as a substitute for backup, and an over-reliance on manual policies as the break in the chain for current enterprise security configurations. 

For the study, TAG surveyed a group of CISOs and security practitioners, and the key findings were clear: The overwhelming majority (93%) of IT and cybersecurity teams aren’t confident in their policies to protect their enterprise data. Furthermore, survey respondents acknowledged the likelihood of a severe data breach through an employee’s endpoint.

“We were surprised to learn that a whopping 71% of those asked responded that they would not be surprised if they had a serious data breach on their PCs and laptops. If the question was extended to include that they might be surprised, the number grew to 86%,” said Dr. Edward Amoroso, Chief Executive Officer and founder of TAG Infosphere. “This is important because it implies that serious risk exists in this area. If that many CISOs would not be surprised if something bad happened, then that’s a problem.”

TAG introduces the MEAD framework (Malware, EDR, Analytics, and Data) for modernizing endpoint security. Central to MEAD is the adoption of endpoint backup solutions as a pivotal measure for enhancing cyber resilience. The report advocates for endpoint backup to reduce risks to data on endpoints, detailing how this strategy safeguards data against hardware malfunctions, user errors, and cyber threats. 

“New cybersecurity technologies are introduced every year, yet data breaches continue to happen,” said Todd Thorsen, Chief Information Security Officer for CrashPlan. “The reality is work habits have changed. Most companies now have a hybrid work model—and this has shined a light on just how ineffective manual policies are when it comes to protecting endpoint data. To improve resiliency, you simply can’t lose sight of the foundation. Despite new tools and technology designed to identify, detect and protect against bad actors and malicious activity, breaches will still happen. Which is why having strong data backup and resilience capabilities are critical for effective response and recovery.”

CrashPlan offers a cloud-native platform designed to address the aggregate risk associated with data stored on endpoints within organizations. It offers a comprehensive backup and data protection system that safeguards valuable business data from loss, theft, or accidental deletion. Businesses of all sizes, across all different business sectors, use CrashPlan today to ensure a more robust data protection and resilience approach.                                          

About CrashPlan
CrashPlan® enables organizational resilience through secure, scalable, and straightforward endpoint data backup. With automatic backup and customizable file version retention, you can bounce back from any data calamity. What starts as endpoint backup and recovery becomes a solution for ransomware recovery, breaches, migrations, and legal holds. So, you can work fearlessly and grow confidently.

About Tag Infosphere

TAG is a trusted research and advisory company that provides insights and recommendations in cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and climate science to thousands of commercial solution providers and Fortune 500 enterprises. Founded in 2016 and headquartered in New York City, TAG bucks the trend of pay-for-play research by offering unbiased and in-depth guidance, market analysis, project consulting, and personalized content—all from a practitioner perspective.

About Dr. Edward Amoroso

Dr. Ed Amoroso is currently Chief Executive Officer of TAG Infosphere Inc, a global research and advisory company that supports enterprise cyber security teams and commercial security vendors around the world. Ed recently retired from AT&T after thirty-one years of service, beginning in Unix security R&D at Bell Labs and culminating as Senior Vice President and Chief Security Officer of AT&T from 2004 to 2016.

Ed has served as Research Professor at the Tandon School of Engineering at NYU since 2017. He has also been Adjunct Professor of Computer Science at the Stevens Institute of Technology for the past thirty years, where he has introduced nearly two thousand graduate students to the topic of information security. Ed also serves the Applied Physics Laboratory at Johns Hopkins University as a senior advisor. He is author of six books on cyber security and dozens of major research and technical papers and articles in peer-reviewed and major publications.