Cyber-attack is inevitable. Data loss need not be.

As a Product Director at Arctera, I’m especially excited about the transformative impact of Backup Exec in helping organizations combat critical data threats, with ransomware standing out as one of the most pervasive challenges. Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in particular often face challenges such as limited resources and growing complexity, making it difficult to safeguard critical information. This is where Backup Exec comes in - offering a reliable, simple, and cost-effective solution to protect against data loss resulting from ransomware, malware and insider attacks, irrespective of where that data lives – on-premises in physical and virtual infrastructures, in cloud data platforms or in Microsoft 365.

In a previous announcement, our executive team shared our vision for transforming data protection with Backup Exec - delivering a solution that’s secure, easy to use, and designed with businesses of all sizes in mind. Now, I’d like to dive deeper into how Backup Exec specifically addresses the growing risks of data loss from ransomware attacks and other threats, and how our solution provides unified data protection across platforms that is both reliable and comprehensive.

The Growing Threat of Ransomware and Data Loss for Small to Medium Enterprises

Data loss, whether from accidental deletion, hardware failure, cyberattacks like ransomware, or malicious insiders, poses a constant threat to SMEs. Among these, ransomware has emerged as one of the most damaging and costly challenges in recent years. For smaller organizations, the impact of an attack can be devastating, not only financially but also in terms of lost productivity and reputational damage. Cybercriminals often target SMEs precisely because they may lack the resources or expertise to implement robust security measures.

While ransomware tends to dominate the headlines, data loss can also occur due to human error, deliberate attacks, software glitches, or even natural disasters. This makes it critical for SMEs to adopt a comprehensive backup solution that safeguards their data against all potential risks.

Backup Exec offers a simple yet powerful solution, purpose-built to protect businesses from ransomware and other threats. Whether your data resides on physical servers, virtual environments, or the cloud, Backup Exec ensures your organization has the resilience needed to recover quickly and minimize disruption.

Protecting IT Infrastructure from Ransomware and Data Loss

IT teams often wear multiple hats, making it challenging to manage complex systems and sophisticated security measures. Backup Exec was built with this in mind, delivering powerful protection that’s both effective and easy to use.

One of the standout features of Backup Exec is its immutable backups. These backups are tamper-proof, ensuring that once data is backed up, it cannot be altered or deleted—whether by ransomware or other types of cyberattacks. If your business falls victim to a ransomware attack, your backup data remains intact, and you can restore your systems quickly to minimize downtime.

Backup Exec features advanced threat detection capabilities that proactively identify potential ransomware and other malicious activities. By continuously monitoring your IT infrastructure for unusual behavior—such as rapid file changes or unauthorized access—Backup Exec provides real-time alerts, enabling you to address threats before they escalate. This early warning system is vital, offering you the chance to take swift action and prevent a full-scale cyberattack.

In addition to its threat detection, Backup Exec offers flexible and robust disaster recovery options to ensure your business can recover from any type of data loss, whether caused by ransomware, hardware failure, or accidental deletion. Whether you need to restore an entire system, specific files, or applications—whether to the original platform, a virtual environment, or the cloud—Backup Exec simplifies and accelerates the recovery process, helping you quickly restore operations and minimize downtime.

Securing Microsoft 365 Data from Ransomware and Other Risks

As more SMEs rely on cloud-based platforms like Microsoft 365 for email, collaboration, and document storage, securing this data is more important than ever. While Microsoft 365 offers some built-in redundancy, it is not immune to cyberattacks, especially ransomware. If ransomware encrypts a user’s files or compromises an account, it can spread quickly across your Microsoft 365 environment, potentially leading to significant data loss. What’s more, that data is not protected unless you choose to add it to your backup platform.

Backup Exec seamlessly integrates with Microsoft 365 to provide comprehensive backup and recovery for all your cloud-based data. From emails and files to calendars and Teams data, Backup Exec ensures that your Microsoft 365 environment is protected against data loss from ransomware, human error, or technical failures. If an attack occurs, you can quickly restore individual emails, mailboxes, or entire Teams sites, ensuring minimal disruption to your business.

Whether you need to recover a single email or an entire set of files, Backup Exec offers the flexibility to recover only the data you need, saving time and effort during the restoration process. This feature is especially useful in the case of ransomware, allowing you to recover the affected data while leaving the rest of your environment intact.

Immutable Backups and Real-Time Threat Detection for SMEs

The core features of Backup Exec—immutable backups and real-time anomaly detection—are vital for protecting against ransomware and other types of data loss. Immutable backups ensure that your critical data is secure from tampering or deletion, even in the event of a ransomware attack. With these backups, your organization can have peace of mind knowing that you can recover your data no matter what happens.

Real-time anomaly detection further strengthens your defense by using AI to proactively identify suspicious activity as your data is protected. Backup Exec’s intelligent monitoring system alerts you if it detects any unusual file changes or unauthorized access patterns, allowing you to take action immediately and prevent further damage.

A Solution Tailored for Small to Medium Enterprises

As a product manager, I understand the unique challenges that SMEs face when it comes to data protection. You need a solution that is not only secure but also cost-effective, simple to implement, and scalable as your business grows. Backup Exec offers a reliable, unified solution for small to medium enterprises looking to safeguard their data without the complexity of traditional enterprise solutions.

Whether you’re managing a single datacenter, a distributed environment or a growing hybrid IT setup, Backup Exec is designed to be flexible and scalable, making it easy for SMEs to protect their data from a variety of risks—including ransomware, accidental loss, and hardware failures. It offers enterprise-grade protection with a user-friendly interface that makes backup and, most importantly, recovery straightforward, even for businesses with limited IT expertise.

Looking Ahead: Helping SMEs Stay Ahead of Evolving Threats

Ransomware and other data loss risks are constantly evolving, and it’s important that your data protection strategy adapts as well. With Backup Exec, we are committed to staying ahead of these emerging threats by continually enhancing our product and helping organizations to build the right understanding and processes in parallel. We’re focused on adding new features and improving existing ones to ensure that SMEs have the most effective, easy-to-use tools available to protect their data.

Our goal is to help SMEs stay protected against all forms of data loss, from ransomware to accidental deletion, so that you can focus on what really matters—running your business. As the threat landscape continues to change, Backup Exec will continue to evolve with it, providing the peace of mind that your data is always safe, secure, and recoverable.

Thank You for Choosing Backup Exec

At Arctera, we deeply value the trust you place in Backup Exec to safeguard your business. Your feedback inspires us to continuously enhance our product, ensuring that small and medium enterprises (SMEs) can protect their critical data, whether it resides on-premises or in the cloud.

With Backup Exec, SMEs gain the confidence to defend their data against ransomware and other threats, reducing the risks of data loss wherever it’s stored. Together, we’ll ensure your data remains secure, your operations stay uninterrupted, and your business continues to thrive.

Here’s to a safer, more resilient future with Backup Exec—empowering SMEs to protect their most valuable asset: their data.

Barnaby Wood
Director of Product Management, Backup Exec