The 11th Hour: How Asset Inventory Prepares You for Recovery

Even at the last minute, is it too late to get a handle on your entire data footprint? Maybe there is still time to develop an asset inventory strategy. Merriam-Webster defines the eleventh hour as "the latest possible time before it is too late." It’s a concept all too familiar in the anxiety-inducing realm of data security, data protection, and data governance. A place where cybersecurity skills are in short supply and burnout is just around the corner. It's an environment where flying blind can cost your organization millions or even put a microscope on your Chief Information Security Officer for internal control failures.

Consider the period leading up to a cyberattack as the calm before the storm. Many organizations are completely unaware that a forgotten system is accessible from the public internet, and they may be blindsided by a breach with no warning. Most find out only days or months later, after cyberattackers have made themselves known by deploying ransomware and encrypting their data, or simply by exfiltrating their data and demanding a ransom be paid.

Imagine this: A large-scale cyberattack has crippled your organization's systems and cut off access to critical data. Your teams are scrambling, but the digital equivalent of water is flooding in faster than you can patch the leaks. Every second counts. And with a heterogeneous asset inventory in place, the seemingly insurmountable task of recovery becomes a stress-free, coordinated, and tactical collaborative effort by your cybersecurity and backup teams.

Racing against Time with Heterogeneous Asset Inventory

In cybersecurity and data protection, time is not just a fleeting moment. It’s an unstoppable force that can either strengthen or weaken the resilience of your infrastructure. A race against time begins when a crisis occurs, whether it is a cyberattack, system failure, or natural disaster. This is where a heterogeneous asset inventory, the unsung hero of data security, data protection, and data governance, becomes a guiding light in the darkest hour.

A heterogeneous asset inventory, blending the capabilities of configuration management databases (CMDB) and IT asset management (ITAM), emerges as a beacon of hope during such crises. This robust catalog encompasses a complete range of IT assets across your global environment, providing immediate insight into the affected areas, their locations, and their interconnections with your other IT systems. Think of it as the backbone that manages the lifecycle of every IT asset in your environment, allowing you to set policies and standards to ensure compliance. Combining these two pillars creates a powerful heterogeneous asset inventory that gives your teams complete visibility and control to drastically reduce response times to cyberattacks.

Unknown Assets Become Attack Vectors in Seconds

The presence of "shadow IT"—unknown and unmonitored systems within your network—presents a significant risk. These hidden assets can easily become gateways for cybercriminals, leading to data breaches or ransomware attacks. A comprehensive asset inventory, recognizing and categorizing every asset, is essential to pinpoint which IT systems to protect or recover, thus safeguarding critical data.

Once you have discovered all your IT assets, including uncovering shadow IT, your next steps are to organize them by importance and classify how much sensitive data they have. Having good security procedures can protect against different cyber threats and keep your data safe. This is urgent. A recent study by Vanson Bourne showed that about 73% of organizations experienced a successful ransomware attack in 2022. News stories tell us that cyberattacks continue to increase, making it more important to know about every asset in your global data footprint.

In a landscape where cyber threats are escalating, the implementation of a heterogeneous asset inventory is not just beneficial but imperative. This inventory equips cybersecurity, data protection, and data governance teams with the details needed for proactive cyber threat preparation and post-attack recovery. Veritas 360 Defense synergizes with your current CMDB, ITAM, or any asset catalog to ensure thorough visibility and robust protection, fostering a confident cyber recovery response.

How Heterogeneous Asset Inventory Aids Recovery

During cyber incidents, every second is precious. There are many benefits to a heterogeneous asset inventory, including:

• Time Efficiency: Enables rapid identification of impacted assets, reducing reputational damage, costs, and recovery time.

• Balanced Protection: Allows you to identify over- or under-protected assets, ensuring that recovery time objectives (RTO) are met and risks are minimized.

• Enhanced Cyber Recovery: Plays a crucial role in a coordinated response to disasters, transforming chaotic situations into controlled recoveries.

A heterogeneous asset inventory is a critical component of any robust disaster recovery and business continuity plan. It is the difference between an uncoordinated response that amplifies chaos and a synchronized effort that puts you in control to eventually overcome it. Organizations that understand this and invest in a heterogeneous asset inventory stand the best chance of winning the race against cyber time. It's not just about tracking and managing your IT assets; it's about learning and preparing for when the cyberattack happens. A detailed asset inventory provides the data you need to reinforce cybersecurity policies, implement stronger compliance controls, and plan strategic investments in cyber resilience.

Be Prepared for the 11th Hour with Veritas

Let's get to the heart of the matter: Having a heterogeneous asset inventory is crucial to minimize risk. Think of the 11th hour as an inevitable event, not just a possibility. For any organization, being blindsided at this pivotal moment could be the difference between getting back on your feet quickly or facing a disastrous setback.

Navigating the digital waves of cyber threats requires proactive steps. Foremost among these is the implementation of robust and reliable backup solutions. Approaches such as Veritas 360 Defense offer the foresight and operational efficiency needed to ensure that data is not just backed up, but backed up and recovered intelligently, considering the ever-changing landscape of IT assets.

Remember the Boy Scout motto: "Be Prepared." It’s not just sage advice for life's many adventures but a strategic cybersecurity imperative. To be prepared is to understand your assets before they become liabilities. It’s to have the foresight to protect your data before it's under siege and the agility to recover it when the walls have been breached.

So, act today to ensure your organization's future. Be vigilant, be proactive, and above all, be prepared. Because when the 11th hour arrives, your readiness will be the guiding light that helps your organization recover quickly and keep your business intact and strong.

Learn more about how Veritas 360 Defense provides an asset inventory as well as an overall blueprint to fight today’s cyber threats.