On Sunday July 21, 2024 CrowdStrike’s services experienced a disruption affecting customers who rely on the company’s cybersecurity solutions (LINK). The company said the outage was not caused by a security incident or a cyberattack, but rather a software defect.

Even though the issue was identified and isolated, and engineers deployed an update to fix the problem the downtime that many companies and people experienced were determental to their operations while they worked to resolve this. I’m personally still preforming jobs for a major chain that is still dealing with the ripple effects of that outage and its Mid-August. CrowdStrike provides cloud-based cybersecurity services, including endpoint protection, threat intelligence, and breach response. An outage typically means that one or more of these services became temporarily unavailable or experienced degraded performance and this could happen due to Cloud Infrastructure Issues, Technical Glitches, Cyberattacks or Routine Maintenance or Upgrades. The Impact on Customers may include Inability to Access Services, Delayed Alerts and Responses and/or Operational Disruptions.

Maybe on a personal use level this is ok.. we could go outside or read a book or binge a few episodes of our favorite show but from a business perspective, this is loss wages but operationally our overhead remains the same. It might make a General Manager or Business Owner feel hopeless to have their functionality in the hands of others but you put it back in yours with two options : Onsite backups and Off site backups.

Onsite and offsite backups are two different strategies used for data storage and protection. They are critical components of a comprehensive data backup plan, each serving unique purposes and offering distinct advantages and disadvantages.

Onsite Backups

Definition: Onsite backups refer to copies of data that are stored physically at the same location as the original data. This could be on the same premises as the servers or computers being backed up, such as in a data center, server room, or even on external hard drives located in the office.

Common Methods:

• External Hard Drives: Data is backed up to external drives connected to the original system.
• Network Attached Storage (NAS): A dedicated device connected to the local network where data backups are stored.
• Local Servers: Backups are stored on a separate server within the same location.

Advantages:

• Speed: Onsite backups are typically faster to create and restore since they don’t require data to travel over a network.
• Control: Users have full control over the backup process and physical security.
• Cost-Effective: Typically less expensive since there are no ongoing cloud storage fees.

Disadvantages:

• Risk of Data Loss: Onsite backups are vulnerable to the same risks as the original data, such as theft, fire, flood, or other disasters that could affect the entire location.
• Limited Redundancy: If something happens to the physical site, both the original data and the backup could be lost.

Offsite Backups

Definition: Offsite backups involve storing copies of data in a different physical location from the original data. This could be at a remote data center, cloud storage, or even in a different geographical location to ensure data safety.

Common Methods:

• Cloud Backups: Data is backed up to a cloud service provider’s servers, accessible from anywhere.
• Remote Data Centers: Data is backed up to a remote facility specifically designed for secure data storage.
• Physical Transfer: Data is manually transferred to another location using tapes or external drives.

Advantages:

• Protection from Local Disasters: Since the data is stored offsite, it is protected from local events like fires, floods, or theft that could compromise onsite backups.
• Geographical Redundancy: Ensures that even in the event of a catastrophic event at the original site, data is still safe and accessible.
• Scalability: Cloud-based offsite backups can easily scale with the needs of the organization.

Disadvantages:

• Slower Access and Recovery: Restoring data from an offsite backup, especially over the internet, can be slower compared to onsite backups.
• Cost: Offsite backups, particularly cloud storage, may involve higher costs, especially for large amounts of data.
• Dependency on Internet Connectivity: For cloud backups, a stable and fast internet connection is required for both backup and recovery processes.

Choosing Between Onsite and Offsite Backups

Many organizations use a combination of both onsite and offsite backups to ensure maximum data protection. This strategy, often referred to as the 3-2-1 rule, involves:

• 3 copies of your data (the original and two backups),
• 2 different media types (e.g., local hard drives and cloud storage),
• 1 offsite backup.

This approach leverages the speed and control of onsite backups while ensuring the security and redundancy of offsite backups.

CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz has apologized to customers and said the company is “deeply sorry for the inconvenience and disruption” to the owners of 8.5 million devices with estimated overall costs from the outage could top $1 billion, Patrick Anderson, CEO of Anderson Economic Group, told CNN but truthfully, that’s damage control PR. The cost of any downtime can be a make or break for any business that is relying on their software to work and when outside factors make that impossible, it’s all about what we’ve done as consumers to remain uninterrupted.

Here at ThatITGuy L.L.C. we are committed to have solutions in place for our customers to steer into disruptions and not out of them. Do not hesitate to reach out to us to see how we can help through Power, Network, Software or Hardware Disruptions that may affect you or have affected you.