Ransomware is easily one of the most insidious new threats the IT security landscape faces today. No longer content to simply copy data, hackers use ransomware to seize control of that data and forbid its use to anyone who doesn’t pay up. Even then, the data may be lost along with the ransom payment. Protecting against ransomware, however, can be a simple matter, and it all comes back to data center hardware maintenance.

How Does Data Center Hardware Maintenance Protect Against Ransomware?

The question is obvious; the answer much less so. But data center hardware maintenance can provide great protection against ransomware.

Make it irrelevant. NetApp recently revealed one major benefit of data center hardware maintenance in fighting ransomware: the threats become irrelevant. Ransomware operates by preventing access to your files. A properly-maintained data center has access to offsite, cloud-based backups, otherwise called “disaster recovery.” If ransomware prevents access to your files, but your files are available somewhere else completely unaffected, you need only get rid of the infected endpoint, replace it, replace the files, and carry on unimpeded.

Single-point prevention. Prevention is, of course, the first line of defense against ransomware. Everything you might use to prevent viruses works well as ransomware protection too. A well-maintained data center, therefore, is better able to spot, interdict, and ultimately prevent many common potential problems, such as a tainted file in an email.

Easier quarantine. Ransomware doesn’t always stop at one PC or similar endpoint. Infection over a network can be possible, spreading the infection to other users on the network. A properly maintained data center can help watch for and limit this threat accordingly, reducing the amount of post-infection cleanup required to get systems back up and running.

Physical protection. A well-maintained data center isn’t running unnecessary wireless connections. Shutting these down is good maintenance, as it not only reduces power, it also prevents potential access points for ransomware to get into the system.

How to Augment Your Data Center Hardware Maintenance to Fight Off Ransomware

Protecting systems against ransomware not only keeps your data safe, but it also prevents you from needing to take the dubious curative step of paying random hackers who were already unscrupulous enough to break into your systems. When you’re ready to improve your data center hardware maintenance in such a fashion, get in touch with us at EmconIT. Since EmconIT already works with a wide range of products, like NetApp, we’ve got a wide enough base that it can improve your data center hardware maintenance to the point where ransomware is much less a concern. Protecting your systems against a range of threats, ransomware included, can be as simple as dropping us a line.