Veritas Technologies, the leader in secure multi-cloud data management, has announced enhancements to Veritas Backup Exec, the unified backup and recovery solution trusted by more than 45,000 small and midsize businesses (SMBs) worldwide. The latest updates include malware detection capabilities, role-based access control and additional optimisations for fast backup and recovery of business-critical data.

With ransomware attacks on the rise, data security is a growing concern for all businesses. Veritas research found that over the last two years, 65% of businesses had fallen victim to a ransomware attack in which bad actors infiltrated their systems. A majority also said data security risks are increasing. Small businesses can be especially vulnerable to ransomware attacks, without the in-house expertise to manage the complexities of data security. Many also forgo cyber insurance with a mistaken assumption that by virtue of their smaller size, they are more likely to fly under the radar of cybercriminals.

Gary Sievers, Vice President, APJ Channel Sales and Alliances at Veritas, said: “SMBs often lack the comprehensive cyber resiliency infrastructure that large enterprises have in place, making them a prime target for hackers. Although smaller in size compared to large corporates, the risk is, unfortunately, just as large and consequences as significant should an SMB fall victim to a cyber breach. Having a reliable backup system is the only way through which businesses can guarantee themselves the ability to recover, should a malicious actor find their way in. With Veritas Backup Exec, SMBs can protect critical data through a simple-to-use, all-in-one solution, no matter where it’s stored – be it in SaaS or specialised applications and workloads, on-premises or in the cloud.”

The unified design of Veritas Backup Exec eliminates the need for multiple point products and offers SMBs a powerful, cost-effective way to keep pace with the changing data and threat landscape. Customers can also manage their entire data estate from a single console. Veritas continuously strengthens the solution’s capabilities and defensive measures, adhering to a rapid development cycle. The latest release of Veritas Backup Exec introduces several new features:

• Malware detection – Equips SMBs with another line of defense against viruses propagating within their data environment. Veritas Backup Exec malware detection, powered by Microsoft Defender, can be used to scan both VMware and Hyper-V backup sets at any time or prior to recovery.

• Role-based security – Limits access to data based on a user’s specific role. In the event an account is compromised by hackers, the hackers can only corrupt the small volume of data associated with that specific user’s account.

• Faster backup and recovery – Optimises protection performance with forever incremental backup of VMware and Hyper-V. Protection of virtual machines is now faster with parallel backup of multiple virtual disks and the included ability to recover virtual machines instantly.

Tom Shanahan, Managing Director at Tronic Group Pty Ltd, said: “Data protection can seem like an impossible task for SMBs who often lack the resources, time and funds to properly invest in ransomware resiliency strategies. However, given the rate at which hackers continue to infiltrate and expose critical business information, or even worse, cripple business operating systems, having a strong backup system is no longer a mere option. We are pleased to offer SMBs with a robust, easy-to-use data defence tool – Veritas Backup Exec – to simplify the backup and recovery process, providing them with a peace of mind knowing they can bounce back from a ransomware attack with minimal disruption to everyday operations.”

Steve Walcott, server administrator at WalCorp, said: “Ransomware attacks have become inevitable in today’s world. Veritas Backup Exec helps us stay prepared and ready to recover quickly. The all-in-one design is cost-effective and gives us everything we need to keep our data secure, making it simple to protect data across environments.”

Christophe Bertrand, practice director at Enterprise Strategy Group, said: “Whether they realise it or not, SMBs have a target on their backs. Hackers know they lack resources, and our research confirms that SMBs think ransomware is more complex than other attacks and are more likely to pay extortion demands. Veritas is aiming to ‘democratise’ cyber resilience through Backup Exec, giving SMBs data defense tools to help them detect and recover from ransomware attacks with full confidence.”

Veritas Backup Exec is available as a subscription service and can be installed in 10 minutes or less. Once installed, completing the first backup takes only five minutes. Find a Veritas-certified partner or sign up for the Veritas Backup Exec free 60-day trial. To learn more about how the solution helps SMBs, watch the webinar on pinpointing cyber threats and recovering quickly from ransomware attacks.