Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) tools have become an invaluable part of the digital workspace – increasing workflow and productivity, managing customer engagement and communications between coworkers and clients. But as the market and SaaS data grow, so do the inherent risks and the precautions and considerations companies must consider. 

Our recent SaaS Application Risk Report highlighted several current and growing risks associated with SaaS applications and SaaS data. Still, there are additional considerations and SaaS trends to be aware of. To help business leaders evaluate and understand the changing SaaS market, here are three predictions we’re making for 2024. 

1. Cross-Border Compliance Will Drive SaaS Data Segmentation:

In 2024, Spin.AI predicts significant changes in how companies use SaaS to manage their data. As businesses grapple with increasingly diverse compliance regulations across regions, they must reduce cross-border risks. We expect this to lead to a surge in data segmentation by region (such as backing up data to a specific geography) – to reduce costs, ensure compliance, and meet local regulations. Leading the charge: the evolving SalesForce/AliCloud partnership is poised to play a pivotal role in this transformation for multinational corporations.

2. New types of compliance and data leak risks will appear due to the fast adoption of generative AI tools: 

We expect generative AI tools will lead to risks of regulatory compliance, privacy violations, fake AI apps and extensions, phishing and social engineering, intellectual property theft, automated content generation for cyber attacks, security of trained models, etc. Today, regulations for generative AI tools are still in the early days. During this time, we will see more cases of new types of data leaks due to compliance breaches and fake AI tools that steal business and personal data and that can be used as a part of a new wave of zero-day attacks. As noted in our Browser Extension Risk Report in August, more than half of all browser extensions installed are currently considered high risk. To mitigate these risks, it’s essential to implement safeguards and best practices. These include robust risk assessment systems, user education, data protection laws, and ongoing monitoring and auditing of AI systems.

3. CPRA’s Enforcement and GDPR-Like Impact:

We expect the enforcement of the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA) will intensify, particularly concerning the “right to be forgotten” aspect. This development will have far-reaching implications for U.S. companies, particularly those that handle the data of California residents or generate revenue exceeding $25 million. In response to enforcement increases, the legal landscape will evolve as this aspect of CPRA is tested in the courts, leading to heightened scrutiny of backup and data recovery strategies. Budgets to manage compliance will surge accordingly, and AI-driven solutions to identify shadow data will become pivotal in preventing potential lawsuits.

Bonus: 

4. Microsoft Teams’ Ascendancy and Security Challenges:

Microsoft Teams will experience a significant uptick in adoption, even as it faces growing security threats. Competitors like Slack are already feeling the pressure. Despite the recent DarkGate malware attack, Microsoft Teams is set to become the go-to collaboration platform for businesses.

Forecasting shifts in the SaaS security market and trying to prepare for unseen events is no small undertaking, but regardless of the prevailing trends, maintaining a robust defensive security stance can mitigate the uncertainties of the future. This includes understanding what your SaaS ecosystem looks like, understanding access and authentication processes, and knowing who has access to your data and how that data is being used. 

To learn more about how Spin.AI can proactively protect your SaaS data from the risk of shadow IT, ransomware, data leak and loss, and non-compliance, check out our SpinOne solutions page.

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Our highly anticipated new SpinOne features are here! Stay ahead of the latest security threats and improve your SaaS Security Posture by identifying and mitigating risks in your SaaS environment with these new features – available for SpinOne customers today. Let’s take a closer look at what these new features mean for you and your organization.

Risk Heatmap for spotting trends at a glance

The number of OAuth applications and browser extensions that your security teams manage is increasing constantly, making it increasingly difficult to get an understanding of insights and trends – and even more difficult to make agile decisions.

The new Apps Risk Heatmap is a powerful tool from SpinOne that helps you understand and manage risk from 3rd party applications and browser extensions. This heatmap is highly customizable, allowing you to specify risk and exposure factors to identify and prioritize high-risk applications and risk trends at a glance.

Head to the Risk Assessment Overview section from the left panel to uncover insights on all your applications.


The Risk Assessment Overview is broken down into 5 tabs:

  • Overview – a general summary of all applications and their breakdown, with insights on how many applications are medium or high risk, and even how many were installed in the past week
  • By Service – breakdown of the most impacted services within your SaaS application
  • By Permissions – visibility into scopes of permissions and insights into their risk level
  • By Category – common categories from installed applications and extensions
  • By Compliance – executive insights on applications and compliances they adhere to

Dive deeper into each tab to uncover insights and identify which applications and extensions are risky for your organization.

The Apps Risk Heatmap on the right hand corner is a configurable risk matrix showing Risk and Exposure. The Risk Trend on the bottom indicates number of High, Medium or Low risky applications that meet the defined factors.

Click on the Settings icon on the top right to configure factors.

For Risk and for Exposure, you will be able to configure and define what is Medium or High risk. To add a new factor, click on the + icon, select a factor and specify the risk you’re looking for.

Once you’ve configured all factors, click Save in order to immediately see the results on the heatmap. Click on each box to uncover applications that fall under that criteria.

Enhanced Posture Management controls: Manage and Share 

Proactively identify and remediate security misconfigurations by creating granular policies and receiving real-time alerts. 

Manage allows you to change the status of the control manually. There are two possible statuses that can be granted manually:

  • Risk Accepted – Control has not been implemented but imposed risk has been accepted
  • Alternative Resolution – Control has been fully implemented through alternative methods

To put controls on these statuses, customers must also specify their reasoning and add additional notes.

Share allows customers to share the control of Email, Jira & ServiceNow integration. This can help to delegate the control to different departments within the organization by creating a ticket for them, or can even act as a way to notify End Users of changes they need to make from their end.

Enhanced Misconfiguration Management

To receive alerts when statuses of controls have changed, or change the scope of specific controls, create a new Posture Policy.

In the Conditions section of the policy, specify the controls which you are changing the scope for.

In the Actions section of the policy, enable Detect Configuration Drift to monitor for controls with status changes. Select the notification channels you would want to receive notifications to and click Next step when you are done. 


On the Scope & Exceptions page, specify for which users and groups these controls should be monitored for.

NOTE: The control will be suppressed for all users that are not part of the Scope. If all groups are removed, then the control will be entirely Suppressed.


Once you’ve created the policy, ensure you have the right priority of policies configured. If needed, change the priority of your policies. Whichever policy is triggered first, will be the one that is activated.



More customizable alerts than ever before 

No matter which subscription you are on, or which SaaS applications you are protecting, notifications have never been more customizable with SpinOne. Configure notifications for each policy for each integration to meet your business requirements by specifying how Email, Slack, Teams, Jira, ServiceNow and other alerts should be sent.

Head to Security policies → Notification templates from the left panel of your SpinOne platform to get started.


In the Actions section of the policy, enable Detect Configuration Drift to monitor for controls with status changes. Select the notification channels you would want to receive notifications to and click Next step when you are done. 


On the Scope & Exceptions page, specify for which users and groups these controls should be monitored.

NOTE: The control will be suppressed for all users that are not part of the Scope. If all groups are removed, then the control will be entirely Suppressed.


Once you’ve created the policy, ensure you have the right priority of policies configured. If needed, change the priority of your policies. Whichever policy is triggered first will be the one that is activated.



Complete protection on one, unified platform

You need a streamlined, simple way to manage your SaaS workspaces to protect your SaaS data. These key updates give your SecOps team the power of customization and automation – replacing manual, time-wasting tasks with complete protection on one platform. 

Read more about our major Q3 Product Updates, visit our Knowledge Center, or reach out to us on live chat at spin.ai.

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At the San Francisco Moscone Center, the Google Cloud Next 2023 conference was, as expected, one of the highlights of the tech world this year. A common theme of this year’s Google Next 2023 recap is AI, which isn’t surprising since this has been the year of Generative AI models, and it’s just the beginning.

This year’s Google Cloud announcements, including Google Cloud offerings, from the Vertex AI extensions to the advancements in Duet AI, promise to reshape the technological landscape for the enterprise. Let’s see relevant announcements in the realm of AI this year from Google Next 2023 and what impacts we can expect, including cybersecurity.


AI takes the stage

Google’s official tally of new features and solutions announced came in at 161. While the announcements covered the gamut of Google Cloud services and solutions, including cloud infrastructure, business intelligence, data analytics, computing, and traditional workloads, AI was the event’s underlying theme, as Google CEO Sundar Pichai highlighted AI tools and enhancements.

Google Distributed Cloud New Capabilities – Duet AI, Vertex AI

Duet AI, a cutting-edge artificial intelligence solution from Google Cloud, transforms how users interact with cloud services. Its primary goals are to enhance productivity, provide clear competitive advantages, and optimize operational efficiency. Duet AI has been incorporated into a broad spectrum of Google Cloud offerings and applications as it continues to evolve.

Google Cloud announced a range of new capabilities this year with Duet AI and Vertex AI, showcasing new data analytics offerings ensuring higher quality outputs. With its general availability approaching, the world of data engineering is just beginning to witness profound transformations.

Why AI is important in cybersecurity moving forward

With AI as the centerpiece of this year’s Google Next event, it helps emphasize we have entered a new era of the power of AI across the board. In the world of cybersecurity, threats are rapidly evolving. The threat landscape is now too advanced and fast-moving to rely solely on humans parsing all available attack signals. 

Artificial intelligence helps to level the playing field with automated intelligence that can identify and remediate attacks much more effectively using:

  1. Adaptive Threat Detection: AI can swiftly analyze and adapt to ever-changing cyber threats, identifying unusual patterns and potentially neutralizing risks before they escalate.
  2. Scalability: As data volumes surge, AI ensures that threats are detected and managed efficiently, outpacing manual methods.
  3. Predictive Analysis: Beyond responding to threats, AI forecasts potential vulnerabilities, allowing organizations to stay ahead in their defenses.
  4. Efficiency and Speed: AI rapidly pinpoints the breach source and affected areas in breaches, ensuring timely containment and response.
  5. Phishing Detection: AI excels in real-time identification and flagging of sophisticated phishing attempts often missed by traditional filters.
  6. Automated and Personalized Protocols: AI handles routine tasks like updates and analyzes user behavior to craft tailored security measures, alerting deviations.

The role of AI in cybersecurity emerges as a game-changer. It offers a dynamic approach to combat existing and future challenges, positioning organizations at the forefront of digital safety.

SpinOne Embracing AI

As cyber threats become more sophisticated, integrating AI-driven solutions into the security infrastructure is not just an enhancement—it’s a necessity.

SpinOne, a Google partner, stands out as a pioneering cloud security platform, embracing AI and machine learning to secure critical data in modern SaaS solutions. By seamlessly integrating with platforms like Google Workspace, SpinOne has positioned itself as an essential tool for organizations to leverage the power of AI for their security strategies.

Note the following features and capabilities of the SpinOne solution:

  • Cloud Data Backup and Recovery:
    • Automated daily backups of Google Workspace and Office 365 data
    • Allows point-in-time recovery
    • Retains data even after users leave the organization
  • Ransomware Protection:
    • Advanced AI and machine learning to detect ransomware attacks
    • Offers automatic and manual restore options post-attack
  • Insider Threat Protection:
    • Monitors for suspicious data transfers or deletions
    • Alerts for abnormal user behavior
  • Data Migration Tools:
    • Simplifies migration between cloud platforms
    • Assists with employee onboarding and offboarding
  • Compliance Reporting:
    • Tools to assist organizations with GDPR, HIPAA, and other regulatory compliances
    • Audit logs and reporting for accountability
  • Data Leak Protection:
    • Scans for sensitive data in real-time
    • Prevents sharing of sensitive information outside the organization
  • Google Workspace Security Assessment:
    • Reviews Google Workspace domain settings
    • Provides recommendations for security improvements
  • Third-party Apps Control:
    • Monitors and controls third-party app access to Google Workspace data
    • Alerts on suspicious apps accessing company data
  • SaaS Application Discovery:
    • Identifies shadow IT threats
    • Provides visibility into all SaaS applications used within the organization
  • Centralized Admin Console:
    • Unified dashboard for managing backups, security, and compliance
    • Intuitive interface for easy administration


AI-Driven Threat Detection

SpinOne’s AI capabilities use artificial intelligence to identify abnormal patterns and behaviors within an organization’s data flow that can signal threats like ransomware attacks and other malicious behavior. It means threats are proactively detected and remediated, offering businesses a powerful solution to defend their SaaS environment from security breaches.



Intelligent Data Analysis and automated response mechanisms

It provides data analysis tools to ensure businesses can quickly sift through vast data and logs. Leveraging machine learning models provides insights that human analysis might miss, making it an excellent tool for SecOps and data-driven security protection.

One of the standout AI features of SpinOne is its ability to respond automatically to perceived threats. When a potential security threat is detected, the platform can take predetermined actions to ensure data remains protected, reducing the window of vulnerability.

It’s a wrap!

As we reflect on the Google Cloud Next 23, it’s evident that AI technologies will drastically change data engineering, productivity, and predictive analysis. It will continue to mold and shape technologies for the future. One area where its impact will see real-world benefits is in the area of cybersecurity. Solutions like SpinOne are already showcasing the power of AI platforms and how effective these can be for proactive and intelligent cybersecurity to protect business-critical data and meet future cyber threats head-on.

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Google Workspace is a perfect collaboration tool. Admins agree with that. End users agree with that. We all agree with that.

However, its security has several gaps. When it comes to data threats, no one is untouchable.

The risks are especially true for cloud services where everything is connected. One wrong link can ruin a whole chain of files an entire department relies on. Our clients face Google Workspace security risks every day, but they know how to prevent them.

In this article, we will guide you through the woods of the most dangerous threats and risks of using public clouds. Additionally, we will tell you how to use Google Workspace as securely as possible with Google Workspace security best practices!

Phishing is taking over Google Workspace accounts

In a nutshell, phishing is a technique used to steal your data such as credentials or credit card information. You receive an email, a text message, or even a phone call from someone you know or from some authoritative source you trust. In this email, you’ll find some call-to-action under false pretenses. 

For example, you can get a message from Netflix, a bank, your boss, or even your mom, asking you to:

  • click the link below
  • send money
  • provide your credentials or some sensitive information

Phishers use various pretenses depending on the context. They tailor their approach based on the type of action they ask you to perform. Those pretenses can sound convincing, especially if it comes from your boss, for example.

In the middle of a busy workday, we usually have no time or attention to question the legitimacy of every mail that ends up in our inbox. This human factor is the reason why this method tops the list of all malicious techniques.

How to avoid phishing?

1. By being cautious. 

Here are some clear signs that are signaling that your Google Workspace  email security is under a threat and  there is a phishing scam in front of you:

  • Odd email addresses in From and Reply to fields; an unusual mix of people you are in the copy with;
  • Sense of urgency. For example, phrases like “Urgent Request”, “I need you to do it right now”, “I can’t talk right now but need you to do something”, etc.;
  • Unexpected attachments (do NOT open them);
  • Weird links with misspelled letters. To validate the legitimacy of links you should scroll over them. Some of the URLs can have the destination address that doesn’t match the context of the rest of the email. If the message is from Amazon, you would expect that the link will direct you towards the address that includes ‘amazon.com’.
    If it contains something different, this is a scam;
  • Requests that involve using sensitive data:  to buy something, to pay an invoice, to make changes, to provide information, etc.

To wrap this all up: see anything suspicious and out of ordinary in your mailbox or messages? There is a 90% probability it’s a phishing scam.

2. By using enhanced pre-delivery message scanning. It’s a native service for Google Workspace admins that helps to identify phishing emails. It’s not 100% reliable, but it might show you a warning or move the suspicious email to Spam. 

Ransomware epidemic

Ransomware is a type of malware that prevents you from accessing your files until you pay a ‘ransom’ to the hacker. Basically, it encrypts the files and scrambles data into an unreadable format. To unlock it you need a digital key, which you get only after you pay. And the prices can often be severe.

The ransomware is so widespread you actually have more chances to be infected by it than to catch the flu. Large multinational businesses, schools, hospitals, individuals – every 14 seconds someone suffers from ransomware. Tens of thousands of dollars are paid out regularly by organizations desperate to regain access to their data. 

The stakes are higher when it comes to the files on your Google Workspace cloud. If one superior account got hit by ransomware, it will encrypt all data that other coworkers rely on. 

To protect your files from ransomware and ensure Google Workspace information security, you must understand how ransomware can infiltrate. Also, you should know how to run your Google security check-up.

There are a few ways your Google Workspace files can be affected:

  1. By clicking on the wrong link while using your Google Workspace account. Usually, it happens through a phishing email or by unknowingly visiting an infected website.
  2. Through Backup and Sync service. Let’s say, you or your employees have this sync service installed on their computer. You may click on the wrong link while not being signed in their Google Workspace. But because all files on your Google Drive are synced with your computer, they will be encrypted as well. 
  3. Through third-party extensions and apps. Maybe you want to convert some files or use a better project management tool. In any case, for some extra functionality for your Google Workspace, you may opt for third-party apps and extensions. But not all of them are trustworthy.
    If you chose unauthorized ones, those can be malicious. Give them permission to manage your data, and it’s done – your files are enciphered.

How to avoid ransomware?

As you can see, there is no way you can be 100% safe from ransomware. If you can’t avoid it, be prepared for it. An automated backup on trusted cloud storage and preliminary risky apps audit can be your saviors in this case. Spinbackup gives you unlimited storage and saves your data in case they’ve been deleted or encrypted.

Thus even if your Google Workspace files were infected by ransomware, you can restore them all with a few clicks. You can also block every suspicious app, so they can’t access your data.

Insider threats to Google Workspace Security

For lots of people outside of IT, phrases like ‘data breach’ are mostly associated with complex hacker attacks. But, of course, it’s not all about cyber-hackers. The reality is, that your employees can be (and often are) a much bigger threat to your data than cyber attackers. 

A Ponemon report on data found that more than 75% of former employees retain access to corporate data. But what is even more alarming, 25% of them expressed their willingness to sell company data. It only depends on the bid price. 

What does it mean for a Google Workspace organization? It means any data you shared in the cloud about your projects, marketing plans, and customers can be leaked in two clicks to your competitors. An employee can be leaking or stealing data for years without you even knowing about it. Sometimes a few leaked files would be enough to harm your organization.

How to avoid insider threats?

First, always follow the obligatory security procedures when employees leave your organization. They include:

  • Disabling access to Google Workspace services
  • Backing up employees’ data
  • Collecting all devices that had been given to employees
  • Reviewing all apps and add-ons they installed

Second, use third-party backup and cybersecurity tools for Google Workspace like Spinbackup. They will alert you when abnormal data migration occurs within your organization. The tools will help you track and limit all company data movements and unwanted sharing with third parties. Also, you will be notified if someone is transferring sensitive data like credit card information.

Malicious Third-Party Apps and Google Add-ons

Third-party apps can be very useful but they also introduce new Google Workspace security concerns. If some app or extension is not developed by Google, it may present some threat to your data. 

Many fake apps contain malware or can be used for your Gmail account security breach. Mostly, it is designed to steal your business data or damage it. They can look appealing since they are free and promise lots of features, so you or your employees may rashly download them. 

To function, these apps request various permissions to your Google account. They may include the ability to edit or delete the data, and send emails on your behalf. And that’s where the threat comes in: every app you grant access in your Google cloud account introduces an increased security risk.

But the worst part is, when you work in an organization, it’s almost impossible to trace which apps have been granted permissions. One of many employees can unintentionally grant access to malicious apps and infect all shared work files with ransomware.

google workspace security

How to avoid malicious apps?

Invest in Google Workspace cybersecurity service that provides a third-party app audit. You’ll see all the apps and add-ons that gained access to your files.

Also, such a  service will show you the level of trustworthiness of these apps. This will enable you to easily identify risky apps and revoke their permissions if necessary. Take care of a decent backup before the disaster, not after.

Learn how to keep risky apps under control with SpinOne!

Brute-force attacks

Hackers always need your data. They can benefit from them in many ways. For example, they can sell them to your competitors, infect them with malware and demand a ransom. There are dozens of scenarios.

For obtaining your data, hackers have quite a range of means, and a brute-force attack is one of them. It’s done with the help of a password-breaking program that can crack your password to Google Workspace account. The number of brute-force attacks increases exponentially, and they’re becoming more sophisticated every day.

And the more elaborative they get, the faster they can crack your password. Sometimes, when the password is simple, cracking it can be done within less than a minute. 

But what if the whole department uses the same password to enter their computer? Once it’s cracked, hackers can obtain access to all data on the employees’ devices. If they have their files synced with a corporate Google Workspace’s Google Drive, the risk increases. You might even have to say ‘Goodbye’ to the company cloud files as well.

How to avoid brute force attacks?

You can prevent them by strengthening security:

  1. Set up long and complex passwords;
  2. Limit login attempts;
  3. Use Captcha;
  4. Set up Two-Factor Authentification.

To make it 100% secure use SpinOne Platform. It will detect any suspicious activity like an abnormal number of incorrect logins and will alert you instantly.

Related Link: How to Recover Deleted Files from Google Drive

Fatal Human Errors

The last but certainly not the least bullet point in our list is human error. There are lots of them that can be done within the Google Workspace organization. 

You or other employees can let family and friends access corporate devices. Sounds like not much but it actually can lead to disastrous consequences. For example, a friend or a family member can accidentally install an app or an add-on with malware. It can encrypt corporate data or gain access to sensitive data of other employees or customers. 

Another mistake is carelessness about your password. Researches show that 60% of users choose the same password for various accounts. If it is their personal account, so be it. But for a Google Workspace account it can be fatal. 

Mis delivery is also a frequent human mistake that leads to corporate data leaks. In fact, it is the fourth most frequent reason for all leaks and Gmail security breaches. The saddest thing is that a simple double-check of the recipient’s email address could save your data from being leaked like that.

And, of course, phishing – a completely human factor problem that destroys corporate data every day. 

How to avoid human errors?

Here are three magic words that will save your data, and those words are Security Awareness Training. All those common mistakes come down to simple ignorance in the field of data security. All you can do to avoid getting in the statistic above is to educate yourself and your employees.

And make sure to always have important data backed up beforehand!

Try SpinOne for free

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Security Operations (SecOps) has become an absolutely critical role in most organizations as cybersecurity threats are some of the most alarming challenges facing businesses in 2023 and beyond. On top of the security challenges, most organizations today are operating complex hybrid infrastructure, including public cloud resources. Unfortunately, hybrid cloud infrastructure leads to diluted network perimeters that make traditional defensive mechanisms less effective. To address these challenges, businesses need a working SecOps management.

Effective SecOps operations require teams use many different technologies and new procedures. These include effective automation solutions to handle lower-level tasks. What other challenges are facing SecOps teams across the board? What role does SecOps Manager play in ensuring effective and efficient security operations today?

The challenges facing security operations (SecOps)

Never before have there been more challenges facing security operations teams. So what are these challenges in 2023 and beyond?

  1. Skills shortages
  2. Blurred infrastructure lines
  3. Shift to remote work environments
  4. Sophisticated ransomware attacks
  5. Cloud Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) environments
  6. Lack of automation

Let’s consider each of these challenges facing SecOps teams and, by extension, SecOps Managers in 2023 and beyond and see how these affect security in the enterprise.

1. Skills shortage

There is no question. There is a tremendous skills shortage in the world of cybersecurity. While it represents excellent opportunities for those looking to enter the world of cybersecurity, it also means challenges for enterprise security, filling the skills and knowledge positions needed to implement and carry out security operations effectively. So what specific skills are required? There are many. However, there are three pillars of technologies that lead to additional skills needed.

  1. Endpoint security – include skills needed to secure end-user devices such as laptops, mobile devices, workstations, and others
  2. Data security – Data is the target of most attacks. Attackers look for ways to compromise, lock up, and steal sensitive and business-critical data.
  3. Network security – The network is the plumbing that keeps devices and resources connected, whether on-premises or in the cloud. Defending and securing business-critical networks is a foundational skill of SecOps professionals.

2. Blurred infrastructure lines

Most businesses today operate in environments with blurred infrastructure lines. No longer are business-critical environments defined by a perimeter firewall filtering traffic from the Internet into all critical assets existing on-premises. Instead, companies now have very complex and diverse hybrid environments spanning on-premises and public cloud environments.

End-users now may be distributed across many different networks and geographic locations on the Internet. It blurs the lines of where the organization’s boundaries begin and end. With this shift in infrastructure layout, it can be challenging from a security perspective. No longer are there defined boundaries with the perimeter firewall. Businesses must think about how both on-premises and cloud resources, as well as end-users, are protected.

3. Shift to remote work

The global pandemic beginning in early 2020 emphasizes just how quickly the landscape of infrastructure can change. As businesses shifted most employees to remote work configurations, the entire end-user computing landscape for many organizations changed completely. While there has always been the concept of remote work, most businesses were not fully prepared for the number of remote employees and having the majority working remotely instead of on-premises.

The lack of preparation certainly applies from a security perspective. For example, SecOps must rethink how endpoints and data are secured when end-users connect outside the sanctioned corporate network. In addition, SecOps and business leaders must uphold regulatory compliance standards as business-critical operations are carried out, with most working remotely.

4. Sophisticated ransomware attacks

Cybercriminals and gangs are carrying out sophisticated ransomware attacks on businesses. These are especially targeting businesses as the payout is becoming increasingly lucrative. For example, in the Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack, attackers made off with roughly $5 million.

According to Cybersecurity Ventures, ransomware attacks will claim a victim every 11 seconds in 2021, with a cost of $20 billion. Ransomware is not going away any time soon. Today’s SecOps teams and management must be prepared to wage war against this most ominous of cyberthreats.

5. Cloud Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) environments

We are certainly in the era of cloud Software-as-a-Service. Organizations see the tremendous benefits of offloading infrastructure management to hyper-scale public cloud vendors like Google and Microsoft. In addition, consuming business applications as-a-Service provides an easy consumption model that allows access to next-generation software and applications quickly and easily.

Even with the tremendous power and benefits of cloud SaaS environments like Google Workspace and Microsoft 365, cloud SaaS environments prove to be a security challenge for businesses. Securing data from ransomware, exfiltration, leakage, and other modern cybersecurity threats will be one of the significant challenges SecOps faces in 2023 onward. Learn how to achieve Microsoft Office 365 security.

6. Lack of automation

With most organizations maintaining hybrid infrastructure that spans on-premises and public cloud environments, performing all the low-level security tasks needed to maintain adequate cybersecurity operations is too tedious and numerous to be handled by human beings. Effective SecOps must use automated solutions to keep up with the sheer number of events and log entries generated by most monitored systems on-premises and in the cloud.

One of the top issues reported by most SecOps teams is the high number of alerts and lack of security automation to triage and deal with those alerts. Therefore, implementing the right tools and solutions for security automation must be carried out, not only on-premises but also in the cloud.

SecOps Management – A key role in modern SecOps

A vital role in the modern SecOps team is the SecOps Manager. The SecOps Manager, Security Manager, or other title plays an instrumental role in the relative overall success of the entire SecOps team. The SecOps Manager is the person responsible for managing the security team.

Outside of the CIO and CISO, the SecOps Manager is the person who shapes the entire vision of the cybersecurity strategy of the organization’s security structure. It includes recommending and overseeing the technology tools and stack used daily to detect and remediate threats.

The SecOps Manager is also the person who evaluates the team’s skills needs and hires new team members who help fill any lack of expertise in specific key cybersecurity posture areas. This activity is critical as there is currently a talent shortage in the world of cybersecurity professionals. In addition to drawing new talent, the Manager role helps create a team atmosphere that caters to mentoring, training, and growing the talent of existing team members.

Individuals who have progressed to the role of a SecOps Manager have demonstrated significant technical and security prowess that allows leading a security team successfully. However, it also implies particular managerial skills.

Organizations without a dedicated CISO role

If a company does not have a dedicated Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), there will likely be additional roles and responsibilities that fall under the purview of the SecOps Manager. What might these other higher-level tasks include?

In general, a CISO is the chief security protector assigned to protecting a company’s people, assets, infrastructure, and technology from threats. CISO’s generally report directly to the board or the CEO and serve as a guide to navigating the treacherous waters of today’s cybersecurity risks.

The SecOps Manager may act as this guide to business leadership. Business leaders need to have this technical voice with the expertise to quantify security risks in terms of how they affect or could affect the business. A SecOps Manager filling this role would, of course, be more than just a hands-on engineer. While hands-on leadership is needed, this role generally requires one to be a technical and security visionary and give strategic guidance to business stakeholders.

One with automation implementation and leadership experience

Arguably, one of the invaluable technical skills SecOps Managers can bring to organizations today is security automation. As discussed earlier, the diverse workloads, hybrid infrastructure, public cloud resources, and increasingly remote employees make it next to impossible for security teams to protect environments using manual means successfully. Automation is essential.

One of the SecOps Manager responsibilities mentioned is recommending and overseeing the technology tools and stack used daily to detect and remediate threats. Additionally, taking a leadership role in implementing and managing automated security solutions is a must for successful SecOps Managers effectively implementing a proactive cybersecurity posture.

Note the findings of a recent IDG Research Services survey:

“55% rank lack of automation as the #1 challenge in security operations and management, reflecting their inability to manually analyze and respond to the flood of notifications and events generated by today’s increasingly complex security infrastructure. The problem is exacerbated by factors including the disparate toolsets involved, outdated technology lacking the APIs to support automation, and the time and advanced skill sets required to implement automated processes.”

Also, in the same survey:

“Nearly 80% of senior IT and IT security leaders believe their organizations lack sufficient protection against cyberattacks despite increased IT security investments made in 2020 to deal with distributed IT and work-from-home challenges.”

The cybersecurity landscape is undoubtedly challenging. Therefore, SecOps Managers must evaluate, recommend, and implement the right cybersecurity automation solutions as part of the overall strategy to meet the current cybersecurity risks.

Next-generation cybersecurity automation tools for SecOps Managers

The world of cybersecurity products and solutions has exploded in the last few years, with numerous platforms vying for the attention of budget managers, including SecOps Managers. So what effective security solutions are SecOps Managers and cybersecurity professionals seeing benefits in protecting against current cybersecurity threats?

Organizations have been using security information and event management (SIEM) solutions for a while now. A SIEM aggregates, categorizes, and organizes information collected from multiple event sources. These solutions are now using next-generation machine learning (ML) algorithms to help with filtering through and analyzing data. However, even with a SIEM, organizations need more automation. Another popular solution class is SSPM (SaaS Security Posture Management).

SecOps management

It has led to the evolution of security orchestration automation and response (SOAR) platforms. SOAR takes the capabilities of the traditional SIEM many steps further. It combines the data collected, analyzes the data, and then implements automated incident response workflows that automate and orchestrate actions to be taken without manual intervention. As a result, it saves tremendous time and effort to implement effective remediation to cybersecurity events in many cases.

Many businesses are implementing SOAR-based solutions for effective automation and incident response in their environments. However, another critical area of concern is public cloud SaaS environments, such as Google Workspace and Microsoft 365. Public cloud vendors lack the native security automation tooling that provides effective automated responses to threats such as ransomware.

A great example of a next-generation platform making it simple for SecOps and SaaSOps teams to properly manage and protect SaaS data is Spin Technology’s SpinOne. SpinOne provides intelligent cybersecurity automation for Google Workspace and Microsoft 365. In addition, it allows organizations to implement automated responses, including:

  • Automated cloud SaaS application risk assessment – in seconds, SpinOne can evaluate and perform risk assessments of third-party applications and browser plugins integrating with your cloud SaaS environment. It provides continuous and ongoing monitoring and risk assessment, and automated approvals. The same level of risk management may take hours performed by a SecOps professional.
  • Automated Ransomware Protection – Spin provides industry-leading automated ransomware protection by proactively blocking ransomware affecting the environment, revoking network access, proactively restoring affected files, and automatic notification of administrators. These actions are entirely automated, compared to the highly manual approach afforded by native security tools provided by Google Workspace and Microsoft 365.
  • Domain Policies – Using SpinOne domain policies, IT admins, SecOps, and SaaSOps professionals can implement effective granular policies to enforce security automation across different groups or organizational structures in the environment.

Spin’s automated cybersecurity response solution helps to reduce time and effort and keeps essential staff reduced so that cybersecurity talent can focus on other areas of concern for the business. In addition, it provides the single, unified cloud security management platform that most organizations are looking for.

Wrapping Up

Operating a successful SecOps team depends on having the right talent filling the role of SecOps Manager. Often, this person has to fill many positions, even acting as the CISO for organizations without this role in the organizational structure. As a result, the SecOps Manager must bring many skills to the table, including a strategic vision for cybersecurity operations to meet current and future cybersecurity threats. Implementing effective cybersecurity automation solutions is vital for SecOps Managers today as sophistication and the sheer number of threats are growing exponentially. With hybrid infrastructure, blurred network boundaries, and more remote workers than ever before, automated cybersecurity workflows will be the lifeblood of effective cybersecurity. SecOps Managers today are using solutions such as SSPM, SIEM and SOAR for effectively crafting security automation workflows. Also, robust cloud SaaS solutions like SpinOne are helping organizations to easily implement cybersecurity automation in cloud SaaS environments like Google Workspace and Microsoft 365.

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Backing up your Google Drive is like making a safety net for the digital part of your business (and pretty much every business is part digital these days). Whether it’s critical financial reports, confidential client data, or the extensive archive of your company’s projects, securing a backup guarantees uninterrupted access to these key files.

Here’s a straightforward guide tailored for businesses on how to backup your Google Drive, complemented by alternative solutions to fortify your data’s security and availability.

Backing Up Google Drive

First, start by setting up your Google Drive backup. Here are a few options to get started:

1. Using Google Takeout for Drive Backup

Google Takeout is a straightforward way to backup your entire Google Drive. Here’s how:

Step 1: Go to Google Takeout. 

Step 2: De-select all the pre-selected data and choose only Google Drive.

Step 3: Click “Next step” to choose the file type and delivery method. You can receive your download link via email or add it directly to another cloud storage service.

Step 4: Click on “Create export.” Google will then prepare your files, which can take anywhere from a few minutes to several hours, depending on the size of your Drive.

2. Syncing with Google Backup and Sync

The Google Backup and Sync tool lets you keep a copy of your Google Drive on your computer so that it is always backed up and easy to recover and restore. 

Step 1: Download and install Google Backup and Sync.

Step 2: During setup, choose to sync all or specific folders from your Google Drive to your computer.

Step 3: Once setup is complete, any files you add to your Drive will automatically sync with the Backup and Sync folder on your PC.

3. Non-Google Solutions for Backing Up Google Drive

While Google’s own tools are handy, relying solely on them puts you at risk of losing data if something happens to your Google account. It doesn’t make a ton of sense to solely back up your Google Drive with the same platform that your information lives in. 

Here are some alternative Google Drive backup solutions:

Spinbackup for Google Drive is a robust solution for businesses of all sizes that is an ideal choice when it comes to protecting data against loss and threats. It has an automated daily backup system for Google Drive and other Google Workspace apps.

Using Spinbackup is incredibly easy, done in 3 simple steps:

Step 1: Grant SpinBackup access to your Google Workspace Account.

Step 2: Tap the ‘Backup’ button to initiate the backup and configure your preferred schedule.

Step 3: Recover and restore Google Drive files with a click, anytime, anywhere. 

Cloud-to-Cloud Backup Services: Services like Backupify and SysCloud offer cloud-to-cloud backups, meaning they’ll directly back up your Google Drive to another cloud storage, providing an extra layer of security and redundancy. Spinbackup is also a cloud-to-cloud service with a variety of storage destinations including Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Platform (GCP), and Azure. You can also back up to servers you build, too. 

External Hard Drive Backup: For those who prefer a physical backup, you can download your Google Drive contents via Google Takeout and transfer them to an external hard drive. This method ensures you have a local copy of your data, safeguarding against online threats. Local backups do come at a higher risk compared to cloud-based backup solutions. 

How to Restore Google Drive Backups Correctly

  1. Restoring a Google Drive backup correctly involves a series of well-planned steps to ensure that data is recovered safely and efficiently. Here’s a comprehensive guide on how to proceed:
  1. Determine why you need to restore (e.g., data deletion, corruption, ransomware attack) and identify what data needs to be restored (specific files, folders, or the entire drive).
  1. Check your backup solution (whether Google Drive’s built-in features or a third-party service) to confirm that backups exist for the data in question and are up-to-date.
  2. Decide on using Google Drive’s native options like the version history for files or using a third-party backup and recovery tool if you need more comprehensive options. If possible, consider restoring the data in a separate environment to prevent overwriting existing data and validate the data post-restoration.
  1. For Google Drive’s native restore options, use the version history feature by right-clicking on the file and selecting “Manage versions” to restore an older version of a file. For third-party tools, follow the software’s specific procedures to select and restore the backups. These might include granular recovery options to select specific items rather than a full restoration.
  1. Keep track of the restoration progress. Be aware of any error messages or failures that may occur and address them promptly.
  1. Once restoration is complete, check the files and folders to ensure that all expected data is present and that files open properly without errors.
  1. Open several restored files to confirm they operate as expected. This includes checking content accuracy and functionality (like embedded scripts in spreadsheets).
  1. Ensure that restored files and folders have appropriate access permissions reconfigured to match organizational security policies.
  1. f the restoration was performed in a test environment, remove any redundant data after ensuring the integrity and functionality of the restored files.
  1. Analyze the effectiveness of the restoration and identify any improvements needed in the backup and restoration strategies.
  1. Adjust backup frequency, scope, and methods based on recent experiences and potential future needs.

Following these steps systematically will help you ensure that your Google Drive backup is restored correctly, minimizing downtime and data loss, and maintaining the continuity and security of your digital assets.

Tips on How to Make Sure You Restore Google Drive Backups Properly

Ensuring that your Google Drive backup is restored correctly is essential to guarantee the safety and accessibility of your data when you need it. Here are some expert tips for successful backup restoration:

  • Before commencing the restoration process, make sure that your backups are comprehensive and that the integrity of the data has been confirmed. Regularly checking for these aspects can help identify any issues early on.
  • Assess whether you need to restore individual files, specific folders, or the entire contents of your Google Drive based on the circumstances of data loss or specific recovery requirements.
  • Make use of tools or software specifically designed for Google Drive backup and recovery purposes. Various third-party solutions provide advanced functionalities like selective file or folder restoration options for a more tailored approach.
  • Take advantage of Google Drive’s version history feature, which allows you to revert to previous file versions if needed, especially in cases of accidental deletion or file corruption.
  • If possible, consider conducting your restoration process in a test environment initially as a precautionary measure. This enables you to confirm the correctness and entirety of the data without impacting your active environment.
  • Following the restore, review the access permissions for your files and folders. Confirm they are properly configured to prevent unauthorized entry and uphold the desired privacy and security settings.
  • Keep a close watch on the restoration process for any errors or complications. Detecting and resolving issues promptly can prevent data damage or loss.
  • After restoring, verify the data by examining a few restored files for integrity and accuracy. Ensure that the restored data aligns with its original state.
  • Draw lessons from any challenges faced during restoration to enhance and update your backup approach, enhancing readiness for future requirements.
  • Regular testing and updating of your backup procedures can help ensure that your data recovery strategies are efficient and prepared for deployment in case of data loss.

By following these guidelines, you can significantly improve your chances of successfully recovering your Google Drive files, reducing the chances of losing data and maintaining seamless business operations.

Gotchas to Watch for When Restoring a Google Drive Backup

Restoring a Google Drive backup can come with its own set of challenges that may complicate the process. Knowing about these potential issues in advance can help you get ready and handle them effectively. Here are some common hurdles to be mindful of:

  • One of the usual problems is realizing that the backup didn’t capture all the necessary data or missed out on recent changes. This could happen because of interruptions during the backup process or incorrect settings.
  • Backups may get corrupted due to hardware malfunctions, software glitches or issues during data transfer. Corrupted data can make files unusable, emphasizing the need for redundancy measures and integrity checks.
  • Dealing with multiple versions of a document or file while restoring can be tricky. This becomes especially complex in environments where files are regularly updated by multiple users.
  • Restoring a significant amount of data can be time-consuming and prone to errors, particularly if there are concerns about unstable internet connections or bandwidth limitations. This could also affect business operations if critical data isn’t given priority during restoration.
  • Following restoration, files may not automatically retain their original permissions and sharing preferences. This could result in challenges related to accessing data and maintaining security if not managed diligently.
  • In regulated industries, data restoration processes must adhere to legal requirements regarding data integrity and protection. Non-compliance could lead to legal consequences.
  • Updates to software or platforms used (e.g., Google Drive updates or changes in the operating system) might cause compatibility issues during the restoration phase, resulting in failures or data loss.
  • Errors made while restoring data, such as selecting the wrong dataset or unintentionally overwriting existing files, can worsen a situation of data loss.
  • Recovering backups may require a considerable amount of computing power and network capacity, which could affect essential business activities.

Restoring your Google Drive backup properly is fundamental to retaining and safeguarding your business’s digital information. Whether you choose to use Google’s built-in options or secure, third-party services, following the tips in this guide will best ensure you restore your backup correctly so your important documents remain secure and accessible, no matter what happens.

To learn more, book a demo here.

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Tiered Program includes solutions for SSPM, DLP, Ransomware Protection, Backup and Recovery, across Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Salesforce, and Slack.  

PALO ALTO, Calif. | April 3, 2024 | Spin.AI, a leading SaaS security company dedicated to safeguarding enterprises against security risks, today announced the launch of the Spin.AI Partner Program. This comprehensive initiative is designed to support and expand the businesses of Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace managed service providers (MSPs), managed security service providers (MSSPs), resellers, and distribution partners by advancing their cybersecurity offerings with Spin.AI’s all-in-one SaaS security solution for mission-critical applications.

The Spin.AI Partner Program is a tiered program that offers a multi-tenant platform for SaaS data security, enabling partners to broaden their business scope and tap into new revenue opportunities. This initiative facilitates entry into previously untapped markets and meets the advancing cybersecurity needs of clients, by offering a comprehensive solution for the protection of SaaS data for essential applications. Distinguishing itself from other programs, the Spin.AI Partner Program delivers significant margin potential, inclusive of both managed and professional services, and offers flexible pricing models, all within a partner-first framework that aligns with varying business models.

“Recognizing the difficulties partners encounter, such as the complexity of managing multiple point solutions, visibility gaps, and the need for efficient incident response, the Spin.AI Partner Program is meticulously designed to simplify SaaS security,” said Rocco Donnino, SVP Global Strategic Alliances & Channels, Spin.AI. “It eliminates cumbersome manual processes, streamlines deployment and maintenance, and enhances customer success with strong margins and subscription-based pricing.

Program Structure

The Spin.AI Partner Program features a tiered system designed to cater to diverse partner needs, structured into MSP, Platinum, Gold, and Silver levels. Key highlights of the program include:

  • Tailored Benefits: Each tier provides a custom suite of benefits, including aggressive financial discounts, specialized onboarding, enablement, marketing, channel, and support resources.
  • Comprehensive Support, Managed and Professional Services: This framework enhances partners’ success across various aspects of their business, such as managed and professional services.
  • Industry-Specific Solutions: The program addresses the unique SaaS security challenges of a broad spectrum of industries, such as technology, retail, manufacturing, media, education, law, healthcare, commercial real estate, and hospitality.

Key Differentiators

The Spin.AI Partner Program is unique in its adaptability to partner needs, whether through reselling, referral, or managed services. Differentiating benefits include:

  • Speed to value with low implementation and maintenance expenses, ensuring economic efficiency.
  • Patented protection and recovery technology to provide advanced security measures.
  • Industry-leading service level agreement (SLA), dramatically cutting down ransomware recovery time from days or weeks to a mere 2 hours.

Partner Quotes

“SADA recognizes the Spin.AI Partner Program as a strategic advancement in cybersecurity offerings, distinguishing itself by offering unmatched flexibility and support for our diverse partnership models,” said Rocky Giglio, Global Director, Security GTM & Solutions, SADA. “Unlike other programs, Spin.AI allows us to resell, refer, and integrate their comprehensive SaaS security solutions seamlessly into our managed and professional services portfolio. Their multi-tenant platform, which is both easy to deploy and manage, aligns with our operational ethos, ensuring that we can deliver rapid value to our clients at a lower cost.”

“Spin.AI’s all-in-one solution and their Partner Program align perfectly with our mission to deliver top-tier, scalable security solutions to our clients,” said Andrew Peskin, EVP of Strategy and Operations Dito. “This collaboration not only enhances our cybersecurity offerings but also empowers our clients across various industries to navigate the complexities of SaaS data protection with greater ease and efficiency.”

“By incorporating Spin.AI’s technologies into our suite of cybersecurity offerings, M-Theory is not just enhancing our product lineup; we’re empowering our customers with the tools and technologies to defend against the most pressing cyber threats they face today,” said Chant Vartanian, Founder & CEO, M-Theory. “This partnership underscores our unwavering commitment to customer success and security, setting a new benchmark in the protection we offer to the businesses we serve.”

“We want partners that can enhance and expand our portfolio with solutions that not only meet but exceed the evolving security needs of the Microsoft 365 market. Spin.AI’s data protection solutions directly address the sophisticated challenges faced in safeguarding Microsoft 365 environments against data breaches and loss,” Hermann Ramacher, CEO of ADN Advanced Digital Network Distribution GmbH, DACH Distribution Partner of Spin.AI.  

With over 400 partners and more than 1,500 customers across 100 countries, Spin.AI continues to lead in the SaaS security space, delivering unparalleled value and protection. The new Partner Program reaffirms Spin.AI’s commitment to empowering businesses with the tools they need to secure their SaaS environments, ensuring resilience against an ever-evolving threat landscape.

Spin.AI’s excellence and commitment to cybersecurity have been recognized by industry analysts, partners and customers. Recently, it was named a Strong Performer in the Forrester Wave™ for SaaS Security Posture Management (Q4 2023), highlighting its robust capabilities in browser extension risk management and ransomware detection and remediation. Moreover, Google selected Spin.AI’s Chrome Extension Risk Assessment tool for its Workspace Admin Console. Spin.AI’s solutions have also earned high ratings from customers, demonstrating their effectiveness and reliability.

For more information about the Spin.AI Partner Program and to become a partner, click here. Spin.AI will also be at Google Cloud Next 2024, and you can visit them at booth #1263.

About Spin.AI

Spin.AI is a SaaS security company protecting enterprises against the risk of shadow IT, data leaks, data loss, ransomware, and non-compliance. SpinOne, the all-in-one SaaS security platform for mission-critical SaaS apps, protects SaaS data for Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Salesforce, and Slack. SpinOne provides SSPM, SaaS DLP, SaaS ransomware protection, and SaaS backup for more than 1,500 organizations worldwide to enhance cyber resilience, streamline security operations, and reduce security costs. For more information, please visit: https://spin.ai.

Contacts

Public Relations for Spin.AI

Matt Stubbs

mstubbs@voxuspr.com

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Google recently announced a 40% reduction in the partner margin for Google Workspace renewals – decreasing from 20% to 12% – effective April 1st, 2024.

We interviewed Rocco Donnino, SVP of Global Strategic Alliances & Channels at Spin.AI, about how partners of Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, and more, can protect their margins with value-added cyber security and disaster recovery services to maintain profitability in an unpredictable market.

What does this announcement mean for partners and resellers?

This change really underscores the importance of adaptability when navigating changes in the partner landscape. Reductions in program or renewal margins can happen unexpectedly, sometimes with very little notice. Google Workspace is mission critical to organizations and constantly targeted by attackers, as such it has become imperative that businesses have reliable security measures in place. Resellers need to be able to pivot – and adding value to their renewals is the only way to protect against unpredictable margin reductions.

How can Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 sellers protect their margins?

When partners reduce margins for their program, customers, or renewals – as Google just did – the only way Google Workspace partners can recuperate that margin is to attach products and solutions, such as SpinOne, to their renewals and new offers. Our solutions are integrated by Google for Chrome Enterprise Protection and recommended by Google for SaaS data protection. 

Adding cybersecurity and SaaS data recovery solutions adds value and creates a new opportunity to reach customers in different market segments. Partners are able to offer professional services as well as offer SpinOne as a managed service alongside existing offerings. This enables partners to reclaim their margins ( up to 50%), and protect their customers from unsanctioned SaaS applications and malicious threats like ransomware. Today, Spin.AI managed service providers, consultants, and resellers have the opportunity to offer customers a very lucrative defense in-depth approach to security. With SpinOne, partners can sell managed and professional services from a single multi-tenant platform, adding instant value to their resold solutions.

What is the Spin.AI Partner Program?

The Spin.AI Partner Program is a tiered program offering SpinOne, a multi-tenant platform for SaaS data security and disaster recovery. This program was designed to provide a comprehensive solution for protecting SaaS data for essential and mission-critical applications. Partners in this program serve as trusted advisors to their downstream customers: gaining entry into previously untapped markets and meeting the advancing cybersecurity needs of clients.

What makes the Spin.AI Partner Program different?

The Spin.AI Partner Program allows partners to easily deploy, manage, and monitor SaaS security solutions for their customers to ensure speed to value, low cost to implement and maintain, and the fastest SLA on the market. It also delivers significant margin potential, including both managed and professional services and offers flexible pricing models, all within a partner-first framework that aligns with varying business models.

Who is the ideal candidate for the Spin.AI Partner Program?

Ideal candidates for the Spin.AI Partner Program range from those who support small businesses to large enterprises: including those who may resell mission-critical applications like Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, and those who want to safeguard the critical data within these SaaS applications. The program is designed to accommodate different types of partners in tiers, offering best practices and support, particularly for managed services providers specializing in cybersecurity.

What are the major differences between the partner program tiers?

The partner program is broken into several tiers: silver, gold, platinum, and MSP (Managed Service Provider) levels. Partners can choose the tier that best aligns with their business size and objectives. Each tier offers different services and benefits, with higher tiers providing more support and resources as partners invest more in Spin.AI’s solutions. The MSP program specifically caters to partners who serve as trusted security advisors – offering incident response,  sales support, enablement, best practices, and professional services to their customers.

What else should we know about the Spin.AI Partner Program?

SpinOne provides partners with strong time to value, simplicity in installation and management, low management costs, and aggressive margins. A straightforward pricing model means partners can easily bundle Spin.ai solutions with the SaaS applications they support: such as Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Salesforce, or Slack. We aim to simplify the offering and support partners in building out their security stack, driving their business – and protecting their margins. Unlike Google and Microsoft, security is all we do. 

Learn more about the Spin.AI Partner Program and become a partner here.

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SaaS applications appeal to organizations because they make running the application “somebody else’s problem.” However, this is only partially true; in particular, SaaS vendors rarely take responsibility for preventing data loss and rarely offer backup as part of their service.

Although the SaaS vendor may be running the application, the data loss risks are the same as on-premise applications: the only difference is, you share responsibility for protecting your application and the critical data it stores.

Figure 1 – Data loss risks:

Data loss risks

Table 1 – Potential causes of data loss:

Potential causes of data loss

The greatest risk to data from cyberattacks applies to services such as Microsoft OneDrive or Google Drive where data is cached locally, edited, and then synced back to the service. In this scenario, the local copy can be encrypted by ransomware and then synced back to the service to overwrite the master copy. Attacks on SaaS applications that don’t store data locally are harder, but it is still possible to use application APIs to read and encrypt the data and then overwrite the original data in the application.

When it comes to the risks at the provider, it’s harder to assess as much will depend on the provider in areas such as:

  • Security processes: Any breach of the administrator’s security could allow attackers free reign to delete, encrypt, modify, or steal customer data.
  • Testing and deployment processes: Providers can and do make mistakes that allow poorly tested updates to their service which can lead to data loss for clients.
  • Infrastructure design and implementation: Many SaaS providers build their applications on top of infrastructure provided by vendors such as Microsoft and Amazon. The use of major public cloud providers allows the SaaS provider to benefit from the security blanket provided by the major cloud providers who can hire the best people to protect their operations. However, some SaaS providers build their infrastructure which puts all the responsibility on the SaaS provider, who may or may not have the required expertise. 

The key point is that you can’t assume that data stored in a SaaS application is safe and that it’s the customer’s responsibility to ensure that the data is protected. Though not widely publicized, SaaS vendors usually include disclaimers to this effect but bury them deep in the small print of the terms of service for the SaaS application.

Click here to learn more about SaaS data protection for mission-critical SaaS applications, including Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Salesforce, and Slack.

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In the ever-evolving threat landscape, safeguarding sensitive data is paramount. Salesforce, a leading customer relationship management (CRM) platform, has grown into a mission-critical application for any modern business and is crucial in managing vast amounts of critical data. To ensure the security of your Salesforce data and uphold the trust of your customers and stakeholders, you must implement top-notch security practices. 

In this guide, we’ll explore the top 10 Salesforce security best practices and tips and offer a comprehensive overview of strategies to fortify your Salesforce instances against potential threats, unauthorized access, and data breaches. 

Follow these tips to fit your business needs and you will see a more secure, resilient, and trustworthy business environment that will ultimately contribute to your organization’s customer satisfaction and long-term viability. 

1. Application Security: OWASP Top 10

Let’s take a look at the Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) Top 10 list. This Top 10 is a periodically updated list of the ten most critical web application security risks as indicated by OWSAP, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving security software across the ecosystem.

Being a major data management company, Salesforce regularly monitors and invests in its security measures and has many default protections for most known vulnerabilities. But there is still a short list of items that may leave you vulnerable to attacks. 

These Include:

SOQL Injection: Salesforce runs its own SQL language, SOQL, which is more secure against injection attacks as it can only read data, not modify it. However, when running dynamic queries on untrusted data, an SOQL injection attack could occur that could reveal sensitive data. To avoid this, only run static queries when possible.

Cross-Site Scripting (XSS):  Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) enables attackers to inject malicious scripts into a victim’s browser, leading to session hijacking or web app defacement. The Salesforce platform has built-in tools for countering XSS, but developers should minimize DOM manipulation, preferring template directives; if using lwc:dom=”manual,” sanitize inputs to avoid security gaps. Additionally, avoid JavaScript functions that evaluate strings as code, and diligently evaluate third-party libraries for potential XSS vulnerabilities

Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF): CSRF is when a malicious actor can force an authenticated user to perform unauthorized actions on a web app. The Salesforce platform has default CSRF protections automatically enabled in the Setup menu, but there is a narrow opportunity when the page loads that can still leave you vulnerable. Salesforce recommends not performing DML operations in Lightning Web Components and load (constructor, connectedCallback, renderedCall back) instead.

2. The Principle of Least Privilege

The principle of least privilege, or POLP, is a commonly used and easily implemented security concept that restricts access rights for users, accounts, and systems to the bare minimum necessary to perform their daily tasks. By implementing this basic policy, you limit the potential damage of unauthorized data leaks by minimizing the privileges granted to users and systems to high-profile data and material.

The fewer people and systems who have access to data, the fewer vulnerabilities you need to worry about.

Because Salesforce is a large, versatile platform with sprawling access to customer, sales, and marketing information, this basic first step should be considered necessary when designing your security policies. 

You should start by defining specific user profiles and the kind of data they will be granted access to. If a specific kind of user needs access to data not typically related to their profile, having customizable permission sets for individual cases can help limit IT requests, but keeping things on a need-to-know basis should be the priority.

Also, remind developers to be careful when implementing custom code within Salesforce. Custom code that reaches beyond the data needed for its designed purpose will create an entryway similar to profiles with access to that data.

3. Practice Smart User Privilege Management

User Privilege Management is the systematic control and administration of permissions granted to users within a system, ensuring appropriate and secure levels of access based on roles and responsibilities.

User Privilege Management (UPM) and POLP often go hand in hand, but UPM encompasses a broader series of practices, while POLP is a guiding principle within your UPM framework.

Common user privilege management practices include actively regulating user activity permissions through record and field-level permission sets, as well as role-based access, all of which we will cover more below. 

These practices fortify the platform against evolving cyber threats, providing organizations with a proactive defense strategy and safeguarding sensitive data effectively. 

4. Field and Record-Level Security

Field and Record-Level Security refer to separate but related security concepts. In short, Field-level security (FLS) refers to the ability to control access to individual fields on objects or allows administrators to restrict which users or profiles can view or edit specific fields within your records.

For example, a user may have access to a report or page that may have data or information you may want to restrict them from viewing. Field-level security settings determine what kind of data on those reports or pages the user is allowed to see.

Admins can configure field-level security settings for each field subject through the Salesforce Setup menu. Once there, administrators can make fields read-only, hidden, or visible/editable based on user profiles.

Record-level security (RLS) access to entire records based on certain criteria. It determines which users or groups of users can view, create, edit, or delete records based on conditions such as ownership, role hierarchy, or shared roles. 

A common example for sales operations is implementing record-level security to ensure sales representatives can only access and modify records related to their assigned accounts.

Salesforce’s Record-Level Security (RLS) offers multiple implementation options, such as Role Hierarchy, where organizational hierarchy defines access levels; Sharing Rules, applying criteria-based rules for automated access extension; Manual Sharing, enabling record owners to share with specific users or groups manually; and Team-Based Security, allowing users to be assigned to teams with record sharing at a team level.

5. Role-Based Access

Role-based access control, or RBAC, is a hierarchical security practice that involves assigning access permissions to users based on their roles within your organization.

In this system, users are grouped into roles that mirror the structure of your company. Access permissions are then defined for each role, determining the data and functionalities users in those roles can access. Typically, users at the top of the hierarchy, like executives or upper management, have access permissions to all files, data, objects, and/or pages below them, while lower-level users only have access to information found on their level. Salesforce’s RBAC system allows for the creation of such hierarchies, helping to facilitate a structured and efficient access control model for your organization.

Overall, RBAC ensures users have tailored access to information and features relevant to their jobs and responsibilities. 

6. Multi-Factor Authentication

Since 2022, Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) has been required for Salesforce users, and it is a commonly implemented security protocol across the digital ecosystem. This means users must verify their identity twice or more as they log in to their accounts.

In Salesforce, where sensitive customer data and business information are stored, requiring multiple verification forms adds an extra layer of data protection against unauthorized access and data breaches. This way, even if a password is compromised there is an additional factor required for access, mitigating the risk and impact of phishing or other credential-based attacks.

Below we have listed the number of ways the Salesforce platform allows you to verify your identity before logging into your account: 

  • Salesforce Authenticator App: a downloadable mobile app that will generate a unique one-time code users must enter at login, similar to Google Authenticator
  • SMS or Email Verification: Users will receive a verification code via SMS or email that they must enter during login
  • Biometric Authentication: Users must authenticate using biometric data such as fingerprints or facial recognition via built-in authenticators on their mobile devices.
  • Hardware Tokens: A physical device, typically a key-chain-like token, that periodically generates a unique code that must be entered during login. 

7. Data Backup Strategies

Salesforce is one of the most secure mission-critical platforms on the market, but that doesn’t mean it’s invulnerable to threats like human error, system failures, data corruption, or errors from customization and development.

Keeping a robust and regular backup system will give you peace of mind against any unforeseen and unexpected circumstances while also ensuring the continuity of your business operations. 

To back up your Salesforce data, utilize the platform’s native tools and features designed for data export. The Data Export tool enables you to schedule automatic exports and customize the frequency and types of data to be included.

Additionally, Salesforce’s Weekly Data Export service provides downloadable backups of your entire Salesforce instance, including standard and custom objectives.

To maintain compliance, uphold Saleforce’s Service Level Agreement, and ensure the highest quality of security for your organization and clients, your data should be encrypted in transit and upon delivery to the backup device or server.  

Salesforce products provide a variety of platform encryption options, including encryption in transit using secure communication protocols (TLS/SSL) and encryption at rest for Salesforce data stored in their databases. Additionally, when choosing external storage solutions, such as cloud storage or third-party backup services, make sure that they offer encryption features to protect your backup files.

8. Implement Continuous Security Monitoring

Continuous security monitoring is a crucial component of any comprehensive security strategy. This approach involves systematic and real-time observation of your user’s/system’s permissions and behaviors to detect security breaches and vulnerabilities promptly and allow for a real-time response. 

Implementing a continuous security monitoring system in the Salesforce environment requires a proactive and comprehensive approach to safeguarding data and operations. Start by enabling Salesforce Event Monitoring, a feature that logs a broad spectrum of user activity and system events. Define and prioritize key security events relevant to your organization, such as login anomalies, configuration changes, or access to sensitive data. Then leverage Salesforce’s reporting and dashboard capabilities to create custom reports and visualizations for monitoring these events. 

You can then automate alerts and notifications based on predefined security rules to receive immediate notifications of potential threats.

Afterward, you will want to engage in continuous employee training and awareness programs to cultivate a security-conscious culture. 

Luckily, Salesforce’s Trailhead courses offer account holders a Security Awareness Module to help teach employees the importance of cybersecurity and how to identify risks.

9. Regular Security Audits and Health Checks

Because you may be implementing various strategies to protect your Salesforce data, instances, customer information, and mission-critical applications, you will want to maintain regular surveillance of your security vulnerabilities to ensure the safeguarding of your and your customer’s data.

Regular, ideally annual, Salesforce health check and security audits will allow you to keep things up to date and make sure you are following any regulatory compliance requirements (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA) for your clients, as well as allowing you to track your incident response preparedness and system configuration overview. 

An effective security health check that reveals your current Salesforce Configuration should consist of the following:

  • Review User Access and Permissions/Checking For Inactive Users
  • Review Sessions Settings
  • Examine Password Settings
  • Inspect Network Access Controls
  • Examine Data Loss Prevention Policies
  • Check For Any Salesforce Updates
  • Document And Report Your Findings
  • Educate Your Users
  • Engage With Salesforce Support

10. Use a SaaS Security Tool

Incorporating a Software as a Service (SaaS) security tool into Salesforce is essential for fortifying the platform against evolving cyber threats and ensuring the integrity of sensitive data. A dedicated SaaS security tool offers your security team advanced threat detection, real-time monitoring, and proactive response mechanisms that go beyond the many native security features of Salesforce. 

SaaS security tools like SpinOne provide an additional layer of defense, detecting anomalies, unauthorized access, and potential vulnerabilities that might otherwise go unnoticed. 

With the complexity of modern cybersecurity challenges, a specialized SaaS security tool enhances your organization’s ability to meet compliance requirements, safeguard customer information, and maintain a resilient security posture. It also allows for centralized security management and integration with broader security ecosystems, providing a comprehensive and adaptive security strategy tailored to the unique needs and risks associated with Salesforce deployments.

For more information, schedule a free demo here.

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Salesforce provides a rich and deep set of tools to allow data and metadata to be exposed selectively to your users.  However, it’s complicated to know how data can be exposed and to ensure you don’t have any data leaks.  Over time, things outside of your control – such as new features – may expose your data in ways you didn’t expect.  Here are some basic guidelines and tips on how you can get a handle on your SaaS data security.

  • Write down your incident response plan before there’s a crisis.
  • Know your users and plan for what they can do
  • Keep your documentation up to date
  • Use the Principle of Least Privilege, especially with risky permissions and apex controllers
  • Avoid exceptions, make them temporary, and document extensively.
  • Beware of AppExchange packages, OAuth connections, and service users
  • Know the Salesforce Security Model
  • Use the health check and go beyond it
  • Apply Security all the way down, UI, API, CRUD, FLS, Apex
  • Keep a clean sandbox
  • Read the release notes

Write down your incident response plan before there’s a crisis

If a security incident happens, you want to have a playbook readily at hand, and have each person who needs to be involved aware of what’s at stake. Salesforce has a trailhead for preparing for an incident response, and it’s a good starting point. Each organization is different and different categories of data need to be handled differently, especially when covered by government regulations or required for compliance. Don’t just do it to get a checkbox or talk about it: actually do exercises and understand how you can reduce your reputational risk.

Know your users and plan for what they can do

Security should be planned like a product.  Enumerate the tasks your users are going to do, regardless of job title, and write those tasks and their requirements down. Have specific personas that you are using and try to make sure you plan how those personas map to your existing applications. Salesforce permission sets should reflect those personas and tasks.  Avoid aggregating permission sets to keep things clear.

Keep your documentation up to date

Make sure you document your schema and flows.  Make sure you set the data sensitivity, owner, and usage on fields.  Make sure the documentation is readable: imagine the person who will be making a change in the future will be doing so without being able to talk to you.  Be concise and consistent.  Avoid talking about individuals but talk about the teams involved and problems being solved, especially the personas and tasks you’ve written down.


Consider having a template for the descriptions of metadata you’ll use, especially permission sets, to keep track of what the intended usage is, why something was created and how it has changed.  In my org I start with the purpose, then include the risk when granting and a link to any external documentation.  For example a Permission set called SalesManagerContractMgr would have a description of: Allows an enterprise sales manager to update contract details. Medium Risk. See https://myco.slack.com/docs/TXXX/FXXX.

Keep a changelog documented in Salesforce or Slack where possible, but if it’s too long, have a link to an internal documentation site.  Out of date documentation is often worse than none at all, so have it as part of the review process for changes to production.  If you’re using github and sfdx, require descriptive git comments to help find changes quickly.  By having this documentation, in case of a security issue, you’ll be able to better isolate when and how something happened and easily know the scope of a problem.  Knowing when a problem started is extremely important; make sure you have versioning with timestamps in your documentation.

Use the Principle of Least Privilege, especially with risky permissions and apex controllers

Once upon a time, all Salesforce had was profiles, and those profiles weren’t very granular.  But those days are in the past and profiles should only be used for controlling login.  Grant *all* data and metadata access through permission sets and don’t deviate.  For practical reasons, you may still need a system administrator account so you don’t get locked out, but keep that user frozen and monitor access to that account. 

While Salesforce licenses aren’t free, sharing logins is an extremely bad security practice and usually non-compliant.  Restrict customize application, use delegated admin, and avoid granting modify all data to users that normally log in.  These uber-perms are very dangerous.  Enforce high assurance sessions and use salesforce authenticator where possible.  

For Apex code, an unfortunate decision was made very early on to have security be permissive instead of secure by default.  Thankfully, this is a straightforward fix in a boilerplate manner by putting with sharing on all classes and WITH SECURITY_ENFORCED on all SOQL.  Consider using PMD on all the apex code you write to require sharing enforcement and avoid CRUD violations.  

Avoid exceptions, make them temporary, and document extensively

Permission Set assignment can be granted on a temporary basis with a hard expiration date; require that.  All elevated permissions should be granted for only the length required for the work, no more.  

For long running exceptions, put the expiration date in your work calendar with a reminder to review them on a monthly basis, just like you should be doing with certificate expiration, and update the documentation of the permission set.  

Beware of AppExchange packages, OAuth connections, and service users

Salesforce is an open system, and if you’re paying for enterprise edition or higher, there are multiple layers of APIs to access all sorts of data.  OAuth is often confusing for very technical users, and there’s a distinct possibility of data leakage into vendors you don’t know about.  Thankfully, since Summer ‘23, username-password flows are disabled by default; consider disabling them in your org if it was created before then. In the meantime, monitor your Connected App Oauth Usage.

Having specific Service users to connect to external systems is usually fine, but use Mutual Authentication if at all possible, as MFA can’t be enabled.  Make sure those users are marked API-only and restrict their access as much as possible.  Do not reuse the service logins across multiple services; use the relatively new Salesforce Integration user if you were using a full license in the past to save your expensive licenses for employees.

Know the Salesforce Security Model

Salesforce allows data security to be specified at four levels, and it’s often confusing to know what is going on at any particular time.  Your enterprise’s sharing architecture is highly dependent on your needs, but here are some rules of thumb of how to manage data sharing

  • Read the Secure section of Salesforce Well-Architected and see if you’re following their patterns, and avoiding the anti-patterns.
  • Always use private external sharing, and avoid Public Read-Write for most objects for internal users.  
  • Try to use criteria based sharing instead of papering over with manual shares.  

Use the health check and go beyond it

The standard Salesforce health check is a good way to make sure your settings are set correctly. Make sure you take a look every release to make sure you haven’t fallen behind on new security parameters Salesforce introduces. Make sure you pick the right baseline for your industry and compliance requirements. 

However, it’s usually not enough to prevent a misconfiguration from leaking data.  The health check doesn’t alert nor does it prevent reverting settings. Having an SSPM, like SpinSPM, monitor your Salesforce configuration is a must.  They usually go beyond the simple Security Health Check to monitor the sharing rules where you may be inadvertently leaking data without your knowledge. 

Apply Security all the way down, UI, API, CRUD, FLS, Apex

Misconfiguration of Salesforce leading to data leakage is a primary concern.  When I was at Salesforce, there was a pernicious source: hiding data at the wrong level.  Here are some examples I encountered:

  • Hiding a field from the layout, but not from Field-Level Security for a set of users and assuming it applies to the API.  This is dangerous if you’re upgrading from Professional Edition, where field security is controlled by Layout, to a higher edition where it’s in FLS.
  • Creating a visualforce or lightning component that doesn’t respect sharing and FLS, and then having that component exposed on a different page exposing information that shouldn’t be there.
  • Granting access to an Apex class that had a REST endpoint for a component that leaked data when run through a DAST Vulnerability Scanner.
  • When creating a field or object, adding it accidentally to the guest user for an external site.

Hide data all the way down: UI, API, CRUD, FLS, and Apex.  Do defense in depth of secure data.  Don’t just click through the “add field to layout” screen but be mindful of which personas will need it.  Consider using classic encryption for sensitive data to have masking built in.  

Keep a clean sandbox

Sandboxes should not have customer data, but often do.  The sandbox copy process migrates lots of secrets, user info, encrypted data, and has different authentication. There’s also a tendency to allow freer access to data in sandbox for development and granting more admin access.  Avoid this temptation on a full copy sandbox.

  • Use Data Mask.  This isn’t as easy as it should be, but if you’re doing a full copy sandbox, it is a great tool to prevent data leakage.
  • If you reestablish SSO in your sandboxes after copying, inactivate or freeze users that shouldn’t have access. 
  • Consider using a Salesforce backup solution to restore seed data in the sandbox so you don’t have to do a full copy sandbox.

Read the release notes

A lot of the advice here might be out of data or things may improve.  For example, flows had their security upgraded when started from Apex in Spring ‘24.  Often betas are announced that can let you improve security and reduce code or process, like FLS on permission sets or delegated admin changes.  The release notes are long and Salesforce’s portfolio is vast, so consider looking at summaries like at salesforceben.com to get started, or searching for the word security in the release notes themselves.

These are just highlights of fundamentals to consider when securing your Salesforce data. Salesforce invests heavily in both securing its systems from attack and providing tools to let you build your own powerful business applications.  

Click here to learn how SpinOne provides an extra layer of security for your Salesforce data.

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SpinSPM for Salesforce gives organizations complete visibility into their SaaS application configuration and fast incident response that helps SecOps teams improve the overall security posture

PALO ALTO, Calif. | February 27, 2024 | Spin.AI, a leading SaaS security company dedicated to safeguarding enterprises against security risks, today announced the release of SpinSPM for Salesforce. This SaaS Security Posture Management (SSPM) solution allows security professionals and IT administrators to proactively secure Salesforce environments. With complete configuration visibility, ongoing management, automated tools for incident response, and much more, organizations can reduce security, data loss, and compliance risks associated with the CRM application. 

In today’s digital ecosystem, companies increasingly rely on mission-critical SaaS applications like Salesforce to streamline operations and enhance customer engagement. However, these applications introduce potential vulnerabilities around data loss and leakage, noncompliance (with NIST, ISO, PCI, GDPR, SOC2, etc.), misconfigurations, access to sensitive SaaS data, and more. SpinSPM for Salesforce addresses these unique challenges by offering automated management of misconfigurations, comprehensive visibility, and finely-tuned, automated access management policies – all with real-time incident response.

“Most organizations don’t have security experts for each SaaS application. Which means IT administrators, engineers, SecOps teams, or even CISOs need SSPM solutions that simplify the configuration, ongoing management, and security of these mission-critical applications,” said Davit Asatryan, VP of Products at Spin.AI. “That’s exactly what SpinSPM does. For instance, we’ve worked with a variety of Salesforce cybersecurity experts to generate control recommendations tailored specifically for Salesforce. By combining our platform and expertise in SaaS security with the recommendations of Salesforce cybersecurity experts, we reduce our customers’ overall risks by mitigating both widely recognized cybersecurity threats and Salesforce-unique risks.

“This product bridges a crucial gap in today’s fast-evolving digital ecosystem, where the reliance on mission-critical SaaS applications like Salesforce is immense,” said Belinda Wong, Former Salesforce Platform Product Leader. “SpinSPM for Salesforce is a robust solution that not only enhances the security and compliance aspects of Salesforce but also simplifies the management process for IT administrators and SecOps teams. The result is an advanced security solution that helps Salesforce users maintain the highest standards of data integrity and security.”

SpinSPM for Salesforce includes the following key capabilities:

  • Misconfiguration Management – Use automated detection and response to quickly identify and manage misconfigurations, security drifts, and compliance breaches within Salesforce environments.
  • Visibility – Access contextual graphs and granular insights into Salesforce risks to make data-driven actions.
  • Ongoing Assessments – Receive a comprehensive security posture score that is under 24/7 continuous assessment to understand real-time Salesforce security posture.
  • Incident Response – Get immediate, customizable notifications on detected incidents, and misconfigurations within Salesforce from a single dashboard.
  • Workflow Integration – Streamline workflow by integrating with other applications (email, Slack, Teams, Jira, ServiceNow).

SpinSPM is part of SpinOne, an all-in-one SaaS security platform that helps organizations protect SaaS data residing in mission-critical applications, including Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Salesforce, and Slack. By combining enhanced functionality around user management, policy orchestration, AI-powered cloud ransomware detection, application risk assessments, and more, SpinOne helps customers dramatically reduce risk and gives them the visibility and incident response needed to ensure SaaS data integrity.

Spin.AI was recently named a Strong Performer in SSPM in The Forrester Wave™: SaaS Security Posture Management, Q4 2023. The report noted that “Spin.AI is a solid fit for firms that are prioritizing browser extension risk management and ransomware detection and remediation.” 

For more information about Spin.AI solutions, click here. To download a copy of the Forrester Wave™ report, please click here.

About Spin.AI

Spin.AI is a SaaS security company protecting enterprises against the risk of shadow IT, data leaks, data loss, ransomware, and non-compliance. SpinOne, the all-in-one SaaS security platform for mission-critical SaaS apps, protects SaaS data for Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Salesforce, and Slack. SpinOne provides SSPM, SaaS DLP, SaaS ransomware protection, and SaaS backup for more than 1,500 organizations worldwide to enhance cyber resilience, streamline security operations, and reduce security costs.. For more information, please visit: https://www.spin.ai/. 

Contacts

Public Relations for Spin.AI

Matt Stubbs

mstubbs@voxuspr.com

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Salesforce is a leading customer relationship management (CRM) platform many organizations use today. While it is a SaaS platform, it is not immune to data loss and security challenges. Let’s see why an additional layer of protection in Salesforce is needed as we look at Salesforce data security, backup, and best practices to protect your Salesforce environment.

Enhanced Security and shared responsibility

Salesforce is the backbone of customer data management for countless businesses. This critical data repository makes Salesforce a prime target for cybercriminals and unexpected data loss. With the surge in AI data-driven processes, business-critical data, such as the data contained in the Salesforce platform, is becoming even more important in the overall decision-making process.

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The Salesforce SaaS environment is the leading CRM platform among businesses today

Like most SaaS environments, Salesforce operates with customers in a shared responsibility model. It means there is responsibility shared between Salesforce (the SaaS vendor) and the customer organization using the SaaS service. Customers must note that ensuring data is secure, protected, and the environment is configured correctly to minimize data mishaps falls in the purview and responsibility of the customer.

Note the following table provided by Salesforce detailing Salesforce responsibilities vs customer responsibilities:

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Salesforce shared responsibility model

Understanding Salesforce Data Vulnerabilities

Data stored on the Salesforce SaaS platform is not immune to data loss risks and can fall victim to many of the same data loss culprits that exist on-premises. Organizations must protect their Salesforce data. If compromised or lost, it can have devastating consequences for an organization and its customers. Worse, it can lead to compliance violations, fines, and legal implications, including class-action lawsuits. 

What are the common causes of data loss in the Salesforce cloud?

  1. Human error
  2. Cyberattack
  3. Salesforce infrastructure failure

1. Human error

The possibility of human error remains one of the top data loss culprits, both on-premises and in the cloud. Salesforce SaaS environments are not immune to this danger. How can human error lead to data loss? 

Admins or other users may mistakenly import data to the Salesforce cloud that overwrites existing data. Tools like the Salesforce Data Loader, a client application for bulk import and export of data, can insert, update, delete, or export Salesforce records.

If an admin or power user accidentally imports records in bulk, valid data can be inadvertently overwritten or even deleted. Bulk changes can quickly and easily wipe out thousands or even millions of data records.

2. Cyberattack

Cybercriminals are pivoting their focus to SaaS environments as organizations increasingly move to the cloud for business-critical operations and data storage. 

Customer data is a prime target of attackers. It places Salesforce in the crosshairs of cybercriminals looking for ways to compromise customer data. In 2019, Salesforce experienced a data breach from September 16 through November 11, 2019. Hackers accessed purchases from Hanna Andersson, a children’s clothing retailer, and placed the data of about ten thousand consumers on the dark web. The information included credit card numbers and personal identification.

3. Salesforce infrastructure failure

While not as common as human error and cyberattacks, infrastructure failures can lead to data loss for Salesforce clients. Cloud infrastructure is generally resilient when it comes to availability and its ability to withstand outages. However, SaaS environments fail occasionally, and data loss can occur.

For example, just a few months ago, in November 2023, some Google customers lost over a month’s worth of data stored in the Google Cloud. The culprit behind the data loss was unclear. Google has been investigating this with customers affected by the event.

Salesforce Shield protection

Salesforce has an add-on solution called Salesforce Shield, providing an advanced set of security tools. It includes event monitoring, field audit trails, platform encryption, and data classification. Salesforce Shield can also help protect sensitive data. 

1. Event Monitoring and Field Audit Trail: Keeping Tabs on Data Access

Salesforce Shield can provide event monitoring, and field audit trails can offer insights into how data is accessed and modified. 

2. Salesforce Shield Platform Encryption

Shield Platform Encryption is an additional layer of security where customers can encrypt data at rest. Customers must use encryption strategies to protect data from prying eyes for strong data security. Salesforce encryption safeguards data from security breaches and provides security controls to help bolster security posture and align with compliance requirements.

Customers can choose between probabilistic encryption and deterministic encryption, with probabilistic encryption being the more secure. It is essential to understand that Salesforce encryption is not whole disk encryption that protects the information from that layer. Instead, it is field-level encryption. It can also protect files and attachments once turned on. To encrypt existing files and attachments, customers have to contact Salesforce support.

3. Data classification

Salesforce Shield also provides data classification capabilities. It allows companies to find and classify critical information. 

Best Practices for Enhancing Salesforce Data Security

While Salesforce is built around data security, there are additional steps Salesforce admins can take to protect their organization’s data further. These include the following best practice recommendations that play a critical role in your Salesforce instance:

  • Use of multi-factor authentication (multiple verification methods)
  • Regular security audits
  • Implementing transaction security policies
  • Educating users on security protocols.

Encrypt Salesforce data

Encrypting data is one of the cornerstone defenses against data breaches as it helps to protect sensitive data and make it inaccessible to unauthorized users. Salesforce offers Shield Platform data encryption to protect data in fields, files, and attachments.

Encrypted data is unreadable without the encryption keys and protects data integrity. It protects against leaked data being read without the encryption keys to unlock the data. With Salesforce Shield encryption, customers can use Salesforce-managed keys or bring their “own key” from customer-managed PKI infrastructure.

Data protection and backups

A well-rounded data protection strategy includes the best practices we have covered, such as encryption, user access controls, regular monitoring, and compliance checks. However, Salesforce security also includes protecting your data using regular backups.

As mentioned earlier, data can be lost for several reasons, including human error, cyberattacks, and infrastructure failure. Having solid, up-to-date backups allows for recovering data lost for any of these reasons.

Salesforce Partners and Third-Party Applications

Like other SaaS environments that allow third-party app integrations, organizations can enhance Salesforce functionality with third-party applications. However, this introduces potential security risks.

As part of their cybersecurity plans, companies must maintain visibility and control over third-party apps integrated with their Salesforce data and the means to control and govern which integrations are allowed. It helps with compliance and minimizes the risk of shadow IT.

SpinOne for Salesforce provides modern security and backup for Salesforce data

Organizations may find the native Salesforce tools are not cost-effective or lacking features. SpinOne for Salesforce is a cutting-edge third-party solution that protects organizational sales pipelines against data loss or corruption. It enables comprehensive backup of all Salesforce objects and classifications, incorporating several essential features:

  • Comprehensive backup of all Salesforce queryable data and metadata
  • Capabilities for restoring individual data entries, object relations, or entire organizational data
  • Tools to compare and export modifications made to Salesforce data and metadata
  • Insights into Salesforce data changes for timely intervention
  • Backup, comparison, and recovery functionalities for Sandbox data and metadata
  • Enhanced speed for backup, comparison, and restoration processes through the utilization of two unique APIs
  • A 99.9% SLA guarantee for data recovery, supported by secure AES-256 encryption
  • Administrative control over Salesforce API limitations

SpinOne for Salesforce distinguishes itself in the SFDC Backup market with several unique advantages:

  1. Bulk API 2 Utilization: By leveraging Bulk API 2 and a second API, SpinOne executes requests more swiftly while staying within Salesforce API limits.
  2. Enhanced Operation Speeds: The intelligent API utilization system employed by SpinOne significantly accelerates backup, comparison, and restoration tasks, outperforming competitor speeds.
  3. Complete File Backup: Unlike its competitors, SpinOne offers the capability to back up all files stored within SFDC, including options for file export.
  4. Unified Login System: SpinOne provides a single login portal for customers, regardless of their data center location.
  5. Accurate Object Classification: SpinOne accurately classifies and presents a valid count of protectable objects, avoiding the overestimation often seen with competitors.
  6. Cloud Provider Options: Customers can choose between AWS, GCP, and Azure for data protection, benefiting from multiple data center regions globally.
  7. Consolidated UI for SaaS Tools: SpinOne integrates data protection for Google Workspace, Office 365, and Salesforce within a single user interface, facilitating seamless navigation. The platform plans to expand its service offerings in 2022, positioning itself as a comprehensive solution for protecting critical SaaS applications.

If you would like to speak with a Spin Solution Engineer to learn how SpinOne can protect your Salesforce environment, click here to schedule a demo: Request a Demo of SpinOne.

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Micorosft 365 is a business-critical cloud environment that contains terabytes of sensitive information. Protecting this environment from multiple threats is one of the key tasks of the IT security team and MSO administrators. In this article, we discuss Microsoft 365 Security best practices and recommendations for 2024.

Importance of Microsoft 365 security in today’s digital landscape

Microsoft 365 is considered the most secure cloud office, that’s why many large enterprises use it for their business operations. Despite its security, the attack pressure on MSO 365 services is constantly increasing.

Many hackers and cyber gangs are constantly looking for ways to breach into MSO 365 environments aiming to profit from data theft and blackmailing.

Apart from outside threats, Microsoft 365 is susceptible to inside risks. These include human error, misconfigurations, unauthorized access, data loss, data leaks, and malicious insiders.

Microsoft 365 has a shared responsibility model. This model stipulates that Microsoft shares responsibility for security breaches with the client. The client is responsible for incidents related to the errors or intentionally harmful actions of their users and Admins. Microsoft secures the environment from outages, hacker attacks (except ransomware and zero-day attacks), program bugs, etc.

Most security incidents happen due to the actions taken by users or Admins.

Comprehensive Security Features in Microsoft 365

Microsoft 365 has many inbuild security features to help you protect your cloud from breaches and unauthorized access. In addition to this, it has several centers that provide advanced security functionality. The two main ones are Microsoft Defender and Microsoft Purview.

Microsoft Defender

Previously known as Advanced Threat Protection, Microsoft Defender is a unified center with robust security features for defending your Microsoft 365 environment from multiple threats. 

Microsoft Defender is available as part of the Office 365 Enterprise E5 subscription. However, tenants can purchase this service for other subscriptions.

The service is used to secure endpoints, cloud applications, and email. It has reporting and threat analytics that provide a bird’s eye view of the security posture. Microsoft Defender can automate incident investigation and provide customized alerts. 

Admins can set up basic and customary policies to control data, applications, and emails. Finally, the Microsoft Defender XDR enables IT security teams to investigate users individually to identify potential malicious insiders.

Microsoft Purview

Previously known as Azure Purview, Microsoft Purview is a compliance portal that helps your organization meet the laws, regulations, and unique requirements across your services and users. Similarly to Microsoft Defender, it requires a separate subscription. However, the price highly depends on multiple factors like data, endpoints, licenses, etc.

Microsoft Purview has two main categories of features. The first one enables Administrators to achieve compliance in Microsoft 365. This includes compliance analytics, and creating custom and basic compliance policies. The second category is data governance. It includes data classification and data retention.

This being said, we want to emphasize that native MSO 365 features aren’t enough to defend your cloud data in this environment and you need an extra layer of security in Microsoft 365.

Implementing Robust Access Control

Access control in cloud environments is pivotal for an organization’s security. Cloud perimeters are porous, and people can get into these environments using credentials. Guessing credentials is not so hard and several programs enable hackers to automate this process.

Document sharing is another vulnerability of cloud offices. Unauthorized access to files from outside or within the organization can have a drastic impact on the business.

Microsoft 365 has a number of features that can help Administrators set up access control that matches the requirements and policies of their organization.

Let’s take a look at these features.

Multi-factor Authentication

MFA adds an extra layer of security when users access your Microsoft 365 environment. Employees are required to use another device when they sign in to confirm their identity.

The available verification methods include:

  • Phone call
  • Text message to phone (SMS)
  • Mobile app notification
  • Verification code from a mobile app or hardware token

Admins can ease the pressure of MFA by assigning trusted IP addresses or trusted devices (with time limitations).

Sharing settings

The modern zero-trust approach stipulates that a user needs minimal access to data. In fact, they only need to be able to open files that are absolutely necessary to perform their work tasks. The type of access must also fit this principle. If a person doesn’t need to edit a particular file, they shouldn’t be granted such rights.

Sharing configurations in MSO 365 include:

  • Guest control
  • SharePoint access control
  • OneDrive sharing
  • Creating security groups
  • Link sharing
  • File copying and downloading
  • Emailing a file

Data Protection

Data protection in the cloud office suites rests on two pillars: protection against loss and leakage prevention. Data loss protection requires cloud-to-cloud backup and data retention. Data leak prevention is based on access control, zero-day attack prevention, and ransomware. In this section, we’ll focus on data loss protection.

Backup

Microsoft 365 doesn’t have a native backup solution. However, it’s critical for organizations to back up their MSO 365 data on a regular basis.

Most Microsoft 365 tenants opt for third-party cloud-to-cloud backup solutions. We suggest SpinBackup for several reasons:

  • Automated and manual snapshots
  • Unlimited storage
  • Backup to GCP, Azure, AWS, or data center of your choice
  • Ability to choose a data center location
  • Granular recovery
  • SLA 99.9%
Microsoft 365 Security Best Practices and Recommendations 2024
Microsoft 365 Backup tool – Spinbackup

Data Retention

Data retention enables you to set up the storage period for different types of data. Data retention is part of data governance. To implement data retention you need to label all the types of data contained within MSO 365.

You can assign Data Retention Policies in Microsoft Purview. The functionality is available for the following services:

  • Exchange
  • Sharepoint
  • OneDrive
  • Teams
  • Skype for business
  • Yammer

The retention options include the period of retention (up to forever), the item’s age and the action after the period is over or the item reaches a certain age.

Email Security and Protection Against Phishing

There are two main types of threats that are associated with email: data leakage and social engineering. To protect against these threats, Microsoft 365 offers several solutions.

Email encryption

Encryption prevents data leakage as sensitive information within the sent email will only be seen by the recipient. Microsoft 365 provides several encryption options to meet the unique security needs of each organization. 

The first option is Microsoft Purview advanced message encryption. It enables admins to create unique encryption rules for different types of emails as well as create security policies to identify when sensitive data is shared outside and inside the organization.

The second option is Secure/Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions. This feature enables users to encrypt emails and digitally sign them. It ensures that the message will not be changed before getting into the mailbox. It also ensures the sender’s identity and eliminates the possibility of a hacker pretending to be the sender.

The third option is Active Directory Rights Management Services (AD RMS). This functionality assigns the control rights over the sent email to the user. It means that the sender can control what actions the recipients of the email can or cannot make. For example, it bans the following email to other people.

Additionally, Microsoft uses Transport Layer Security to protect the connection via the network between different services.

Keep in mind that adding several encryption options to one email can cause problems with its opening in certain email clients.

Antiphishing and anti-spam

Social engineering is arguably the most efficient cyber attack vector in modern days. The prevailing low levels of cybersecurity awareness coupled with stress and distraction factors make people a perfect target for hackers. In 2022, approximately 49% of emails contained spam (~162B per day). For an employee, it’s hard to discern important emails from unimportant or dangerous ones.

Microsoft Defender provides several policies to reduce the chances of spam and phishing emails as well as emails containing malware or unsafe links to get to the mailboxes of your users.

DLP policies

One of the most efficient ways to leak Microsoft 365 data is by sending it via email. It’s also one of the most widespread ways. Your employees can send sensitive information by mistake (e.g., copypasting a CCN number), upon being conned by social engineers, or by malicious intent.

Microsoft Purview allows Administrators to create custom rules and prevent users from sending various types of sensitive data. These types depend on the geographical location of users and legislation in place in that region.

Ransomware protection

Microsoft 365 doesn’t have a native ransomware protection solution. However, this environment is highly vulnerable to ransomware attacks. Modern ransomware acts and disguises as a legitimate SaaS application. It requires OAuth login by a user and enabling editing permissions. OAuth provides ransomware access to the MSO 365 environment, and editing permissions enable the malware to encrypt all the data within such an environment.

Most ransomware protection tools use signatures of studied ransomware strains. Unfortunately, dozens of new strains appear each year. That’s why these tools cannot keep up with the fast-paced ransomware market.

We suggest acquiring Spin ransomware protection that utilizes AI to identify a ransomware attack. AI doesn’t depend on historical data about past ransomware trends. Instead, it studies data behavior and identifies regular patterns. 

Ransomware attack changes these patterns as the malware tries to encrypt as many files as it can in the shortest period of time before it’s detected by humans. The AI identifies this abnormal data behavior as well as the source application that causes it. 

Next, the program notifies the Administrators and simultaneously revokes the access of the app to the MSO 365 environment. Once the attack is stopped Spin begins the recovery of the encrypted files. The whole process takes less than an hour.

Try Spin Ransomware Detection for MSO 365

FAQ

What are the key features of Microsoft 365 Security?

Microsoft 365 has many features to ensure security. The two main platforms with security functionality are Microsoft Defender and Micorosft Purview.

Does Microsoft 365 offer data backup and recovery options?

No, Microsoft 365 doesn’t offer data and recovery options. You need to acquire a third-party backup to protect your mission-critical data.

Is Microsoft 365 Security suitable for small businesses?

Yes, Microsoft 365 security is suitable for small businesses, especially if these SMBs want to comply with multiple regulations and security standards.

How does Microsoft 365 protect against cyber threats?

Microsoft 365 prevents many cyber threats like outages and cyber-attacks. However, it’s helpless against ransomware, zero-day attacks, human error, malicious insiders, and account hijacks.

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Salesforce is the CRM used by many organizations for their client-facing teams involved in revenue generation. It contains critical data about existing and potential customers and ongoing sales and marketing activities. Losing this information can significantly damage the organization’s ability to generate revenue.

In this article, we discuss data loss prevention in Salesforce. We review the main types of data in the CRM, the responsibility model, the reasons for data loss, and strategies to prevent it.

Responsibility for Data Loss in Salesforce

Understanding who is responsible for data loss in Salesforce is critical in the organization. Historically, cloud environments were associated with data backup storage. Additionally, vendors market these environments as secure. That’s why many companies continue to live in the paradigm that their cloud data is safe.

It’s partially true. Cloud providers utilize large data centers with enhanced protection against natural disasters and cyber-attacks. In fact, the last outage in Salesforce took place in 2019.

However, these types of incidents aren’t the only causes of data loss in Salesforce. In the next chapter, we’ll talk about the key causes of data loss in Salesforce. For now, it’s sufficient to say that most instances of cloud data loss are caused by the client, not the vendor. 

For example, a salesperson accidentally deletes the contact information of a prospect. The CRM cannot understand that it is an error. It’s a program that is controlled by humans and it does as it’s commanded. Obviously, Salesforce doesn’t want to take responsibility for such incidents (and it shouldn’t).

Similar to many other cloud vendors, Salesforce has adopted a so-called shared responsibility model. This model stipulates the areas of responsibility for various security incidents.

Shared Responsibility model: Data Loss Prevention in Salesforce
Shared Responsibility Model in Salesforce

This being said, even if Salesforce undertook responsibility for all security incidents, we would still recommend taking necessary actions to prevent data loss in the CRM. Learn about the importance of data security in Salesforce.

Understanding Salesforce Data and Environments

Before jumping into the discussion of data loss in Salesforce, let’s review the types of data in Salesforce and its environments. All the types are equally critical for revenue generation. And unfortunately, a company can easily lose any of them.

Salesforce has three types of data:

  • Objects

These are records that contain data about your prospects/customers. A name, a company name, an email address, a telephone number, and the contents of conversations are all examples of Salesforce objects. 

This is one of the most critical data for your revenue-generating team. It’s unique and often manually collected by sales teams from lead researchers to SDRs. Recovering this data can take months. And in some cases, it will be irrecoverable.

  • Files

These are basically any files that pertain to your prospects/customers. It can be an agreement, project documentation, unique sales proposal, etc. 

Some of these files can probably be found in other cloud environments that your company uses (e.g., in your sales rep’s mailbox, or in the legal department’s data repository). Still recovering them is time-consuming and can damage your reputation as mostly these are files that sales reps exchange with prospects.

  • Metadata

Metadata explains how different types of objects correlate with each other. It represents your company’s unique sales pipeline and sales process. Regular users have no access to metadata. Only Salesforce developers can impact it.

The loss of metadata will make it impossible for your sales team to work in the CRM. They will no longer be able to open records, see what stage a certain prospect is on, or review the account-related data and files.

There are two types of environments in Salesforce:

  • Organization 

This is the environment where your sales team works and stores all the up-to-date data about potential and existing clients.

  • Sandbox

This is the environment where your development team experiments before deploying changes to your organization. It can also be used by your sales team to train new sales reps and SDRs.

Causes of Data Loss in Salesforce CRM and Contributing Factors

There’s a plethora of scenarios for data loss in Salesforce. We can boil them down to three main types by the source of the incident.

Users

Users can intentionally or unintentionally delete information in Salesforce environments. For example, an SDR can accidentally delete the contact information of an important client.

Users can also edit some information making it unusable for other sales reps. For example, a sales rep can change the telephone number of a prospect before leaving. So that the next sales rep who takes their place cannot contact the prospect.

The impact that a single user can make on the Salesforce data might seem minor. However, for organizations that work in highly competitive niche markets with long sales cycles and a small total addressable market every potential client is critical. And a tiny mistake (or malicious act) can cost thousands of dollars in revenue for the company.

Developers

One of the biggest issues with the developers is their access to the metadata. Usually, a single user will impact just this one account. When metadata is lost, the ability to work with the accounts becomes hindered.

Applications

Third-party applications for Salesforce can help sales teams with analytics, outreach, training, etc. However, they bear hidden risks. Many of the SF apps have permissions that enable them to automatically edit the records and files stored in the CRM. 

A glitch in such an app or a zero-day attack can wipe all the data that your sales team has generated over the year in mere minutes.

Hackers

Salesforce is prone to account hijacking just as any other cloud application. While this type of incident mostly causes data leakage, it can also result in data loss as hackers can be after your organization rather than your money.

The severity of the resulting data loss depends on the account that has been hacked.

Consequences of Data Loss 

Data loss in Salesforce has serious consequences for your business. The data contained in the CRM is critical for the seamless operation of the revenue generation team. In this section, we quickly cover the main consequences of data loss.

Financial

There are several ways that Salesforce data loss impacts your company financially. First, it causes the downtime in revenue generation process. For example, a sales rep couldn’t send the agreement for the potential customer, and the deal closure was postponed. Learn more about the cost of downtime.

Second, you can expect the loss of clients. Amid the havoc caused by a major data loss incident, some prospects will fall through the cracks. In another scenario, the lack of communication can destroy a great upsell opportunity for your reps. 

Third, if your company uses Salesforce for communication with existing customers, data loss can force some of them to leave your organization.

Finally, your organization will have to pay for the system recovery and data recovery, if you do not have a backup tool.

Reputational

Data loss can affect your communication with your potential and existing customers. In turn, it can significantly damage the reputation of your business. Unsatisfied clients can leave poor reviews on the ranking websites.

Finally, a major data loss can become known to the media and spread publicly further damaging your reputation.

Legal

Many organizations using Salesforce are subject to certain laws and regulations. Some of these rules regulate data retention. Therefore, data loss can cause legal penalties. Learn about GDPR compliance in Salesforce.

Strategies for Enhancing Data Loss Prevention in Salesforce

In this section, we discuss the strategies to combat data loss in Salesforce.

Control Access to Salesforce

One of the basic practices to prevent data loss is preventing account hijacks. There are three main recommendations here. First, you need to impose strong password policies, i.e., using a random set of letters, special signs, and numbers. 

Second, you need to urge your employees to change their passwords. Make sure it’s not done too frequently, as your users will be overwhelmed and will try to come up with easy passwords so that they don’t forget them.

Third, enable Multifactor Authentication. It will force your users to use a second identity check method to get into the Salesforce environment, e.g., their phone. 

Apply Zero-trust approach

The zero-trust approach is created specifically for the cloud environments, as they enable users to share data with each other easily. This approach mandates that you provide minimal access with minimal permissions to users.

For example, your sales reps only need to access the accounts they are currently working with. Your sales leader does need access to all the accounts to get a bird’s eye view of the current sales pipeline. However, they definitely do not need to be able to edit all of the accounts. The same is true for the organization’s top management.

Learn about Salesforce security best practices.

Get Salesforce Backup

While backup doesn’t prevent data loss from happening, it prevents the permanent deletion of your business-critical information. There are many backup tools for Salesforce available on the market. We recommend searching for a solution that meets the following criteria:

  • Daily automated data snapshots
  • Ability to manually back up data
  • Backup for the metadata
  • Storing data in a reliable data center (AWS, GCP, Azure)
  • Ability to choose the location of where your data is stored
  • Granular and mass recovery
  • Sandbox backup
  • Comparing functionality for data loss investigation
  • Using two types of APIs for rapid recovery

Try Spinbackup for Salesforce

FAQ

What are effective strategies to enhance data loss prevention in Salesforce?

The effective strategies to enhance data loss prevention are strengthening access protection, implementing a zero-trust approach, and acquiring a backup tool.

How can the financial and security impacts of data loss in Salesforce affect my organization?

The impact of Salesforce data loss can be detrimental to organizations since it can hinder the activities of the revenue-generating team, cause reputational losses, and legal implications.

What are the key factors contributing to data loss risks in Salesforce?

The key factors of data loss risks in Salesforce include human errors including developer errors and add-ons.

Why is understanding and implementing Data Loss Prevention (DLP) crucial in Salesforce?

Understanding and implementing DLP in Salesforce is crucial to safeguard your organization from downtime and reprimands from the potential and existing clients.

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Since the early adoption of digital technology in business, companies have been struggling to build secure environments. Shadow IT has become one of the major security issues. It provides entry points for criminals to work on IT systems. It also causes major cybersecurity events (like data loss).

There are many different types of Shadow IT. In this article, we mainly focus on unauthorized SaaS applications and explain how companies can regain visibility and control over these apps.

Introduction to Shadow IT

In 1989, over 20,000 medical researchers around the world received a diskette with the first ransomware virus. Most of them used the diskette on their working computers resulting in the first mass ransomware attack. At the time computer viruses were a relative novelty and the first antiviruses were largely unknown. That’s why panicked researchers wiped all the data on their working computers deleting years of research.

This incident is also regarded as one of the earliest examples of Shadow IT since it had one of its key features. The employees used the unknown diskette without consulting the IT team first.

Shadow IT is the use of unauthorized technology in the working IT environment. The IT security team has no knowledge of this technology and cannot control its impact on the system. Usually, the employees do not ask for permission to use the technology. In the worst-case scenario, they deliberately use it against the company policy.

Shadow IT can be boiled down to two main categories:

1. The use of unauthorized IT systems from working IT environments like:

  • Portable data storage devices on working computers.
  • Mobile devices (smartphones, tablets) to read/edit corporate data.
  • Personal Computers and Public Computers for remote work.
  • Public WiFi networks.
  • Computer Software installed on workstations.
  • SaaS applications and browser Extensions with work accounts.
  • Personal IoT devices (smartwatches, medical equipment).
  • Gaming, gambling, adult content on work devices.

The main outcomes are data loss, data leakage, system infection (e.g., with ransomware), credential theft, and zero-day attacks.

2. The storing of corporate data on unauthorized IT systems:

  • Personal cloud or on-prem storage
  • SaaS applications
  • Portable and stationary personal, semi-personal (e.g., used by family), or public devices

The main outcomes are non-compliance and data leakage.

The Root Causes of Shadow IT

There are several root causes of Shadow IT. Let’s take a look at the major ones.

1. “Technological abundance”

Today, most people around the world can easily access technology. For example, in 2022 alone, over 1.3B smartphones were sold globally, and currently three-quarters of the world, roughly 6B people use the mobile network.

Up to 80% of US companies use BYOD policy. Bring Your Own Device practice can help companies cut expenses on buying and maintaining IT stack. However, it creates many vulnerabilities. This practice can work for small companies that are low on tech budget and can be of little to no interest to hackers. However, it doesn’t work for medium and large businesses.

Finally, there’s the adoption of the cloud with its easy access from any device and a SaaS boom.

These developments have blurred the boundaries between working and personal IT systems and created perfect conditions for the uncontrolled proliferation of Shadow IT.

2. Lack of cybersecurity awareness

Technological abundance doesn’t translate into technological literacy. Most people have little or small knowledge of cybersecurity risks.

3. Optimism bias

Many people have the false belief that negative events are unlikely to happen to them. They perceive cybersecurity attacks almost as a fairy tale that happens in movies and games rather than real life.

4. Productivity race

Our culture emphasizes the importance of productivity for modern humans. It is one of the main markers of success in highly competitive working environments. The desire of employees to boost their productivity with automation is understandable. Some go as far as purchasing productivity tools necessary for their work with their own money as they don’t wish to wait for the company’s approval or the price is too low to bother.

Apart from that, many strive to decrease their overload with automation. They can abandon mundane tasks and focus only on the most important and creative assignments.

5. Lack of legitimate solutions

Often employees turn to unauthorized tools because the ones that the company allows do not have all the cutting-edge features that they need for their work.

Some would do it because the purchasing or approval process is too long and the outcomes are uncertain and they choose not to wait.

6. Lack of attention

Some people use their working accounts for personal matters by mistake. For example, if one has several Google accounts logged in on the same computer, one can use the wrong account to sign in to an app or a website.

SaaS – The New Emerging Trend in Shadow IT

With cloud adoption, the new Shadow IT trend is SaaS Shadow IT. This type includes the following instances.

First, the employees use their working accounts (e.g., Google Workspace or Microsoft 365) to sign in to unauthorized productivity applications and browser extensions. 

For example, a company has an authorized task manager. However, a certain team within the organization decides to use a task manager that is more convenient to them. They share not only their project plans and statuses but also some sensitive information there.

Second, employees use their working accounts to access non-work-related apps and extensions. Examples include gaming applications, online shopping websites, browser wallpapers, text-to-speech converters, ChatGPT, etc.

Third, employees use their personal accounts in cloud office suites, SaaS applications, and browser extensions to perform working tasks. 

For example, a company doesn’t allow to use of AI solutions. An employee wants to benefit from a tool that transcribes online meetings and then summarizes the transcription. They sign in to the work meetings using their personal Google account and transcribe all the meetings they participate in. Now, this tool has sensitive data about the meetings.

Fourth, the employee thinks that they are signing in to the legitimate application. However, it is a malicious SaaS app that stoles their credentials.

Understanding Shadow IT Risks, Strategies & Emerging Trends
An example of discovered Shadow IT in a SaaS environment

How SaaS Shadow IT works

SaaS applications and browser extensions use OAuth to simplify access to their environments. Indeed, instead of memorizing credentials to dozens of applications, a person can simply use one account to sign into them all. 

It’s also convenient to just give these apps access to your cloud data rather than transfer data to the app. For example, Grammarly began as an online application where users could check the spelling of their documents. 

Today, most people use it as a browser extension that automatically spellchecks in many Google Services, social networking websites, and even some designer tools (e.g., Canva). This simple browser extension saves a lot of time for marketers, salespeople, and other employees.

On the flip side, OAuth access poses serious risks as applications gain uncontrollable access to your corporate data. Some even have editing rights. In the next chapter, we’ll be discussing how these access and rights can be abused.

The Risks of Shadow IT

Shadow IT has multiple risks for an organization’s IT security. In this section, we’ll be exclusively discussing the risks of SaaS Shadow IT.

1. Zero-day attack

Google and Microsoft have put much effort into their image and reputation. The trust they enjoy is immense. This trust is transferred automatically to the applications that the IT giants feature on their marketplaces.

The reality is slightly different. Neither Google nor Microsoft does a solid check of all the apps available on their marketplaces. The amount of work it would require would significantly decrease the revenue of both companies.

That’s why, many applications with OAuth access to Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 have bugs. Hackers are constantly looking for vulnerabilities in apps, extensions, and websites. Once they’ve found such a vulnerability they can use it for a zero-day attack. For example, to steal data, gain unauthorized access to the cloud environment of a company, or infect it with ransomware.

Furthermore, there’s a category of SaaS apps and browser extensions that were created with the sole purpose of collecting data and/or using them for a cyber attack.

Not all apps are equally prone to zero-day attacks. For example, apps created by a single person are more likely to have some sort of vulnerability.

2. Data leak

In the previous section, we discussed a case when an employee used their personal Google account to transcribe and summarize all meetings they participated in. 

As a result, the meeting tool had all the conversations and most likely a lot of sensitive information stored in their data storage. This information included all the coworkers’ names, email addresses, and photos, as well as discussions of past and ongoing projects, possible trade secrets, strategies, and plans.

Some time later a group of hackers found the vulnerability in the meeting tool and were able to access all the above-mentioned sensitive information.

The criminals can now sell this data to competitors, on the Dark Web, or to the company itself.

3. Account hijack

Some malicious applications can be disguised as legitimate ones and thereby lure out the credentials of a person. However, even legitimate apps can contribute to the account hijack either through vulnerability exploits or by providing hackers with lots of personal information about the user. This information can then be used to blackmail an employee or steal their credentials (e.g., answering security questions).

4. Ransomware attack

Cloud ransomware uses the same principle of OAuth access as other SaaS apps to access cloud office suites like Google Workspace or Microsoft 365.

Ransomware often disguises itself as a legitimate SaaS application. An employee receives a social engineering letter (e.g., for the “bank”) with the request to confirm something (e.g., payment transactions). They click on the link and get the “sign-in page.” Proceeding with sign-in will literally give the OAuth access to their GW or MSO 365 environment to the hacker.

5. Data Loss

Shadow IT can also result in data loss in case an application has a bug and accidentally wipes out all the data. This is a frequent case in the Salesforce environment, as there’s a class of third-party apps that have mass edit functionality. This feature boosts productivity significantly but can also cause a major loss of client database and impede the work of a revenue-generating team for weeks or even months.

6. Non-compliance

All the above cases can cause a breach of compliance by the company. However, there’s an additional aspect to Shadow IT and compliance. There’s a category of regulations mandating certain companies where they are allowed to store their data. Storing data in unauthorized SaaS applications can break these regulations. As a result, the company can be subject to legal fines or even a lawsuit.

7. Slow incident response

The very nature of Shadow IT impedes the prompt response to related cyber incidents. Since IT team requires additional time to investigate the source of the attack.

Strategies for Managing Shadow IT

The prevalence of Shadow IT and its risks to business operations prompt modern organizations to take steps to combat Shadow IT.  In this section, we discuss some of the successful strategies. Learn more about the topic here.

1. Create Shadow IT policies

Shadow IT policy is a company-wide document that provides the rules for using various types of technologies. It should list:

  • All the allowed technologies and/or all the banned technologies
  • Rules on how to use technologies and how not to use them
  • Rules on how and where to use corporate data
  • Outcomes in case of non-compliance.

2. Work with cybersecurity awareness

As we mentioned in one of the previous sections, most people do not understand the risks of technology and believe they are somewhat invincible. Thorough cybersecurity awareness training can help them realize the risks and understand that they are more prevalent.

3. Purchase tools

Automation is the easiest way to combat Shadow IT. SSPM tools can help your IT security team detect all the apps that have access to your cloud environments. These tools also assess the risks of unauthorized applications to your security. They also have the functionality to revoke app access and create allow and block lists.

Try the SpinOne SSPM tool

FAQ

Why does Shadow IT occur?

Shadow IT occurs for several reasons. First, employees blur the line between personal and working devices and some companies encourage it with BYOD policies. Second, employees strive to be better at their work and use additional IT technologies. Third, companies do not have tools and policies to control it,

What are the implications of Shadow IT?

The implications of Shadow IT include zero-day attacks, data loss, data leak, ransomware attacks, non-compliance, and financial losses

How can Shadow IT be managed?

Shadow IT can be managed with security policies and tools that detect and provide controls over Shadow IT to IT security teams.

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The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced new additions to rules around disclosing cybersecurity risk management, strategy, governance, and incidents for public companies. If you’re one of the almost 9,000 public companies operating under SEC rules (or preparing to be publicly traded) or an interested investor, you may want to learn these new rules and its impact on the cybersecurity industry. Our cybersecurity expert at Spin.AI, Will Tran, summarizes what these changes mean and how to prepare your organization for a new era of disclosure and transparency.

What are the SEC cybersecurity disclosure rules? 

On July 26, 2023, the SEC introduced new cybersecurity disclosure rules. These were intended to provide transparency to investors around the cybersecurity risks faced by public companies. 

SEC Chair Gary Gensler states, “Currently, many public companies provide cybersecurity disclosure to investors. I think companies and investors alike, however, would benefit if this disclosure were made in a more consistent, comparable, and decision-useful way. Through helping to ensure that companies disclose material cybersecurity information, today’s rules will benefit investors, companies, and the markets connecting them.”

The new amendments to these original rules now require disclosure of material cybersecurity incidents. Public companies are now required to disclose a cybersecurity incident within 4 days of determining that the incident is material (material meaning anticipated to have a substantial impact on the company’s finances, operations, or business). (Source) 

Item 1.05 – Disclosing material cybersecurity incidents

“This requires registrants to disclose on the new Item 1.05 of Form 8-K any cybersecurity incident they determine to be material and to describe the material aspects of the incident’s nature, scope, and timing, as well as its material impact or reasonably likely material impact on the registrant. An Item 1.05 Form 8-K will generally be due four business days after a registrant determines that a cybersecurity incident is material.”

Item 106 – Risk Management and Strategy

“The new rules also add Regulation S-K Item 106, which will require registrants to describe their processes, if any, for assessing, identifying, and managing material risks from cybersecurity threats… [and to] describe the board of directors’ oversight of risks from cybersecurity threats and management’s role and expertise in assessing and managing material risks from cybersecurity threats.”

What does this mean?

Item 1.05 is a step in the right direction for adding structure and transparency around cyber security incidents. However, there is still a gray area when it comes to determining which incident is “material”. 

For example, JPMorgan Chase recently reported it defends itself against 45 billion hacking attempts every single day. So how does one determine which attacks are material? When assessing materiality, the company must develop and implement a structure that considers both the qualitative and quantitative consequences of the incident, including the incident’s potential impact to the company’s business operations, customers, and reputation.

Item 106 elevates the importance of cybersecurity within a company by bridging the possible gap between its board of directors and executive leaders with the company’s CISO. According to a Harvard Business Review research, less than half of board members regularly interact with their company’s CISOs; and nearly a third of them only see their CISOs at board presentations. With Item 106 in place, a company’s board of directors and executive leaders are now expected to have oversight into the company’s cybersecurity processes and risks. 

Just as important, Item 106 also requires companies to disclose their practices for addressing cybersecurity threats. This forces CISOs to continuously reassess their existing tools and processes to effectively combat the evolving and persistent cybersecurity threats.

When do these rules go into effect?

The new SEC rules were announced in mid-2023 and implemented in late-2023. While these rules have been known for some months, investors have just begun to see how publicly traded companies are reacting to these new rules. Last week, major technology companies – Alphabet (Google), Amazon, Meta, and Microsoft – released their annual earnings report, which complied with the new SEC rules. How did they respond?

Each company complied to the new SEC rules by providing an overview of their cybersecurity-related risk management and strategy. However, some were notably more detailed and transparent than others for the two new SEC rules. For example, in compliance with Item 1.05 – Disclosing material cybersecurity incidents, Microsoft revealed an incident involving a nation-state threat actor who used a password spray attack to compromise a legacy test account and gain unauthorized access to email accounts. For another example, in compliance with Item 106 – Risk Management and Strategy, Meta shared its third-party assessment (TPA) process, which assesses potential cybersecurity risks by collecting security controls from Meta’s major contractors who have privileged data and system access. 

How can SpinOne help? 

As an all-in-one SaaS security solution, SpinOne helps prevent and manage cybersecurity incidents within mission-critical applications. SpinOne provides complete visibility and context of cybersecurity incidents related to ransomware, data leak, and data loss to help customers evaluate the materiality of these incidents.  

The most notable element of the new SEC rules is the shift in culture around cybersecurity. Placing a spotlight on the importance of cybersecurity shifts companies into an essential mindset that is both aware of potential threats and urgently prioritizes a holistic cybersecurity strategy. Learn more here about how SpinOne can help.

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Ransomware has become an efficient tool for illegal money extortion and achieving political goals worldwide. This article recounts the history of ransomware from the first unsuccessful attempt to the modern-day cyber incidents.

Most of the sources found online focus on the history of particular incidents, the sum of ransom, and the number of victims. We decided to apply a different approach and trace the development of various components of the ransomware attack in the preceding years. 

This article explains how the joint efforts of a disturbed evolutionary scientist, several exceptionally talented cryptologists, known and unknown hackers, and dot.com entrepreneurs shaped the technology and created perfect conditions for ransomware pandemics.

1989 AIDS Trojan – the first ransomware

In 1989, 20,000 people received a letter in their mailbox from PC Cyborg Corp. Inside they found a floppy disk and information leaflet. Little did they know that PC Cyborg Corp. was a fake organization and the letter they received was created by an evolutionary biologist Dr. Joseph L. Popp.

Popp who was researching AIDS at the time was allegedly denied a position in the World Health Organization. That was the possible reason why he decided to target predominantly the subscribers to the WHO Conference.

The History and Evolution of Ransomware
The first ransomware (diskette, envelope, and leaflet)

The leaflet explained that the diskette contained an interactive program to learn about AIDS, a new disease at the time. It also contained system requirements and detailed instructions on how to run the program.

The diskette contained two files, one of them carrying the virus. Upon insertion of the diskette, the virus would hijack the autoexec.bat, the file that starts the Windows on a computer. 

Upon several dozens of executions, the virus encrypted all the file extensions in the system making it impossible to use them. After this, a ransom note would appear demanding to pay a yearly or lifetime ransom ($189 and $378 respectively)  for the decryption.

AIDS Trojan ransomware attack features

AIDS trojan had the following features of a ransomware attack:

  1. Delivery via mail;
  2. Social engineering playing on popular fears;
  3. Encryption that made using the data impossible;
  4. Ransom note;
  5. The account is beyond the reach of authorities (in a Panama bank);
  6. The criminal remained anonymous and disguised as a fake entity.

Many of these features can be seen in modern ransomware attacks with slight changes. First, most ransomware attacks are delivered via email instead of post. Second, most criminals demand ransom in digital currency rather than using the accounts in banks.

AIDS Trojan weaknesses

There were three weaknesses in Popp’s ransomware attack that were fixed later on by the development of technology. First, AIDS used symmetrical encryption, i.e., the encryption and decryption are performed with one key, which could be extorted from the virus itself.

Second, the price of the attack was very high. The retail price of a floppy disk was about $5 dollars in the mid-1980s, which means that Popp spent about $100,000 on purchasing 20K diskettes (appr. $259,295 in 2024), plus he had to pay for all the international post deliveries (appr. $15,200 in 1989 or 37,601 in 2024). The investigators suspected that he could have an accomplice. However, these suspicions were never proven.

Third, the investigators managed to link the crime to Popp pretty quickly, and he was arrested within a year.

The aftermath

The outcome of the AIDS Trojan was devastating. Most victims were medical researchers. They used the diskette on their work computers where their research data was stored. Instead of paying ransom or looking for a tech specialist to fight the virus, they simply wiped their computers. The loss of data was immense, and the negative impact of this event on humanity can’t be overestimated.

Popp who was allegedly planning to fund the AIDS research never profited from his crime. As mentioned before, most victims didn’t pay the ransom. He was found unfit to stand trial and went on to live an uneventful life. The butterfly sanctuary he founded, recently experienced serious issues and couldn’t open 

Refining Ransomware 1990-2000

As mentioned earlier, the first ransomware attack was too expensive and too risky. And the encryption could be cracked. In the 1990s, cybersecurity experts theorized how to improve the attack, making it more efficient. 

Here are the main steps of ransomware refinement:

Improving the Encryption

1996 – Young and Yong came up with the idea of a virus with asymmetric cryptography that uses two keys. The public key is embedded within the virus and used for encryption. The private key is owned by the virus creator and is used for decryption.

Both Young and Yong presented their findings at the 1996 IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy and later published them in the Proceedings of the Symposium. 

Yong and Young’s goal was purely theoretical. They wanted to know if the weaknesses of the AIDS virus can be overcome. Both were renowned scientists in their field. Their paper was a warning to cybersecurity experts about the possibility of a virus that is impossible to crack. 

What Youung and Yong didn’t think about is the possibility of hackers using their theoretical knowledge to apply it in practice. To this day, we cannot be sure if their paper advanced the evolution of ransomware or not. The AIDS failure was quickly forgotten, outshined by the rapid technological progress of the 1990s. Maybe, if the scientists hadn’t been so passionate about the betterment of the AIDS Trojan virus, we would have lived in a ransomware-free world.

Fixing the delivery method

After the Symposium, there was a short period when everyone seemingly forgot about ransomware. One of the possible reasons is the lack of a solution to the delivery issue.

The solution came in 2000 when a 24-year-old Onel de Guzman decided to create a virus that stole credentials for Internet access. The young man didn’t have enough money to pay for the access and decided to take it from others.

What’s prominent about this attack for us, is that Guzman used phishing emails to deliver a virus. The email skillfully played on the modern fascination with romantic love. The subject line “ILOVEYOU” and a downloadable attached file “LOVE-LETTER-FOR-YOU.TXT.vbs.” promised happiness and thrill that are hard to say no to.

The letter spread like fire from the Philippines westward, setting foot on US soil in just 5 hours. The outreach totaled 45M users. On its way across the world, ILOVEYOU hit the British Parliament, Pentagon, and Ford Motor among others. The global damages were estimated at $8.7B and the cost of virus removal – another $15B.

The “love” virus wasn’t the first to spread via email. The first email-transmitted malware variants were sent in the late 1990s, for example, the Melissa virus. However, none of them reached the “success” rate of ILOVEYOU. We think the masterful social engineering greatly contributed to the latter’s spread.

Securing the payment

1992 – David Naccache and Sebstian von Solms offer to use anonymous cash systems for ransom collection.

1996 – the cryptologists Adam Young and Moti Yong predicted the use of cryptocurrency for extortion. 

As mentioned above, Popp had to rely on the Panama bank to extort money from his victims. It made him vulnerable to exposure.

Luckily for modern hackers, another prominent cryptographer David Chaum came up with the idea of digital cash in 1983. Furthermore, he created a technology that enabled complete anonymity of people who carried out the transactions. 

Chaum founded the first ecash company DigiCash in the same year Popp sent out his diskettes. His business didn’t gain popularity among Internet users for several reasons, including the underdevelopment of e-commerce, the lack of trust in e-products, and the number of Internet users worldwide.

Chaum’s company went bankrupt in 1998, two years after the first successful digital money company e-gold was founded.

Despite the emergence of multiple e-currency companies worldwide, digital money hadn’t been popular until the introduction of bitcoin cryptocurrency in 2008. Since then crypto-wallets have become a safe haven for all sorts of criminals to conduct monetary operations avoiding scrutiny from the authorities. Ransomware gangs have been using Bitcoin for money extortion since 2008. 

The 2000-2010s: The Beginning of the Ransomware Era

After the notorious findings of Yong and Young, the history of ransomware becomes obscure. We can only know part of it – the successful attacks, the epic ransom payments, the new ransomware strains, and twisted extortion methods. People who have been the main drivers of ransomware development after Popp, Yong, and Young, remain mostly unknown. We can only speculate that their motives are profit or attaining political goals.

Testing grounds

In the mid-2000s the first ransomware viruses began circulating in the wild. It is believed that the key factor in their spread was global digitalization. The number of Internet users has been growing exponentially from 39.14M in 1995 to 414M in 2000 to 1B in 2005 to 2B in 2010.

The ransomware strains of the time were still “crackable” as many used custom decryption keys. The ransoms were tiny, e.g., $20 for a GPCode decryptor. The hackers also preferred quantity over quality approach.

The attacks of the time looked more like a side gig and experimentation, nothing like the complex attacks of today.

The first commercial success

Things began to change in the late 2000s when hackers decided to apply RSA encryption to their viruses. RSA is an asymmetrical (or public-key) encryption developed by three cryptographers Ron Rivest, Adi Shamir, and Leonard Adleman in 1977.

For example, the 2006 virus Archiveus had RSA, and GPCode was reinforced with RSA-1024 in 2010. The new encryption system was practically uncrackable and hackers quickly understood the power of new ransomware strains.

As Young and Yong had predicted, ransomware became a powerful weapon in the hands of criminals.

By the early 2010s, humanity had seemingly created and refined most of the elements of a successful ransomware attack: money extortion via data kidnapping, phishing email delivery methodology, asymmetric encryption, and the anonymity of cryptocurrencies.

The first significant strike took place in 2013-2014. The new strain of ransomware CryptoLocker quickly spread via email and the established botnet. It used the strongest encryption so far: RSA-2048. The hackers demanded a ransom of $400 and provided two payment methods: prepaid cash vouchers or bitcoin. It is estimated that they collected at least $27M.

Get a list of Ransomware attacks

Modern Ransomware Trends

While the ransomware pandemic was rampaging across the globe, cybersecurity experts introduced new tools to fight ransomware. Backups and proactive ransomware protection tools have proven most efficient. This forced hackers to come up with new methodologies. 

  • Ransomware in the cloud
  • Ransomware-as-a-service
  • Doube extortion
  • Triple extortion
  • Zero-day attacks

Wrapping up, ransomware is a real-life threat to your business-critical on-prem and cloud data. Its technologies and extortion methods were created and developed by some of the best minds in the world. Proactive protection against ransomware is the only way to secure your digital assets and avoid the havoc caused by this type of malware. 

Get Ransomware Protection

FAQ

When did ransomware first appear, and what were the early forms like?

The first ransomware appeared in 1989. It was an AIDS Trojan that changed file extensions and was spread via diskette. The first ransomware viruses began spreading actively in the 2000s via email. They improved their encryption over the course of 10 years.

What are some of the most notorious ransomware attacks in history?

The most notorious attacks include Colonial Pipeline (2021), Costa Rican government (2022), JBS USA (2021), Maersk (2017), MOVEit (2023), Travelex (2019), NHS (2017).

What are the common methods used to infect computers with ransomware?

The common methods to infect computers with ransomware include botnets and social engineering.

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PALO ALTO, Calif. | January 24, 2024 | Spin.AI, a leading SaaS security company dedicated to safeguarding enterprises against security risks, today announced key leadership appointments marking a significant step in its strategy for scaling and growth. These include the appointment of Rocco Donnino as the Senior Vice President of Global Strategic Alliances & Channels, the promotion of Davit Asatryan to Vice President of Product, and the promotion of Arman Agaronyan to Vice President of Sales.

“We are thrilled to welcome Rocco Donnino to our team. His expertise in channel strategy and his deep understanding of global markets will be invaluable as we continue to invest globally and build on our partnership model,” said Dmitry Dontov, CEO & Founder of Spin.AI. “We also proudly acknowledge the promotions of Davit Asatryan and Arman Agaronyan, whose remarkable growth and contributions reflect our commitment to nurturing talent.”

Rocco Donnino brings more than 20 years experience leading and developing strategic alliances and channel programs at companies including Delinea, McAfee, AVG Technologies, AppRiver, TitanHQ and Microsoft. His expertise will be pivotal in expanding Spin.AI’s reach across North America, EMEA, and APAC regions, and in strengthening the company’s presence in key partner programs. Rocco’s immediate focus will be on deepening existing partner relationships and enhancing Spin.AI’s role in the MSP and MSSP marketplace and the Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace partner ecosystems.

Davit Asatryan, previously Director of Product, has been promoted to Vice President of Product. He is acknowledged for his notable achievements over the past 6 years, including the successful launch and enhancements of the SSPM product and Spin.AI’s recent recognition as a Strong Performer in The Forrester Wave™: SaaS Security Posture Management, Q4 2023. Davit also led the integration of Spin.AI’s Risk Assessment for Chrome Extensions into the Google Workspace Admin console – allowing Google admins to see the risk scores for all integrated browser extensions. Additionally, he played a crucial role in establishing the Product Management department and was pivotal in creating the Los Angeles office. With his forward-thinking approach, Davit contributes to product innovation, ensuring that Spin.AI maintains its status with some of the fastest SLAs for incident response in SaaS security.

Arman Agaronyan, previously Director of Sales, has been promoted to Vice President of Sales. Arman is a founding team member at Spin.AI, and his key revenue contributions over the last 7 years with the company include leading the global sales team to close, retain, and protect over 1,500 organizations and millions of users worldwide. Additionally, Arman was crucial in establishing Spin.AI’s Los Angeles team and office. Arman’s journey from a sales engineer to leading the sales team exemplifies what’s possible at Spin.AI. In his new role, Arman will focus on managing the global sales team to expand the company’s customer base and revenue, reinforcing its position as a leading SaaS cybersecurity provider.

These strategic appointments reflect a commitment to driving innovation, enhancing global partnerships, and strengthening market presence in the SaaS security domain, while fostering a culture of excellence and growth within the organization.

For more information about Spin.AI and its leadership team, visit www.spin.ai.

About Spin.AI

Spin.AI is a SaaS security company protecting enterprises against the risk of shadow IT, data leaks, data loss, ransomware, and non-compliance. SpinOne, the all-in-one SaaS security platform for mission-critical SaaS apps, protects SaaS data for Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Salesforce, and Slack. SpinOne provides SSPM, SaaS DLP, SaaS ransomware protection,  and SaaS Backup for more than 1,500 organizations worldwide to enhance cyber resilience, streamline security operations, and reduce security costs. For more information, please visit: https://www.spin.ai/. 

Contacts

Public Relations for Spin.AI

Matt Stubbs

mstubbs@voxuspr.com

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A Disaster Recovery Plan is an efficient tool that can help mitigate risks and decrease downtime and financial losses. However, as time passes, even the most thorough and efficient DRP gets outdated. That’s why organizations need to test their Disaster Recovery Plans on a regular basis. In this article, we discuss DRP testing, and its types, and provide a comprehensive guide on how to conduct it.

What is Disaster Recovery Plan Testing?

Disaster Recovery Plan is a key document for disaster recovery and cyber resilience. It explains how organizations will be recovering after major cybersecurity events. It usually consists of 5 components:

  • Goals (the objectives of the recovery organized by duration and priorities)
  • People (the roles and responsibilities of each DR stakeholder)
  • Tools (all the available IT solutions to automate and speed up the recovery) 
  • Steps (step-by-step recovery guidelines)
  • Budget (the expected DR costs).

DRP can become a powerful tool for efficient recovery after a major cybersecurity event. However, it can become obsolete. That’s why it is highly recommended to test it regularly.

Disaster Recovery Plan testing is a procedure that trials the efficiency of the DR plan.

Importance of Testing

There are several reasons why cybersecurity experts emphasize the necessity of testing your Disaster Recovery Plan.

  • Reality check

While based on industry best practices, expert guidelines, and experience of individual employees and teams, Disaster Recovery Plans are theoretical in nature. 

DRP testing can help you understand whether your plan is efficient in a real-world situation.

  • Process Improvement

Testing can show the gaps in the Disaster Recovery Plan that remained invisible during its creation. Testing can also provide “eureka” moments when the stakeholders come up with unusual yet efficient solutions for the existing issues and challenges.

  • Performance improvement

Successful disaster recovery depends on people. However, they can forget their roles and tasks as stipulated by the plan. Testing can help DR stakeholders train their activities during the recovery process, freshen their memory, and even automate certain actions.

  • Updating 

A disaster recovery plan is unique for every organization. However, any organization undergoes transformations with time. New DR stakeholders appear. The company acquires new IT tools and generates more data. The budget changes. New risks arise.

Testing can help update the Disaster Recovery Plan to match the new challenges, new processes, new elements, etc.  

Types of Disaster Recovery Plan Tests

There are three main types of Disaster Recovery Plan tests. They aren’t mutually excluding. An IT security team can run all three of them together in one go, or do them separately during a certain period of time.

Plan review

Plan review is the easiest and most basic type of DRP testing. In a nutshell, it is reviewing the DRP documentation. It can be carried out by any DRP stakeholder or by a third party as part of an audit process. The key goals include: 

  • Looking for missing components and processes
  • Refreshing the memory of one’s responsibilities and tasks
  • Preparation for other DRP testing.

Paper tests 

Also known as tabletop exercises, paper tests are a team exercise. They require all the stakeholders to be present and participate. Usually, a team sits together and goes through the steps of the plan. The key goals are:

  • Check if the DR stakeholders know/remember what they need to do and when
  • Look for inconsistencies, errors, or missing parts
  • Update the Disaster Recovery Plan

Simulation

This type of testing is the closest to a real-life disaster scenario. It requires a testing environment. The DR team simulates one or several types of disasters and then responds to them in accordance with the DRP plan. The key goals are:

  • Check how Disaster Recovery will work in real life.
  • Test the IT systems and tools.
  • Find the gaps and errors.
  • Improve the existing processes.
  • Train stakeholders in the close-to-real-life event.
  • Check how the DR team understands the guidelines.
  • Update DRP and/or tech stack.

Simulation has two subtypes:

  • Partial – testing the limited number of processes.
  • Full-scale – testing every aspect of the DRP plan.

Frequency of Testing

There’s no agreement among experts as to the frequency of the DRP testing. It depends on the type of the test, business specifics, IT system characteristics, etc.

We recommend:

  • Run the simulation testing at least once a year.
  • Run paper tests at least twice a year.
  • Run paper testing followed by simulation after the major change in your IT environment.

Remember that regularity is critical for testing. It helps find more gaps and inconsistencies. It can also help your team stay prepared for the disaster.

Steps to Test Your Disaster Recovery Plan Effectively
Disaster Recovery Plan Testing Infographic

DRP Testing: step-by-step

The testing of a Disaster Recovery Plan consists of four main phases: planning, execution, analysis, and updating your DRP. Each phase consists of multiple steps. Let’s take a look at each of the phases.

Planning

Just as you need to have a disaster plan, you need a plan for its testing. There are several important steps in this phase:

1. Identify the objectives of your testing. 

Do you want to check if your team remembers what they need to do in case of an emergency? Do you want to test how your new recovery tool will work? The objective will determine the type of testing.

2. Create a scenario.

Even if you are running a tabletop exercise, you need a step-by-step plan. Think about what you will say to the stakeholders, how you will moderate conversations, and what format of documentation you will use. If it’s a day-long event think about the coffee breaks and lunch time.

3. Scheduling the test

We suggest scheduling large testing sessions like simulation at least half a year in advance and reminding the stakeholders about it at least one month prior.

4. Prepare for the testing

Think about the tools you will need during the testing. For example, a plan review can be done individually on a computer. However, paper tests might require everyone to be in one meeting room or on one video conference. The simulation will require a testing environment, the recovery tools.

5. Plan the analysis

Apart from creating a format for analysis documentation, you will also need to assign people who will create testing reports. Define what types of testing data you will be collecting and how. Many experts suggest monitoring DRP testing and recording every event during it. It will help you during the analysis stage. 

Execution

The execution phase of the Disaster Recovery Plan testing has four main stages:

  1. Assembling a testing team
  2. Execution of the plan
  3. Monitoring and evaluation
  4. Documentation of results.

Analysis

After collecting the documentation and the recorded session of DRP testing, you can proceed with the analysis of the testing.

We suggest analyzing the following quantitative criteria:

  • The time of the execution (real vs. expected)
  • The efficiency of recovery (lost vs. recovered)
  • The number of stakeholders’ errors during the execution
  • The number of recovery tool errors during the execution

The qualitative criteria for DRP testing include:

  • The discovered gaps in the Disaster Recovery Plan.
  • The usability of recovery tools.
  • The clarity of the DRP guidelines.
  • The unnecessary/excessive steps in DRP.
  • The new/better solutions for DRP processes.
  • The quality of teamwork during the DR.
  • The stress resilience of stakeholders.

Don’t be discouraged by the poor results in your DRP testing. It’s better to find them now and fix them than during a real-life situation. Use them to improve your DRP.

Updating the Disaster Recovery Plan

Updating the DRP is an essential part of testing. Not all testing will necessarily lead to updating. However, we believe that the necessity to update your plan is the marker of thorough testing since no plan can be flawless.

Update the plan when you find gaps or new solutions. Remember, that it’s better to run the testing again to understand how the introduced processes work.

Common Challenges and Solutions

The Disaster Recovery Plan Testing has multiple challenges that businesses have to overcome.

Lack of resources

This challenge is especially critical for simulations. Recreating a close-to-real-life scenario requires the allocation of significant resources like time, IT systems, testing environments, budget, and recovery tools.

Having the stakeholders run the simulation means that they will not be able to perform other job tasks and responsibilities. Aligning everyone’s timetables can also be problematic.

Solution:

Try running the partial rather than full simulation. Hire an audit team that will help you understand the gaps in your plan and do the documentation part.

IT security team overload

The talent and skill gaps coupled with the rampaging cybercrime and increasing dependence of businesses on IT systems have created a highly stressful environment for IT professionals. The majority report burnout and work overload.

Having to allocate time to DRP testing can add more tasks to their tight schedules.

Solution:

Run tests without all the stakeholders involved. It will help you understand what happens if a critical member of the team cannot be present due to various circumstances.

Lack of regularity

Many teams struggle to ensure the regularity of Disaster Recovery Plan Testing. With overload and stress, there are always other issues that seem to have more priority over the DRP test. 

It’s hard to reschedule the event, especially if it’s a complex procedure like a full-scale simulation that requires thorough planning and participation of all the members.

Solution:

Plan the testing ahead and take it into account when planning your team’s activities for the upcoming month/quarter/year. Have at least a two-week gap between the testing and other major projects (like pen-testing, buying new IT tools, etc.)

The inability to precisely recreate real-life events

Even simulation testing cannot take into account all the factors of a real-life cybersecurity incident. 

Solution:

Try to appoint stress-thriving members for the key roles in your DR. Some people thrive in stressful situations. They can collect themselves and come up with solutions when everyone around them falls apart. You might need to ask your HR for help on this one.

FAQ

Why is testing a disaster recovery plan important?

Testing a Disaster Recovery Plan can help you identify the gaps in your plan, and understand if the plan timeframe and other plan aspects are realistic. It can also help your team train.

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According to Gartner, by 2026, 60% of organizations will see preventing cloud misconfiguration as a cloud security priority. No surprise here, as the cloud adoption rate is over 90% and businesses have become increasingly dependent on cloud environments for their operations and data storage. One tool that can help tackle the challenges of the new environment is Cloud Security Posture Management.

CSPM helps IT security teams identify cloud misconfigurations, and provide visibility into the cloud and control over the access to the environment. In this article, we will discuss the best practices for Cloud Security Posture management for your organization.

Understanding CSPM

The rapid adoption of cloud technologies enabled businesses to harness powerful computing capabilities while cutting costs on system building and maintenance. It also helped companies broaden their workforce geographically and employ the best talents worldwide.

The new cloud environment was less prone to natural disasters, outages, and hacker attacks. However, it had new vulnerabilities that made the traditional security architecture obsolete and inapplicable.

The biggest challenges for cloud security are:

  • Access control
  • Ransomware protection
  • Detection of misconfiguration
  • SaaS applications control
  • Maintaining compliance
  • Security visibility
  • Closing the talent gap through automation

To meet the majority of these challenges cybersecurity experts created a new category of tools – Cloud Security Posture Management. CSPMs help tackle all the issues listed above except for ransomware protection.

Benefits of CSPM

Cloud Security Posture Management tools have multiple benefits for the organization that acquires and implements them. The main features of CSPM help IT security teams enhance cloud security and achieve compliance through:

  • providing a bird’s eye view of the cloud
  • a control panel for misconfiguration detection and remedy
  • ensuring mass and individual control over user access

A category of CSPM, SSPMs also help prevent zero-day attacks through SaaS applications control.

The benefits of CSPMs include:

  • Improved security posture

According to Gartner, through 2025, 99% of cloud security failures will be the customer’s fault. Gartner analysts imply that cloud misconfigurations will lead to the majority of cloud cyber incidents such as data loss or leakage. CSPM will help organizations to identify incorrect cloud settings.

Access monitoring and control is another CSPM functionality that helps companies enhance security. Clouds have no defined security perimeter and have multiple access points through user accounts. Keeping track of all employees is next to impossible without a tool that analyzes user behavior and identifies the abnormal.

Automation provided by CSPM helps reduce the workload on a security team and cover the talent gap.

  • Enhanced compliance

Compliance is tightly connected to cloud configurations. Many CSPM tools have incorporated compliance kits that provide a number of rules to comply with certain laws or regulations.

  • Cost reduction

The cost of data breaches is increasing year over year. It includes downtime, legal penalties, and reputational losses. CSPMs help avoid the expenses associated with data breaches by increasing security posture and preventing major cybersecurity incidents.

CSPM Best Practices

In this section, we discuss the best practices for implementing Cloud Security Posture Management.

1. Map your cloud environments

There are several types of cloud environments: Infrastructure-as-a-Service, Platform-as-a-Service, and Software-as-a-Service. An organization can have one or several types of these environments. 

It’s critical to understand where your business operations take place. Failing to secure a cloud environment can lead to serious implications.

If your organization uses SaaS tools, it will be hard to map all of them (learn more about Shadow IT) and you will need an SSPM tool to do it.

2. Identify the security gaps in your cloud

You need to understand the security capabilities of each cloud environment your organization uses. And then identify which areas remain vulnerable. 

Most cloud providers have the so-called shared responsibility model. This model stipulates which areas of security the vendor undertakes and which are left for you to protect. For example, most cloud providers take care of data center maintenance and proofing against natural disasters.

Most cloud providers leave the access control in the sphere of responsibility of the buyer. The same is true for cloud configurations. Your IT and legal team needs to study the shared responsibility model along with the security configurations of your cloud and then outline the gaps.

Learn about cloud security threats. 

3. Outline the compliance requirements

It’s best to have all the compliance requirements listed in one document. Your legal team needs to update documents on a regular basis. Modern legislation is rapidly changing to fit the needs of the cybersecurity landscape and balance them with the rights of individual citizens.

Additionally, we see new cybersecurity standards. While these standards aren’t mandatory for the majority of businesses, meeting them will guarantee your cloud data security and even help with closing certain clients and establishing new partnerships.

4. Create security policies

Write down what security policies can enhance your cloud security gaps and help with compliance. You’ll need to do this exercise twice. First, before looking for CSPM tools, then after purchasing one.

Your security policies can change over time. Chances are, no CSPM tool will meet your particular security needs perfectly. However, it can help to significantly improve your security posture and automate most of the processes, while your team will handle the rest.

5. Outline access strategy

CSPM can help you control the access of users to your data as well as identify possible account hijack instances. We suggest creating an access strategy to make the most of your CSPM tool.

The cloud access security is based on the zero-trust approach. The term is a bit misleading as it might seem that you must never trust any users, i.e., lock the environment and don’t let anyone it. That’s not the case with the zero-trust approach.

In reality, you simply need to give minimal trust and minimal access to the user. The minimal trust implies that you need to regularly make sure that the person logged in under a certain username is indeed the user and not an imposter. This can be achieved by multifactor authentication, regular password change, and user behavior analysis. The last is the CSPM feature.

Minimal access implies that users should only have access to data that they absolutely need to carry out their job tasks. For example, a salesperson doesn’t need to access the accounting spreadsheets, accountants do not need to read marketing strategy, and none of them should have access to product documentation. This principle includes restricting the sharing of data outside organizations. 

6. Choose the CSPM tool

There are many high-quality CSPM tools on the market. We suggest looking for the following criteria when choosing one for your organization:

  • It covers all or most of the cloud environments that you are using
  • It has the necessary compliance certifications
  • It meets your other compliance requirements
  • It covers most of the security gaps that your cloud has
  • It has the necessary features (e.g., security policies and access configurations)
Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) Best Practices
An example of SSPM tool

7. Work with your team on CSPM implementation

Introducing a new tool in your organization can be a difficult task. Apart from teaching your team how to use it, we suggest creating a new playbook for using CSPM.

Include the roles and responsibilities. Stipulate the backup employees in case a person executing a certain task cannot come. Help your team create new schedules and routines around using the new tool. Many IT tools implementations fail because the team forgets to use it or doesn’t know the tips and tricks that will make usage more comfortable. Look for the best practices to use your CSPM.

8. Audit and update

Make sure that compliance requirements, security gaps, and security policies are updated regularly. Audit the work of your Cloud Security Posture Management solution on a regular basis and make sure that it’s up-to-date.

Wrapping up, Cloud Security Posture Management is a category of tools that meets the specific requirements of the cloud and helps close security gaps. Implementing CSPM in your cloud environment has multiple benefits, like enhanced compliance, cost reduction, and improved security posture.

CSPM implementation can have multiple challenges, but if your IT security teams follow the best practices, you can achieve success in using this tool and have a smooth introduction.

FAQs

What are the common security challenges CSPM can help address?

The common security challenges CSPM can help address are cloud misconfigurations, risky apps, lack of visibility, non-compliance, and a talent gap.

How does CSPM help with compliance and regulatory requirements?

CSPM detects misconfigurations in the cloud including those that cause non-compliance. It also strengthens the cloud security posture and prevents cyber events that can cause breach of compliance.

What are the key features and capabilities of CSPM tools?

The key features are misconfiguration detection, app control, visibility, and automation of security controls.

Do CSPM solutions support multi-cloud environments?

Yes, some CSPM solutions support multi-cloud environments.

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Many organizations today are heavily relying on cloud Software-as-a-Service offerings for business productivity, communication, and collaboration. One of the leading solutions on the market is Google Workspace.

As more business-critical data is placed in SaaS environments like Google Workspace, does it alleviate the need to worry about data protection? Are backups still needed with SaaS? A recent incident involving Google Workspace highlights the importance of SaaS data backups and the vital role of SaaS backups in modern disaster recovery.

Months of Google data lost

Recently, Google users reported that months’ worth of files mysteriously vanished without a trace or evidence of any apparent issue. From many users’ descriptions, it was like their accounts were rolled back in time, with some stating they had lost as much as six months’ worth of data.

Google had no explanation for the apparent data loss and was investigating the cause. Google support advised customers not to make any major changes to their accounts while they attempted to determine the root cause.

You can read the official Google forum thread here: Google Drive files suddenly disappeared. For those organizations using cloud services and storage, it is a stark reminder that just because your data is housed in the cloud doesn’t mean it can’t be lost.

Also, even more sobering, if you read in the stated “shared responsibility models” of most hyperscale cloud service providers, including Google, the burden of ensuring data is protected falls on the customer.

Cloud backups are needed

Even though Google Workspace and other cloud SaaS solutions like Microsoft 365 have revolutionized how businesses operate, incidents like the unexpected deletion of Google Drive files demonstrate the potential risks associated with storing all your data in the cloud and the need for good data management practices and data protection.

Ultimately, your data in the cloud can be lost due to many of the same types of data loss events on-premises, such as:

  • Accidental deletion by users (human error)
  • Malicious attack (ransomware, intentional file deletions, etc)
  • Power outages and failed power backups (In 2019, Amazon lost over 1 TB of customer data over Memorial Day weekend due to a power failure)
  • Hardware and software failure – Hardware and software failures do happen in the cloud as they do on-premises. While cloud environments are much better prepared for such events, data can still be lost.
  • Natural disasters – If redundant systems, power backups, and other fail safes don’t operate as expected in the event of a natural disaster, it can lead to failed systems and data loss.

Considering the possible sources of data loss and the responsibilities of the customers in the shared responsibility model, data protection is a must.

Effective Google Workspace data backups

Daily backups of Google Workspace data are needed for business continuity and data protection. Despite the nth degree of resiliency offered by cloud hyperscalers like Google, as the recent incident shows, data can still be lost.

Regular data backup and automated backup processes by a third-party backup solution are the only way to be sure your data is safeguarded against data loss incidents. It is the only guarantee you have to recover critical data from the data stored in your backups.

Spinbackup - tool for Backing Up Google Workspace Data Daily
Google Workspace backup tool – Spinbackup

Evaluating Backup Solutions for Google Workspace

One of the first steps in an effective Google Workspace backup is selecting the right third-party backup solutions for Google Workspace data backup, which involves understanding your organization’s needs.

Many organizations assume using native Google services like Google Vault is enough to protect their data. However, Google Vault is not intended to be a true backup solution. It is meant for information governance and eDiscovery, and It does not contain the features and capabilities needed for a true enterprise backup solution.

However, the following factors, among others, should be considered when choosing a backup solution:

  • Ease of use, reliability, and comprehensiveness of the backup
  • Automated backups
  • Backup data security, such as data encryption, in flight and at rest
  • Ability to choose where backup storage is located
  • Flexible retention policies
  • Ability to protect multiple Google Workspace domains

Google backup strategy

After selecting a backup solution for Google Workspace backups, develop a backup strategy for your critical Google Workspace data. Having the right strategy in conjunction with the proper backup tools is vital for your overall disaster recovery plan.

Note the following points and questions to consider with your Google Workspace backup strategy:

  • Think about your RPO and RTO – What are your restore point objectives and restore time objectives you need to meet for your business-critical SLAs? Backups and recovery allow businesses to meet their RPO and RTO goals.
  • Does your strategy allow you to recover data from all Google Workspace services? Some backup solutions only protect certain Google services and not others.
  • Are your backups automated? You want a fully automated solution for consistency and the best coverage for protecting your data.
  • Can you access your data outside of the protected environment? Data must be accessible, even if the environment it protects is not.
  • Monitor your organization’s data to understand what data you have and if it is protected.
  • Leverage cybersecurity along with data backup – Cybersecurity and backups go hand-in-hand. They both help to protect your data and ensure it is always accessible.
  • Does your organization perform regular backup process testing – Testing that backup data is restorable is crucial.
  • Do you have data protection protocols in place? Are there appropriate administrative, technical or physical means to guard against unauthorized access to the information contained in data backups?

Meeting your RPO and RTO with backup and recovery

Data backup and data recovery are a critical aspect of any backup strategy, allowing organizations to meet their RPO and RTO goals. In the event of data loss, how quickly can data be restored? Even if you have a cloud backup solution that can effectively back up your data, what does the process look like to restore the data? It directly affects your restore time objective. The quicker data can be restored, the more quickly users can gain access to critical data.

This largely depends on the capabilities of your backup solution. Keep in mind large cloud service providers can also impose limitations on the number of API calls that can be made and the speed at which cloud data can be restored, which can affect RTO. 

Also, the amount of data to recover directly affects RTO. It underscores the relationship between data protection and cybersecurity solutions to minimize the amount of data loss at the hands of malicious code or users and give quick visibility and automated responses to potential data loss events to minimize the amount of data recovery needed.

Spinbackup: A modern Google Workspace backup solution

Effective Google Workspace backup and recovery largely hinges on having the right backup solution. Spinbackup, as part of the Spin.ai solution to protect Google Workspace, has modern features and capabilities to ensure you can avoid the security and compliance gaps that lead to data loss.

Note the following capabilities:

  • Automated backups 1-3x daily
  • Ability to store your backups in multiple public cloud environments, including AWS, Google, and Azure, or you can bring your own storage location
  • Store data in 32 locations around the world
  • Provides a flexible retention policy from 6 months to indefinitely for historical data recovery and access purposes
  • Enables users to self-service restore data as needed
  • Admins can download or export data as needed
  • 100% data recoverability
  • Spinbackup data protection is at the core of other Spin solutions like Ransomware Recovery, allowing you to automatically restore any files affected by ransomware data loss.

With the Google Workspace data loss event mentioned at the outset, backups and recovery are the core strategy to recover access to lost data resources. Spinbackup provides the data protection tools needed and the integration with Spin.ai to bolster your compliance, data security, and peace of mind.

Wrapping up

Public cloud software-as-a-service environments are incredibly powerful. They have allowed organizations to stay on the cutting edge of communication, collaboration, and productivity in the modern era of the hybrid workforce.

However, organizations must take their data seriously and have a comprehensive backup and recovery solution to protect against all forms of loss and corruption in cloud SaaS environments and meet RPO and RTO requirements. Spinbackup is a modern solution that allows businesses to do just that, effectively preventing governance, compliance, and data protection gaps.

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