Why protection is better than cure

Rob Cotton, CEO of NCC Group, discussed with the Manchester Evening News how hackers arent downing tools or working a four day week because of the current economic climate - quite the opposite.

"There is careful consideration going into targeting specific companies, and web based attacks have the potential to cause serious damage. We're in a very different digital landscape than the last recession and businesses need to stay sharpe and make IT security a priority more than ever.

Getting the best advice may not be the cheapest option, but weighed against the potential loss of earnings and reputation which accompany a data breach, it is worth the expense."

He concluded: "Most companies are rightly concerned with the security of their data, but many fail to consider the ongoing availability of their software, and should applications be compromised and become unavailable, how they would recover in order to continue operating. An escrow agreement protects organisations that are increasingly dependent on software that they dont own or control. Should a business' software supplier become bankrupt, the loss of business-critical applications could be the final nail in the coffin for a business battling the effects for the downturn, which can no longer operate efficiently.

The potential for software companies to become insolvent is very real and now, more than ever, escrow must be considered as an essential facet of your wider disaster recovery strategy."