Chad Mockensturm knows what to do when ransomware attacks. A systems administrator for Tiffin, Ohio-based managed service provider Diverse Technology Solutions, Mockensturm recently had a run-in with a nasty ransomware virus that threatened to take out one of his client’s IT systems.

June 24, 2015

2 Min Read
Managed Service Provider Uses Cloud Backup to Defeat Ransomware Attack

By Carbonite Guest Blog

Chad Mockensturm knows what to do when ransomware attacks. A systems administrator for Tiffin, Ohio-based managed service provider Diverse Technology Solutions, Mockensturm recently had a run-in with a nasty ransomware virus that threatened to take out one of his client’s IT systems.

We got on the phone with Mockensturm recently to get his story. He talked about the steps he took to thwart the attack and explained how cloud backup technology helped. Here are some excerpts from that conversation:

You had an encounter with ransomware not too long ago. Could you tell us how the situation unfolded?

Chad Mockensturm: One of the primary companies that I manage had a computer that was infected by a user who accessed their Webmail and downloaded an infected attachment. Our antivirus console alerted me to the infection and I removed the computer from the network, and then proceeded to clean up the system and figure out the extent of the infection.

How bad was the ransomware infection?

Mockensturm: It infected only one computer and thankfully only one file server. As soon as I got the alert I took them offline because I knew it was potentially going to be a bad infection.

How did cloud backup software help you with your client’s system?

Mockensturm: It was a blessing. I knew paying the ransom was out of the question because I wasn’t sure if that would actually get our files back or not. Having Carbonite in place and being able to browse through our backups online was really intuitive. It didn’t take me very long to find good copies of our files and then restore those back to our file server. Carbonite helped out a lot.

What do you think are the most important best practices for other IT channel companies to follow?
Mockensturm: Always be prepared; always have backups in place; and, even though your backups are running, be sure to test them. A backup is only good if it works. Pick a backup for a particular system and take that system down and practice with it. Knowing how to restore from backup helps mitigate the time that the system is down. When it actually happens you want to make sure you’re ready. A backup that you don’t have to think about is always best because you know it’s always running and you know it’s always there. 

If you’re not already a Carbonite Partner, join today at Carbonite.com/Partners.

David Maffei is Vice President of Global Channel Sales at Carbonite, a provider of cloud and hybrid backup solutions for small-to-midsize businesses. Guest blogs such as this one are published monthly and are part of The VAR Guy's annual platinum sponsorship.

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