Google Cloud UniSuper Incident Shows Need For Backups

In February 2019, Microsoft Azure faced a major issue due to a DNS outage at an external provider, CenturyLink.

This disruption caused Azure’s Key Vault service, which manages encryption keys, to become inaccessible. Consequently, automated scripts mistakenly deleted several databases that relied on these keys.

The immediate impact was significant, causing many businesses to lose access to vital data. While Microsoft did its best to restore the databases using snapshot backups, any data from the five minutes leading up to the outage had to be manually recovered by users.

This incident highlights the limitations of relying solely on built-in cloud backup systems.

For law firms, this event serves as a crucial reminder of the potential risks. A single point of failure, like a DNS provider, can lead to a chain reaction resulting in data loss and downtime.

Therefore, having a robust, multi-layered backup strategy is essential. Third-party backup solutions provide an additional layer of security, ensuring that your critical data remains safe and accessible, even when unexpected disruptions occur.

Source: Sophos.com

While catastrophic events like the Microsoft Azure DNS outage grab headlines, everyday data loss is a far more common occurrence.

Accidental deletions, software glitches, and human error can all result in critical data being lost or corrupted. For law firms, where every document and piece of information is vital, these everyday risks can have serious consequences.

Many firms rely on the built-in backup solutions provided by major cloud services like Microsoft and Google.

However, these solutions often fall short. Built-in backups are usually designed for basic recovery and may not cover all scenarios. For instance, they might not provide granular restore options or long-term retention, which are crucial for meeting legal and compliance requirements.

Here are some other risks associated with relying solely on built-in backups:

These risks underscore the necessity for law firms to consider more reliable backup strategies. As we saw with the Microsoft Azure incident, even built-in backups from leading providers can fail in unforeseen ways, leaving businesses scrambling to recover lost data.

By understanding these everyday risks, law firms can better appreciate the importance of comprehensive backup solutions that go beyond what is offered by primary cloud providers. This ensures that your firm’s data is protected against both high-profile incidents and common daily threats.

At Uptime Practice Next, we frequently encounter situations where data has been accidentally deleted or corrupted. Our ability to restore this data quickly and efficiently is only possible because of our robust third-party backup solutions.

In yet another incident, which occurred on May 2024, Google Cloud experienced a severe and unprecedented incident where an inadvertent misconfiguration led to the deletion of UniSuper’s entire cloud account, including all backups.

UniSuper, an Australian pension fund managing $135 billion, found its data wiped out across multiple regions due to this error.

The incident began with a simple provisioning mistake but quickly escalated into a full-blown data loss catastrophe. Despite Google Cloud’s built-in safeguards, the deletion affected not just the primary data but also all redundant backups stored within their system. This comprehensive failure left UniSuper scrambling to restore services, highlighting the fragility of relying solely on built-in backup solutions.

UniSuper’s experience underscores a crucial lesson: even the most reliable cloud providers can encounter catastrophic failures. The incident serves as a stark reminder that no system is infallible, and the consequences of such failures can be dire. Law firms, which handle sensitive and mission-critical data, cannot afford to risk such vulnerabilities.

This incident, alongside the Microsoft Azure DNS outage, illustrates the need for law firms to adopt more robust and independent backup strategies. Relying solely on the built-in backups of major cloud providers is a gamble that can lead to significant data loss and operational downtime. These high-profile failures demonstrate that third-party backup solutions are not just beneficial but essential for ensuring data integrity and business continuity.

In the next section, we will explore why specific reasons for why third-party backups are crucial for protecting your firm’s data and maintaining uninterrupted operations.

Source: arsTehnica.com

High-profile incidents, such as the Microsoft Azure DNS outage and the Google Cloud account deletion, have demonstrated that even the most trusted providers can fail in unexpected and catastrophic ways.

These failures underscore the importance of implementing third-party backup solutions, which offer enhanced reliability, greater security, and comprehensive recovery options that built-in systems simply cannot match.

Here’s why third-party backups are indispensable for protecting your firm’s data and ensuring business continuity:

Implementing third-party backup solutions is not just an added precaution; it is a necessary step to ensure the security and integrity of your firm’s data.

By diversifying your backup strategies and incorporating third-party solutions, you can safeguard against both everyday risks and high-profile incidents, ensuring that your firm remains resilient and operational under any circumstance.

When choosing third-party backup solutions for your law firm, it’s essential to select one that meets the unique needs of the legal industry.

Here are key features to consider:

By prioritizing these features, law firms can ensure their data is well-protected, regulatory requirements are met, and business operations remain uninterrupted.

With the right third-party backup solution, firms can safeguard their critical information against both everyday risks and high-profile incidents. At Uptime Practice, we have prioritized these qualities to provide optimal service to our clients.