Secured and insured with Backup as a Service
DC Thomson is a leading media company. They manage a diverse portfolio of brands including Beano, The Courier, Energy Voice and Find My Past.
Although primarily based in Scotland, DC Thomson saw an increase in remote workers across the UK as a result of the pandemic. The company are also focused on their digital transformation initiatives, with the arrival of technological opportunities to bring new products to market and drive revenue growth. With a hybrid workforce and diverse range of products expanding their digital footprint, DC Thomson recognised the need for a secure and robust backup system with immutable backups. Not only to reinforce their resilience against potential threats, but as a condition to obtaining comprehensive cyber insurance. Migration of Hyper-V platforms to 2019 was also critical to allow DC Thomson to harness the benefits of the improved platform. Upgraded backup capabilities would ensure more efficient and reliable data protection.
Leading the transformation was Lee Wilkinson, Chief Information Officer. Lee engaged in a strategic initiative to modernise DC Thomson’s infrastructure. The adoption of a comprehensive backup solution that delivers immutable backups was a key driver.
“The world of cyber security is an ever-changing threat. You’re constantly in a battle to keep up. The essential piece is to ensure that we are protected.”
Lee Wilkinson, Chief Information Officer
The Solution
DC Thomson set out to integrate immutable backups as part of a backup strategy. This included a comprehensive cyber insurance policy and enhanced resilience in response to threats. The value of immutable backups is recognised by many cyber insurers as an essential factor for coverage. Some may even offer incentives for implementation. After considering an inhouse operation and evaluating the choice of technologies, staff resource and expertise, Lee turned to Brightsolid, DC Thomson’s Managed Service Provider, for advice on how to proceed.
Upgrading the Hyper-V infrastructure to 2019 was part of the process to introduce improvements. This included increased scalability and enhanced security features, ensuring a solid foundation for Backup as a Service. By outsourcing to Brightsolid, Lee and the team benefited from expert engineers, advanced security features, and immutable air-gapped backups with no hardware or software requirements for data protection. This allows Lee and the team to focus on essential revenue drivers within the business.
The Results
- Incentivised cyber insurance premiums as a result of immutable backups.
- Significantly enhanced data resilience and protection against attacks.
- Reassurance that backups are secure through encryption and access controls.
- Cost savings on outsourcing Backup as a Service vs building an inhouse team.
- Project delivered in a time sensitive to DC Thomson’s operational production needs.
“We have the assurance that our backups are in a secure place, and we have the assurance that Brightsolid can manage that for us, that is important, as is the quality of service that comes with that.”
Lee Wilkinson, Chief Information Officer