Building the right cyber security team is the missing piece in your ransomware defense strategy. Learn why professionals matter and how to assemble your team.

You've hardened your backup system. You've got immutable backups. You're following the 3-2-1 rule. Great! But here's what I learned writing my new book with Dr. Mike Saylor: when ransomware hits, all that technical preparation means nothing if you don't have the right people to execute your response plan.

This episode breaks down the cyber security team structure you need BEFORE disaster strikes. Prasanna and I talk about blue teams (your defenders), red teams (your ethical hackers), MSSPs (managed security service providers), and how they all work together to keep you in business when threat actors come knocking.

We cover why an improperly configured XDR system is worse than having nothing at all, how cyber insurance companies have evolved beyond just paying ransoms to actually helping you build defenses, and why negotiating with ransomware operators is now a professional specialty.

The recurring theme from my book research? These things are doable, but they're not something you should attempt on your own. Think of it like those old TV disclaimers: "The stunts on this show are performed by professionals. Please don't attempt them at home."

Key topics covered:

- Why you need a cyber security team even with hardened backups
- Blue team vs red team: what they actually do
- XDR, SIEM, and SOAR tools and why configuration matters
- The role of MSSPs in your defense strategy
- How cyber insurance has evolved
- Incident response planning and professional help
- Why this all needs to happen BEFORE you get hit

This is part three of our series on backup security. If you haven't listened to our episodes on the 10 backup basics and hardening your backup system, go back and check those out first.
Remember: it doesn't matter when you invent a time machine, but it matters very much when you implement a good cybersecurity system.

While you're here, Here's some great episodes from this year:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZGn5xlYTec
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHz5hGZy0nY&t=2s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ov834MWoBXg&t=2s

This YouTube channel is also available as an audio podcast!
https://www.backupwrapup.com

We also have a blog that I've been running for over 20 years!
https://www.backupcentral.com

I've also written four O'Reilly books! My latest:
https://www.amazon.com/Modern-Data-Protection-Recoverability-Workloads-ebook/dp/B093TQTBC3