Overview
Attorney Jesse Bousquet learned the value of having a disaster recovery plan the hard way. One day while he was checking his email, he clicked on an attachment from a seemingly normal email address. Almost immediately his computer was encrypted with a ransomware virus, locking all of his files with a message asking for more than $600 in Bitcoins in return for the keys to unlock his computer. To protect against future attacks and other business-disrupting disasters, Bousquet now relies on CrashPlan’s cloud backup for peace of mind as his go-to for cloud backup and recovery.
CryptoLocker attack prompts need for a disaster recovery plan
Jesse Bousquet owns a small law firm where he works with more than 300 clients. Whether working from his home office, an office in downtown Boston or bench outside the courthouse, Bousquet carries his critical business everywhere he goes.
Unfortunately, Bousquet came face to face with an unexpected threat. CryptoLocker infected his work computer after he innocently clicked something that quickly encrypted his entire computer. At the time, Bousquet was backing up an external hard drive, but all of his current files being worked on were completely taken over and inaccessible. Bousquet spent the next few days getting his new computer back up and running, including working to recreate lost documents.
That’s when he decided to pursue a data loss protection strategy and create a disaster recovery plan. After some online research on a trusted outlet as well as a recommendation from a colleague, Bousquet downloaded CrashPlan.
“I tend to buy things designed for small businesses and when I found a review blog on The Lawyerist recommending CrashPlan, that sealed the deal for me,” says Bousquet. “As a lawyer, getting CrashPlan was a no brainer. One of the smarter business decisions I’ve made.”
A disaster preparedness plan tested by hardware failure
Bousquet was hit with another disaster when his computer’s hard drive failed. He first went to Microcenter where he was told it would take a week to get his files back from his now dead computer. Fortunately, Bousquet remembered he had CrashPlan.
With the help from the CrashPlan Support team, Bousquet was able to easily and quickly restore his files – just like he had left them – in hours versus the week he had been told.
“After my computer died, I bought a new computer and with the help from [CrashPlan] Support, I got my files back overnight. It was nearly instant and life saving. Big businesses can deal with that, but as a small business, I don’t have an IT department that can fix it. That’s why I have you,” says Bousquet.
“We see Jesse’s case often. I was able to help guide him through the process of restoring his files, but also show him the self-service restore features so if disaster strikes again, he can restore without my assistance,” said Support agent Adam. “These self-service features help our customers so they don’t need to be a IT professional.”
A piece of advice: the data loss protection needed for lawyers
Today Bousquet recommends CrashPlan to all of his colleagues. Most recently, a colleague contacted him after a virus hit his computer.
“I can get tripped up with 40-50 emails a day. Sometimes you get something off a list server as another lawyer and it looks pretty good so you click on it, but next thing you know your files are encrypted,” says Bousquet.
Bousquet was quick to offer some redacted documents to help his colleague get back up and running, in addition to immediately recommending CrashPlan.
Bousquet currently uses several methods for data loss protection, including his work computer with CrashPlan. Although his clients and colleagues send documents to him through services like Google Drive, DropBox and Box for easy sharing and collaboration, but he doesn’t rely on them for his business’ data loss protection needs.
According to Bousquet, these offerings make collaboration efficient but lack security features and automated data loss protection designed to support multiple versions.
“CrashPlan delivers offsite storage that’s protected with security encryption,” says Bousquet. “My computer is a glorified typewriter for documents, emails and research. Knowing you guys are backing up not just my present files, but also all of my closed files is priceless.”
Additionally, as Bousquet works with clients in the healthcare industry, he also needs tools to enable his business that support their compliance needs.
That’s why he signed a Business Associate Agreement (BAA) with CrashPlan to help meet Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) compliance requirements.
“This was really important to me as my clients send me their medical history and other personal files,” says Bousquet.
Bousquet has since shared his story and continued to offer advice on the need for cloud storage for lawyers. The value of CrashPlan is not quantifiable for Bousquet as it has not only saved his documents, but thousands of dollars and many hours spent drafting documents for his cases.
“My advice to other lawyers? Back up now. If you’re not already doing it, you’re risking your business and client confidentiality,” says Bousquet.
Why CrashPlan?
- “It just works, runs in the background. I can look at it if I want, but I don’t need to.”
- “Tech Support is fantastic and only one call away.”
- “The price point is unbelievable. The type of storage is really great as you can’t quantify some of the work I would have lost if it weren’t for CrashPlan.”