If your business operates anywhere in the Permian Basin — whether you run a small accounting firm, supply equipment, or provide safety consulting — you’re more connected to the region’s oil and gas operations than you might realize. That connection makes your company a vulnerable doorway attackers can exploit to reach larger operators. Every day, cybercriminals are probing for weaknesses. And not backing up your data the right way could cost time, money, and your reputation. 

Your data is under attack every day. Protecting it is non-negotiable!

The Hidden Vulnerability in the Energy Supply Chain

Many small and medium businesses don’t realize their digital connections make them one of the easiest ways into the energy supply chain. Every link you have, from payroll processing to equipment orders, creates a potential pathway for attackers. Hackers don’t always need to breach the giants directly; they exploit the weaker links first. 

Meanwhile, vendors bombard you with acronyms and conflicting pitches while attackers move fast, probing for gaps in defenses. Cutting through the noise and knowing where to start can feel impossible. 

The answer: start with the fundamentals. 

The Simple, Effective First Step

Before layering on advanced cybersecurity technologies, establish a strong foundation with secure data backups. Think 3-2-2-1-0. 

• 3 different copies of your data 
• 2 different types of media 
• 2 physical locations 
• 1 immutable copy 
• 0 backup failures 

Back up three times a day, and the most data you could lose in a ransomware attack is under 8 hours. Back up more frequently, and you shrink the window for attackers even further. 

Immutable backups aren’t optional. They’re the standard. These copies cannot be changed, deleted, or encrypted. Even if attackers lock your systems, your last good copy stays protected, keeping you in control and your business moving. 

The Guardian Advantage

At Guardian, we built a backup infrastructure designed specifically for the unique needs of businesses in the Permian Basin: 

• Primary storage in a Tier 3 data center right here in the region 
• Multiple secondary locations outside of the Texas ERCOT power grid 
• Additional immutable backups that ransomware cannot alter or delete 
• Control of the backup infrastructure.   

We manage the entire cloud backup process at a flat-rate price, protecting your Office 365 environment and your servers. And we handle it all so your team never has to be cybersecurity experts. 

Start with the Fundamentals

Cybersecurity is overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to overwhelm you. Guardian keeps it simple by cutting through the noise and giving you protection that works. By starting with secure, frequent, immutable backups, you take the first and most decisive step in protecting your company from ransomware. 

Don’t give attackers the first move. Take it away from them. Schedule a consultation with Guardian and put the fundamentals in place.