The Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, which came into effect in August 2023, emphasises upon the growing importance of data resilience and the government’s commitment to enhancing data security frameworks, industry leaders said on Monday, on the occasion of the ‘World Backup Day 2025.’

The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre reported losses of Rs 11,333 crore due to cyber fraud in the first nine months of 2024.

“This is a clarion call for businesses to look beyond conventional data backup mechanisms and adopt comprehensive data resilience strategy. The ‘World Backup Day’ is an important reminder in this context,” said Sandeep Bhambure, Vice President and Managing Director, India and SAARC, Veeam Software.

The DPDP regulatory framework will enable Indian businesses align with global standards and ensure business continuity, he added.

Around 30 per cent on Indians back up their data daily – the highest around the world ahead of large economies like the US (27 per cent) or the UK (23 per cent).

According to the Western Digital survey, external hard drives are one of the most popular backup solutions in India, with 54 per cent respondents using them for data backup. This places India as the second highest globally in this category, just behind France at 59 per cent.

Parag Khurana, Country Manager, India at Barracuda Networks, said the ‘World Backup Day’ is an annual reminder of the importance of backing up and protecting data from loss and theft.

“The universal messages of making regular backups, keeping offline copies and more are as important as ever – but in India’s increasingly digital landscape, there are other aspects of effective backup that are worth thinking about on World Backup Day. They may not be as obvious, but they are just as important,” Khurana pointed out.

As AI implementation across industries continues to grow, businesses are becoming increasingly reliant on data for AI-driven decision making and model training.

“This continued technological advancement means organisations are generating and storing more data than ever, requiring them to proactively manage their data – starting with data minimisation,” said Greg Clark, Director of Product Management, Data Security, OpenText Cybersecurity.

“However, organisations must be mindful of the data they’re backing up. Not all data is critical — 33 per cent is redundant, obsolete, or trivial (ROT). By identifying and eliminating unnecessary data and retiring outdated applications, businesses can significantly reduce their attack surface and bolster their security postures,” Clark advised.

(With inputs from IANS)