Monitoring your servers closely is an important step in spotting ransomware attacks early before they cause serious damage. Ransomware is malicious software that encrypts your data and demands payment to unlock it. By keeping an eye on server activity, unusual behaviour can be detected quickly, allowing you to respond before downtime, data loss, or costly recovery efforts occur.

Why this matters for UK SMEs

For small and medium-sized businesses in the UK, even a short period of server downtime can disrupt operations, reduce staff productivity, and damage customer trust. Additionally, if your business handles personal data, you must comply with UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, which require appropriate security measures to protect information. Early detection of ransomware helps limit the impact on your data and supports compliance with these regulations, as well as Cyber Essentials requirements.

Without monitoring, ransomware might silently encrypt files over hours or days, making recovery harder and more expensive. This can lead to loss of critical business information, delays in service delivery, and potential fines if data breaches occur.

A typical scenario

Consider a UK-based company with around 50 employees using on-premise servers for file storage and business applications. One day, unusual file modification activity starts on the server outside normal working hours. A managed IT provider with server monitoring in place notices this anomaly and alerts the business immediately. They isolate the affected server, prevent further encryption, and begin restoring data from backups. Without monitoring, the ransomware might have encrypted all files overnight, causing days of downtime and significant financial loss.

What to ask your IT provider

• Do you provide 24/7 monitoring of server activity and alerts for unusual behaviour?
• How quickly do you respond to potential ransomware or malware threats?
• Are logs of server access and changes regularly reviewed and stored securely?
• Do you implement multi-factor authentication (MFA) and strict access controls on servers?
• How often are backups taken, and are they tested for restoration?
• Can you provide evidence of compliance with Cyber Essentials or ISO 27001 standards?

Simple internal checks

• Review user access rights to ensure only necessary staff can modify critical files.
• Check that all servers have up-to-date security patches and antivirus software.
• Verify that backups are stored securely offsite or in the cloud and are not accessible from the main network.
• Ensure passwords are strong and changed regularly, and MFA is enabled where possible.
• Look for unusual spikes in server CPU or disk activity during off-hours.

Monitoring server activity is a practical and effective way to reduce the risk and impact of ransomware attacks. It complements other essential security measures such as regular backups, access controls, and staff training.

If you are unsure whether your current IT setup includes these protections, or if you want to improve your ransomware readiness, it is sensible to discuss this with a trusted managed IT provider or IT advisor. They can assess your current monitoring capabilities, recommend improvements, and help align your security with UK best practices and compliance requirements.