Security

Security expertise gap to threaten cloud expansion plans

Tenable, an exposure management company, has launched its latest cloud security report, titled 2024 Cloud Security Outlook: Navigating Barriers and Setting Priorities. The report reveals that most IT managers (97%) plan to expand their cloud environments in the next year. However, this ambition is being met with significant challenges, as 45% of those responsible for managing cloud security cite a major lack of expertise as a barrier to implementing new cloud security. In addition to this, 33% of respondents stated that they believe one of the biggest risks to their cloud infrastructure now sits outside of the organisation in the form of third-party suppliers. This highlights that whilst cloud adoption may be on the rise, organisations face serious security challenges from both inside and outside of their business. Bernard Montel, EMEA Technical Director and Security Strategist, Tenable, explains, "In today's digital landscape, organisations are racing to embrace cloud technologies for their myriad benefits, yet our latest findings reveal that a staggering 97% of organisations are currently grappling with insufficient expertise in cloud infrastructure security. “While the intention to expand cloud systems is evident among IT leaders, the alarming occurrence of breaches and the identified risks, such as third-party providers in supply chains, underscores the urgent need for organisations to prioritise investment in upskilling and resources. Addressing the clear skills gap is paramount in fortifying cloud security measures and mitigating the risks posed by an evolving threat landscape." The report also sheds light on the prevalence of cloud-related breaches, with half (50%) of UK businesses stating that they suffered between three and four cloud-based security breaches in the last year alone. Tenable says that this further highlights the urgent need for organisations to bolster their cloud security strategies and invest in the necessary expertise to safeguard their digital assets effectively, especially as IT managers expand their infrastructure and move more assets into cloud environments. As businesses continue to embrace cloud technologies, Tenable remains committed to empowering them with innovative solutions and actionable insights to address the evolving challenges of cloud security. The full Tenable Cloud Security Outlook Report 2024 can be accessed by clicking here.

VAST partners with Superna to help boost cyber resilience

VAST Data, an AI data platform company, has announced a partnership with Superna, a provider of data security and cyber storage solutions for on-premises, hybrid, and multi-cloud environments. The integration will provide VAST customers with immutable data protection, real-time suspicious behaviour detection, automated cyber threat response, and near-instant recovery from ransomware and other disasters, bolstering cyber resilience for their enterprise data. With ransomware payments exceeding $1.1 billion (£865m) in 2023, enterprises today require sophisticated protection embedded at the storage layer. The VAST Data Platform aligns to the NIST framework, providing a solid foundation to detect, protect against, respond to, recover from, and even prevent cyber threats entirely with active defence and powerful Zero Trust security features. VAST’s breakthrough approach to data management and data-intensive computing serves as the comprehensive software infrastructure for AI and deep learning. As AI adoption grows, so does the challenge of managing large amounts of unstructured data. This new world, with new workloads using various data types, needs a new level of protection for cyber resilience. With its Zero Trust architecture, granular access control, multitenancy with strict isolation, and intelligent threat detection, VAST has integrated Superna Data Security Edition capabilities into the VAST Data Platform, enabling them to mitigate the risks of ransomware and other threats to AI models and application datasets. “By combining the world’s simplest, fastest and most efficient data platform built for exabyte scale AI, with Superna’s trusted, secure data protection and recovery offerings, we’re offering a ready-made solution able to access, manage, move and protect data for the most data-intensive organisations on the planet,” says John Mao, Vice President, Technology Alliances at VAST Data. “With VAST and Superna, customers get robust, federated cyber defence and resilience at the data layer. ” Together, VAST Data and Superna provide organisations worldwide with: • Ransomware detection at the data layer. The VAST and Superna partnership seeks to redefine ransomware protection with proprietary algorithms and multi-layer defence that analyses data and user behaviour in real-time. Proactive threat detection protects against and halts known and emerging ransomware threats before they breach data defenses, significantly boosting cybersecurity resilience by dismantling dangers at their very origin. • Improved business continuity. With this comprehensive security offering, organisations can significantly reduce the risk of data breaches while still capturing immutable snapshots for immediate, automatic recovery of the last-known clean data set. Superna Disaster Recovery Edition mitigates the impact of attacks, facilitating uninterrupted business operations and AI deployments by safeguarding customers’ mission critical data. • Streamlined disaster recovery and global replication. With VAST and Superna, customers can replicate entire systems, jobs and policies to another cluster with Tenant-Aware Replication and Intelligent Configuration Replication under every protected path. • Robust Migration with Heterogeneous Environments. As many organisations undertake initiatives like moving to a preferred cloud, repatriation, and diversification of storage (intentional or not), the ability to provide a consistent approach everywhere is essential. Superna facilitates flexible data migration from supported storage platforms to VAST, allowing customers to easily re-platform their data and services. • Seamless integration with leading security tools. The VAST Data Platform intelligently integrates the Superna Data Security Edition into existing security tools, enhancing defense posture without disrupting workflows or processes. By keeping security and operations teams on high alert with comprehensive reports on the scope of an attack, VAST and Superna are empowering these teams to mitigate threats and accelerate recoveries. Superna bundled with VAST is available to partners via ARROW. For more from VAST Data, click here.

Keepit crowned a winner in 2024 Cloud Security Awards

Keepit, a provider of SaaS data protection solutions, achieved success in the 2024 Cloud Security Awards programme by being named a winner in the 'Best Security Solution for Data Management / Data Protection' category. Now in its second year and with an expanded range of categories, The Cloud Security Awards programme celebrates the pivotal innovations in cloud-based security solutions from around the globe. In addition to the aforementioned success, Keepit was also a finalist in the 'Best in Information Security' category. Speaking on the company's success, James Williams, CEO of The Cloud Awards, comments, “Keepit has successfully navigated all three rounds of judging during a rigorous selection process, impressing the judges with their innovation and commitment to keeping data and other assets safe, secure, and private. We look on with interest to see what Keepit has in store for its customers throughout the rest of 2024, and beyond. Many congratulations to them, and our other winners.” Michele Hayes, CMO at Keepit, adds, “Keepit supports customers around the globe by future-proofing their security strategies. This accolade underscores our commitment to innovation, security and reliability, and further positions the company as a leader in the cybersecurity industry.” Built for the cloud, the Keepit platform is designed for usability, security and scalability. With a user-friendly interface, robust data security, and the ability to adapt to the user's cloud environment, Keepit ensures the user's data is always accessible and protected. The Cloud Awards is an international programme which has been recognising and honouring industry leaders, innovators and organisational transformation in cloud computing since 2011. The Cloud Awards comprises five awards programmes, each uniquely celebrating success across cloud computing, software-as-a-service (SaaS), cloud security, artificial intelligence (AI), and financial technologies (FinTech). Winners are selected by a judging panel of international industry experts. For more information about the Cloud Awards, click here. For more from Keepit, click here.

3D LiDAR set to redefine data centre security

Enhancing physical security, especially perimeter intrusion detection (PID) at critical infrastructure sites like data centres, warehouses, airports and utilities, is increasingly crucial due to growing threats such as theft, protests, sabotage, terrorism and war. In its latest whitepaper, Quanergy 3D LiDAR Solutions Redefining the Physical Security of Critical Infrastructure, global technology intelligence firm ABI Research forecasts the worldwide physical security market for LiDAR sensors will surpass three million total installations by 2030, with water infrastructure leading the segment. The yearly revenue opportunity will exceed $6 billion (£4.8bn) in 2030. “Physical security, specifically PID, encompasses controlling access for both individuals and vehicles into secured areas, as well as preventing objects from being thrown or passed across perimeter boundaries. Moreover, physical breaches often precede cyberattacks, underscoring the importance of intrusion detection in combating cyberthreats,” explains Dominique Bonte, Vice President, End Markets, at ABI Research. Current security offerings rely on cameras and/or radar struggle to effectively detect and track intruders, and produce numerous false alerts, leading to higher operating costs and alarm fatigue. ABI Research states that these legacy 2D technologies lack accuracy and perform poorly in low light and adverse weather conditions, resulting in missed events, increased liabilities, and high cost of ownership. According to Dominique, “3D LiDAR offers robust, reliable, and high-precision detection and tracking employing mesh architecture at an overall lower total cost of ownership (TCO), allowing security personnel and critical infrastructure to increase the effectiveness, while reducing the cost associated with manned guard services.” The whitepaper explores: a comparison of physical security technologies; key critical infrastructure markets; LiDAR case studies for physical security segments; physical security LiDAR market sizing and forecasts; and Quanergy LiDAR solutions for physical security ABI Research believes that 3D LiDAR solutions will have a transformational impact on the physical security market, redefining how to protect vulnerable critical infrastructure. “The unique characteristics of LiDAR in terms of detection accuracy and reliability, range and field of view, continuous tracking, ease of deployment, and privacy preservation make it the technology of choice for next-generation physical security solutions to protect a wide range of mission-critical assets in the utility, data centre, airport, and other critical infrastructure segments,” Dominique concludes. For more information on how 3D LiDAR can take physical security of critical infrastructure to the next level, download the whitepaper by clicking here.

Infinidat innovation recognised for its cyber security credentials

Infinidat, a provider of enterprise storage innovations, has announced that its InfiniBox SSA II has been recognised by analyst firm, DCIG, as one of the world’s top cyber secure all-flash arrays (AFA) for enterprise storage. This high ranking, which was revealed in the 2024-25 DCIG Top 5 Cyber Secure High-End All Flash Arrays Report, is based on independent research that DCIG conducted into the AFA marketplace, with an expanded focus on cyber storage resilience and recovery. “The recognition of the InfiniBox SSA II as one of the top five cyber secure AFAs in the world validates that not only is Infinidat’s primary storage solution the fastest all-flash array with industry-leading ultra-low latency, but also an industry acclaimed solution for cyber resilient storage,” says Eric Herzog, CMO at Infinidat. “Ever since we delivered the ground-breaking capabilities of InfiniBox SSA with our InfiniSafe cyber storage software and our InfiniVerse platform, Infinidat has redefined cyber resilience and recovery for enterprise storage. With an unprecedented guarantee, our InfiniBox SSA II ensures that enterprises and service providers recover and restore data at near-instantaneous speed after a cyberattack, significantly reducing the impact of ransomware and malware and saving companies time and money.” Cyber resilience is among the most important and highly demanded requirements of enterprises today to ensure exceptional cyber security and resist cyber attacks across the entire storage estate and data infrastructure. Infinidat’s InfiniSafe cyber secure capabilities in the InfiniBox SSA II innovation combines immutable snapshots of data, logical air gapping, a fenced forensic environment, cyber detection, and virtually instantaneous data recovery, which clocks in at less than one minute, guaranteed. Infinidat leverages artificial intelligence (AI) / machine learning (ML) to provide deep content-level scanning to identify compromised data. The InfiniBox SSA II creates a private network that is isolated for data validation, facilitating the critical step of identifying a clean copy of data for reliable, rapid recovery. "Having a cyber secure all-flash array is a necessity for enterprises to protect data from cyber attackers and ensure the security of the entire storage infrastructure, as well as to maximise business benefits by automating and consolidating workloads onto a higher-performance all-flash platform," said Dave Raffo, Consulting Analyst at DCIG. "A legacy all-flash array without cyber security capabilities built into it is already outdated and a potential huge liability in today's world of continuous cyberattacks. Our list of the top five Cyber Secure High-End All Flash Arrays constitutes the future of enterprise storage. The InfiniBox SSA II has earned a top spot because of advanced cyber resilience features on its platform, coupled with the performance, scalability, 100% availability, and cost-effectiveness that enterprises need." The InfiniBox SSA II is Infinidat's high-performance, all-flash array aimed at mission-critical workloads that demand the ultimate in real-world application performance. It is integrated with the InfiniVerse platform, which accelerates Artificial Intelligence for IT Operations (AIOps) to automate and streamline storage management, utilises AI-based predictive analytics, and enables easier management of hybrid cloud storage implementations. In addition to creating a cyber secure enterprise storage infrastructure that is efficient and dynamic, the InfiniBox SSA II allows customers to not only have optimal application and workload performance, but also allow for substantial storage consolidation, transforming storage performance, providing superior reliability, and reducing CAPEX and OPEX. The SSA II delivers the same 100% availability, white glove service, and lower total cost of ownership that defines the industry acclaimed InfiniBox customer experience, the company states. To read the DCIG report, click here. For more from Infinidat, click here.

Storage must form the core of an enterprise cyber security strategy

By James ‘JT’ Lewis, Director of Channel Sales for EMEA and APJ at Infinidat It’s no wonder that in PwC’s 24th Annual Global CEO Survey, leaders ranked cyber attacks second place amongst the most serious of all possible economic, social, political, business, and environmental threats. Ransomware attacks represented 12% of breaches of critical infrastructure in the last year.  Cyber security experts have estimated that global cyber crime costs will exceed 7.5 trillion Euros this year, according to CyberSecurity Ventures. Enterprises run on data and when it’s hacked or corrupted by cyber criminals, the disruption can topple an operation overnight, with multi-million Euro consequences. The irony is that, if the fallout from a cyber attack happened that quickly, it may be less problematic to recover from. Remedial action should be started immediately and any damage minimised. The actual problem is much more insidious because when cyber attackers target an enterprise, they usually wait for almost six months before taking action. This increases their ransom power and without the right data controls, the victim’s only option may be to concede to whatever financial demands are being made. In that timeframe, their primary data, the live data your business operations depend on, could have been exposed to all kinds of criminal activity. For this reason, enterprise storage has become a main target of cyber criminals for the most damaging and hard-to-detect ransomware and malware attacks. One reason why enterprises still get trapped is because a cyber security strategy tends to focus on keeping criminals out in the first place, rather than accepting that attacks will most likely happen and there is an impetus for having a watertight strategy. The wolf will definitely keep knocking and will get inside your house. So, what steps can you take? Firstly, cyber security’s emphasis must widen, to address three areas - detection, resilience and recovery - and plug the vulnerability gap that cyber criminals have been exploiting. Combining resilience, which is the ability to instil defensive security measures to repel attacks; detection, which is the ability to know when data is corrupted and whether a known good copy of data is free of ransomware or malware; and recovery, which is the ability to bounce back and recovery with a known good copy of the data from cyber attacks, is the key to hardening storage infrastructure. Converging cyber resilience, detection, and recovery on an integrated enterprise storage platform is an advancement over former siloed approaches that rely on disparate tools and technologies. It makes the cyber capabilities more air-tight and ensures a rapid recovery of data within minutes to thwart cyber criminals, nullifying ransom demands and minimising downtime or damage to the business. There are some key features of enterprise storage that need to be in place to ensure cyber resilience against today’s cyber criminals, all of whom are highly skilled technology experts. These include ensuring the immutable nature of the data, recovered from a copy you can trust. Air-gapping to separate the management and data planes to protect the data. A secure forensic environment, to analyse the data thoroughly and ensure the fastest recovery speeds possible is critical. Immutable snapshots allow the end user to roll back the clock and recover guaranteed, uncorrupted copies of their data, before the execution of any malware or ransomware code introduced by an attacker. Immutable snapshots ensure data integrity because they prevent data copies from being altered or deleted by anyone. Even internal systems administrators are locked out of immutable snapshots manipulation. The enterprise can be confident that any disruption or damage caused by the intrusion is minimal. Logical air gapping adds a further layer of security, by creating a safe distance between the storage management layer and the immutable snapshots. There are three types of air gapping. Local air gapping keeps the data on premises, remote air gapping makes use of a remotely hosted system and hybrid air gapping combines the two. Fenced forensic environments help speed up the recovery process by providing a secure area to perform a post-attack forensic analysis of the immutable snapshots. The purpose here is to carefully curate data candidates and find a known good copy. The last thing an enterprise wants after an attack is to restore data infiltrated with malware or ransomware. Once these core elements are present within your storage infrastructure, the whole restoration can progress like clockwork. It’s why our focus as an organisation is dedicated to educating IT leaders about the need for a convergent, tripartite approach. One that combining cyber resilience, detection, and recovery on a single storage platform. Reliance solely on backups and preventing attacks is no longer enough to secure storage systems.

iC Consult announces partnership with Transmit Security

iC Consult, an independent consultancy, systems integrator, and managed services provider for identity-driven cyber security, has announced a ground-breaking partnership with Transmit Security, the innovator of identity verification and fraud prevention services, including market-leading orchestration, phishing-resistant authentication with true password-less MFA, passkeys and modern customer identity and access management (CIAM). This partnership marks a significant milestone in the pursuit of enhanced cyber security measures and fraud prevention capabilities and is set to offer businesses robust, frictionless authentication experiences that exceed current compliance and security requirements. Transmit Security has been recognised for its commitment to revolutionising the customer authentication process, eliminating the need for passwords, and thereby, significantly reducing the risk of fraud. The decision to partner with iC Consult stems from its unparalleled expertise in IAM solutions, global footprint in delivering cyber security solutions, and a shared vision for delivering superior cyber security solutions that cater to the evolving needs of businesses worldwide. Transmit Security’s VP & GM EMEA, Phil Allen highlights, "iC Consult’s global reach and innovative approach to identity management programs make them the ideal partner to advance our shared goal of making digital interactions safer and more user-friendly." Kaltrina Ademi, Director of Channel Sales EMEA, adds, "Partnering with iC Consult was a natural choice for us. Their expertise in IAM and commitment to excellence complement our mission to secure digital identities across the globe." Andre Priebe, Chief Technology Officer at iC Consult, shares, "Transmit Security’s password-less technology is a game-changer for our clients, addressing the urgent need for more robust cyber security measures in today’s digital landscape." Heiko Klarl, Chief Marketing and Sales Officer at iC Consult, remarks, "This partnership enhances our ability to deliver cutting-edge solutions that effectively combat cyber security threats and fraud, marking a significant step forward in our mission to protect digital identities."

Pedab and Object First join forces for advanced Veeam data protection

Pedab and Object First have announced a partnership to provide Veeam customers with advanced data protection to reduce the risk of cyber threats like ransomware. This partnership brings together two companies with complementary expertise, including Pedab's strong knowledge of IT infrastructure and software solutions and Object First's innovative approach to immutable backup storage for Veeam. Object First claims that it is known for offering the best storage for Veeam, provided as an out-of-the-box immutable backup storage appliance. It offers the last line of defense against disasters and ransomware, ensuring that data can be recovered quickly and completely, with minimal downtime.  Pedab will introduce Object First’s solution Ootbi (Out-of-the-Box Immutability) to the Northern European market. Ootbi can be deployed in 15min and supports up to 80VMs running locally, powered by Veeam Instant Recovery on a four-node configuration. The solution’s power is matched by its security. It offers object-based immutability with zero access to the root or the hardened Linux operating system by default—meaning data cannot be accessed, changed, or deleted. Ootbi's storage environment is completely secured, validated, and third party-tested and comes preconfigured out of the box – no security expertise required. With Ootbi, businesses can safeguard their data with confidence, knowing that critical information remains secure and unchangeable, even in the face of evolving cyber threats. “Ootbi by Object First is an important enhancement to Pedab’s portfolio of carefully selected providers. It ensures Pedab’s mission to continuously evolve our full-service solution offering to partners. With Ootbi we can now help Veeam partners provide peace of mind to their customers with an immutable onsite backup storage,” says Jesper Bartholdson, CEO of Pedab Group. “We are excited to announce Pedab as our distributor in Northern Europe. With their extensive expertise in the IT industry, partnering with Pedab was an easy choice,” says Mark Haddleton, EMEA Channel Sales Director at Object First. “Together, we are committed to delivering secure, simple, and powerful backup storage for Veeam users, helping businesses stay one step ahead of ransomware threats.”

Keepit provides fast targeted restore time after ransomware attack

Keepit, a global provider of cloud backup and recovery solutions, has announced the results available to organisations leveraging Keepit SaaS data protection. The results show Keepit solution provides organisations the ability to restore and recover backed-up data after a ransomware attack in a quick, efficient and accurate manner. These findings stem from a recent study conducted by Forrester Consulting, which quantify the value of the world’s sole vendor-independent cloud dedicated to SaaS data protection. Keepit commissioned Forrester Consulting to conduct a Total Economic Impact (TEI) study and examine the potential return on investment (ROI) that enterprises may realise by deploying Keepit SaaS data protection. The purpose of this study was to provide a framework to evaluate the potential financial impact of Keepit SaaS data protection on end users. To better understand the benefits, costs, and risks associated with this investment, Forrester interviewed four representatives with experience using Keepit. For the purposes of this study, it aggregated the interviewees’ experiences and combined the results into a single composite organisation that is represented as a manufacturing organisation with $2bn in annual revenue. While ransomware attacks have become increasingly common and organisations face the risk of losing  critical  data, Keepit claims to offer strong protection, providing a crucial lifeline for recovering user data after cyber attacks or other events. With Keepit, information technology (IT) administrators can quickly find, restore, and save data. Additionally, the study also shows that its solution helps prevent the negative effects of ransomware attacks and saves time and money for IT teams, resulting in smoother, more time-efficient SaaS backup operations. Benefit worth $819,100 According to the study, the Keepit solution limits the impact of a ransomware attack for the composite organisation by allowing it to recover and restore data quickly, preventing data loss and reducing downtime. This benefit is worth $819,100. And, the study finds, “the time needed to restore the tier-one users is 90% lower than the time the composite would spend restoring its data without Keepit, which has been identified by interviewees to be at least three weeks.” “We can prove it’s possible to significantly lower downtime during recovery from a ransomware attack. Lowering downtime is a sure-fire way to maximise return on your investment in a backup solution. Because it’s not a question of if an attack will happen, the question is how to bounce back when it does,” says Paul Robichaux, Microsoft MVP and Senior Director of Product at Keepit. Three quarters of security decision-makers suffered a breach in the last 12 months, and in the study, Forrester research recommends, “Backups are the best insurance policy against an attack, but to be effective they need to be part of a planned and tested backup and recovery process.” The study participants noted that their organisations planned for a disaster scenario in the event of a ransomware attack and were aware of the exposure risk and potential losses they could suffer as a result. As a follow-up to the Forrester study, Keepit will be holding a webinar at 2pm EDT on 26 March, titled, ‘The ROI of Ransomware Recovery’. Hosted by Keepit’s Paul Robichaux, the webinar will feature guest speakers Brent Ellis, Forrester Senior Analyst, and Elia Gollini, Forrester Associate Consultant. Key takeaways from the webinar will include: Actionable insights and recommendations on how to address current gaps in disaster recovery planning Insight into best practices for ensuring business continuity during a ransomware attack Information about the return on investment (ROI) organisations have realised when deploying Keepit for ransomware recovery To register for the webinar, visit the sign-up page here.

IT leaders rely on immutable storage as ransomware attacks skyrocket

Scality, a leader in reliable, secure and sustainable data storage software, has announced the results of a survey of 500 IT decision-makers across France, Germany, the UK and the US, to gain insight into the role immutable data storage plays in an organisation’s overall cyber security strategy. Key findings reveal: 94% either already rely on immutable data storage or plan to implement it within the next 12 months, and an additional 2% plan to deploy it within the next three years. 69% consider immutable data storage essential to their corporate cyber security. Only 12% of those who deployed immutable data storage say it is not essential to cyber security. Results from the independent survey by Vanson Bourne demonstrate that IT leaders consider immutable storage as a must-have in the fight against cyber attacks. Ransomware threats are now understood by organisations to be inevitable. Reports show one in four organisations that pay a ransom never get their data back, and just 16% are able to recover without paying a ransom. This reinforces the role immutable data storage plays as an essential last line of defence within a cyber security toolkit. With immutable storage, data cannot be deleted or modified once written, increasing data safety and ensuring organisations have the power to restore data with 100% accuracy in the event of a breach. Survey insights: Vertical market and regional nuancesComparisons among IT leaders surveyed across vertical industries and specific countries reveal a number of notable differences: Vertical market: Manufacturing organisations (95%) are most likely to deploy immutable storage. While, 84% consider it essential to their corporate cyber security. Financial services firms (74%) report the lowest reliance on immutable storage; 60% say it’s essential to their corporate cyber security. Regional: A majority of IT leaders across all regions currently use or plan to use immutable data storage: The US has the highest level of current or planned immutable data storage deployments, with 98% of respondents either having implemented it or planning to do so within the next year. This is followed by France at 96%, Germany at 94% and the UK at 85%. While a relatively low number (12%) of IT leaders worldwide who currently use immutable data storage do not regard it as “essential” to their cyber security strategy, a larger percentage resides in the UK: 24% of UK respondents have deployed it but say it is not essential to their cyber security, compared to 11% in France, 9% in the US and 6% in Germany. Dave Russell, VP of Enterprise Strategy at Veeam Software, says, “Widespread deployment of immutable storage reinforces an increased awareness of the critical role secure backup plays as an active defence against cyber attacks, specifically coupled with immutable backup data. Veeam believes that achieving zero trust data resilience with immutable storage implementations — that are indeed truly immutable — is a great opportunity for IT leaders to reduce the risk of growing data security threats and improve their overall cyber resilience.” Does traditional immutable storage still leave a window of exposure?The survey reveals the criticality of immutable storage at a time of evolving industry dialogue about data cyber security best practices and technologies. But it’s important to note that not all immutability is created equal — some forms still leave a window of exposure. Unlike forms of immutability enabled by traditional solutions - such as NAS/file system snapshots, dedupe appliances, Linux-hardened repositories or tape - true object storage solutions are inherently immutable at the core architecture level. The system implements proper protocols and true object storage semantics to preserve data in its original form the very moment it is written, which is not the case for other immutable solutions that can introduce time delays before data is immutable. Each object, even those written nanoseconds apart, can never be overwritten, deleted, or modified. This architectural reinforcement provides a crucial last line of defence against ransomware attackers’ attempts to encrypt data and extort victims.  Paul Speciale, CMO, Scality, says, “Immutable data storage is an insurance policy against ransomware. While the survey data shows IT leaders resoundingly agree that immutability is a cornerstone of cyber security strategy, 31% still did not report it as essential. Here’s the reality: Being able to restore quickly from an immutable backup means the difference between a successful and unsuccessful ransomware attack. Without storage that’s truly immutable, you’re vulnerable to cyber criminals’ demands. The perception among some respondents that it’s not essential to cyber security is misguided and represents an opportunity to shift more IT leaders towards achieving a modern, inherently immutable object storage solution as a much-needed last line of defence to keep data locked and immune to ransomware exfiltration, modification or destruction.” The survey was recently conducted by global technology market research firm Vanson Bourne across several industries, including manufacturing, telecom, professional services, financial services, and retail. Respondents were asked, ‘Is immutable data storage an essential element of your organisation’s corporate cybersecurity strategy?’ To qualify, each respondent carried a manager or above title in an enterprise-sized commercial organisation with over 1,000 employees and is primarily employed in the IT function.  Key findings in the UK: 85% of UK respondents currently rely on immutable storage or plan to implement it within 12 months. This is the lowest of the four regions (US, UK, France, Germany). 47% of UK respondents across all vertical markets consider immutable storage essential to their corporate cyber security strategy. 54% of UK respondents in the IT, technology and telecoms sector deploy and consider immutable storage essential to their corporate cybersecurity strategy. This is the highest score among all sectors surveyed in the UK. Read the blog: What is true immutable storage? Download the immutability checklist here.