Data Centre Security: Protecting Infrastructure from Physical and Cyber Threats

Genetec and TSP to unite at Data Centre World

Genetec has announced that it is joining forces with its Unified Elite partner, Total Security Protection (TSP), at Data Centre World in London for the fourth consecutive year. The duo will present their unified data centre security solutions, designed to meet the evolving security needs of the data centre industry. As data centres are now officially classified as Critical National Infrastructure by the UK Government, they require the same rigorous protection and oversight as the likes of energy grids and water supplies. This designation underscores the importance of robust physical and cyber security measures to mitigate potential threats. For more than a decade, Genetec and TSP have worked together to provide bespoke security solutions that safeguard facilities, ensure compliance, and maintain seamless operations for data centre clients. Their collaboration specifically offers a unified approach to data centre security through the deployment of Genetec Security Center, a unified platform which integrates video surveillance, access control, automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) and intrusion detection in a single interface. Backed by accreditations including NSI, ISO 27001, CAPSS 2023, and SOC II, their solutions meet both physical security and cyber security compliance standards. Genetec will be located at stand DC515 during the upcoming Data Centre World exhibition, taking place at London ExCel from 12-13 March 2025.

Five considerations when budgeting for enterprise storage

By Eric Herzog, Chief Marketing Officer at Infinidat. Enterprise storage is fundamental to maintaining a strong enterprise data infrastructure. While storage has evolved over the years, the basic characteristics remain the same – performance, reliability, cost-effectiveness, flexibility, capacity, flexibility, cyber resilience, and usability. The rule of thumb in enterprise storage is to look for faster, cheaper, easier and bigger capacity, but in a smaller footprint. So, when you’re reviewing what storage solutions to entrust your enterprise with, what are the factors to be considering? What are the five key considerations that have risen to the top of enterprise storage buying decisions? • Safeguard against cyber attacks, such as ransomware and malware, by increasing your enterprise’s cyber resilience and cyber recovery with automated cyber protection.• Look to improve the performance of your enterprise storage infrastructure by up to 2.5x (or more), while simultaneously consolidating storage to save costs.• Evaluate the optimal balance between your enterprise’s use of on-premises and the use of the public cloud (i.e. Microsoft Azure or Amazon AWS).• Extend cyber detection across your storage estate.• Initiate a conversation about infrastructure consumption services that are platform-centric, automated, and optimised for hybrid, multi-cloud environments. The leading edge of enterprise storage has already moved into the next generation of storage arrays for all-flash and hybrid configurations. With cybercrime expected to cost an enterprise in excess of £7.3 trillion in 2024, according to Cybersecurity Ventures, the industry has also seen a rise in cybersecurity capabilities being built into primary and secondary storage. Seamless hybrid multi-cloud support is now readily available. And enterprises are taking advantage of Storage-as-a-Service (STaaS) offerings with confidence and peace of mind. When you’re buying enterprise storage for a refresh or for consolidation, it’s best to seek out solutions that are built from the ground-up with cyber resilient and cyber recovery technology intrinsic to your storage estate, optimised by a platform-native architecture for data services. In today’s world with continuous cyber threats, enterprises are substantially extending cyber storage resilience and recovery, as well as real-world application performance, beyond traditional boundaries. We have also seen our customers value scale-up architectures, such as 60%, 80% and 100% populated models of software-defined architected storage arrays. This can be particularly pertinent with all-flash arrays that are aimed at specific latency-sensitive applications and workloads. Having the option to utilise a lifecycle management controller upgrade program is also appealing when buying a next-generation storage solution. Thinking ahead, this option can extend the life of your data infrastructure. In addition, adopting next-gen storage solutions that facilitate a GreenIT approach puts your enterprise in a position to both save money (better economics) and reduce your carbon emissions (better for the environment) by using less power, less rack space, and less cooling. I call this the “E2” approach to enterprise storage: better economics and a better environment together in one solution. It helps to have faster storage devices with massive bandwidth and blistering I/O speeds. Storage is not just about storage arrays anymore Traditionally, it was commonly known that if you needed more enterprise data storage capacity, you’d buy more storage arrays and throw them into your data centre. No more thought needed for storage, right? All done with storage, right? Well, not exactly. Not only has this piecemeal approach caused small array storage 'sprawl' and complexity that can be exasperating for any IT team, but it doesn’t address the significant need to secure storage infrastructures or simplify IT operations. Cyber storage resilience and recovery need to be a critical component of an enterprise’s overall cybersecurity strategy. You need to be sure that you can safeguard your data infrastructure with cyber capabilities, such as cyber detection, automated cyber protection, and near-instantaneous cyber recovery. These capabilities are key to neutralising the effects of cyber attacks. They could mean the difference between you paying a ransom for your data that has been taken 'hostage' and not paying any ransom. When you can execute rapid cyber recovery of a known good copy of your data, then you can effectively combat the cybercriminals and beat them at their own sinister game. One of the latest advancements in cyber resilience that you cannot afford to ignore is automated cyber protection, which helps you reduce the threat window for cyber attacks. With a strong automated cyber protection solution, you can seamlessly integrate your enterprise storage into your Security Operations Centres (SOC), Security Information and Events Management (SIEM), Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response (SOAR) cyber security applications, as well as simple syslog functions for less complex environments. A security-related incident or event triggers immediate automated immutable snapshots of data, providing the ability to protect both block and file datasets. This is an extremely reliable way to ensure cyber recovery. Another dimension of modern enterprise storage is seamless configurations of hybrid multi-cloud storage. The debate about whether an enterprise should put everything into the public cloud is over. There are very good use cases for the public cloud, but there continues to be very good use cases for on-prem storage, creating a hybrid multi-cloud environment that brings the greatest business and technical value to the organisation. You can now harness the power of a powerful on-prem storage solution in a cloud-like experience across the entire storage infrastructure, as if the storage array you love on-premises is sitting in the public cloud. Whether you choose Microsoft Azure or Amazon AWS or both, you can extend the data services usually associated with on-prem storage to the cloud, including ease of use, automation, and cyber storage resilience. Purchasing new enterprise storage solutions is a journey. Isn’t it the best choice to get on the journey to the future of enterprise storage, cyber security, and hybrid multi-cloud? If you use these top five considerations as a guidepost, you end up in an infinitely better place for storage that transforms and transcends conventional thinking about the data infrastructure. Infinidat at DTX 2025 Eric Herzog is a guest speaker at DTX 2025 and will be discussing “The New Frontier of Enterprise Storage: Cyber Resilience & AI” on the Advanced Cyber Strategies Stage. Join him for unique insights on 3 April 2025, from 11.15-11.40am. DTX 2025 takes place on 2-3 April at Manchester Central. Infinidat will be located at booth #C81. For more from Infinidat, click here.

Industry experts comment on Data Privacy Day

With today (28 January) marking Data Privacy Day - an annual event seeking to raise awareness and promote privacy and data protection best practices - industry experts have marked the occasion by presenting a range of views on the latest trends and challenges that have arisen since last year's occasion. - Dr Ellison Anne Williams, Founder and CEO of Enveil, comments, “Data Privacy Day serves as a crucial reminder to safeguard sensitive information in an era where data dominates. As we navigate an increasingly interconnected world and transformative technologies such as AI grow their foothold in the digital economy, finding ways to protect data privacy and mitigate risk will be essential. “Privacy Enhancing Technologies (PETs) enable, enhance, and preserve data privacy throughout its lifecycle, securing data usage and allowing users to capitalise on the power of AI without sacrificing privacy or security. Organisations that truly prioritise data will incorporate PETs as a foundational, business-enabling tool that will fortify data-driven capabilities and enable data to be leveraged securely across silos and boundaries. “This year’s Data Privacy Day theme is ‘Take control of your data’, but that sentiment should not be limited to our personal data footprint. Businesses need to be proactive in their approach to data protection and commit to a future where PETs are woven into the very fabric of digital strategy. This will empower users to responsibly and securely harness innovative tools, such as AI and Machine Learning, in line with global regulations and compliance requirements.” - Edwin Weijdema, Field CTO EMEA & Cybersecurity Lead at Veeam, adds, “This year, Data Privacy Day seems a little different. With significant cyber security regulations coming into force around the world, most notably NIS2 and DORA, it feels like a lot has changed since we marked this day just 12 months ago. “And it has. We’ve seen corporate accountability given increasing weight when it comes to data resilience thanks to NIS2. It’s no longer a case of passing the buck – responsibility ultimately sits with the C-suite. Simultaneously, data resilience is shifting from a ‘cyber security requirement’ to a tangible business differentiator. At the moment, breaches and ransomware are still a ‘when’, not an ‘if’ - and I don’t see this changing. As C-suites become ever more aware, they’ll be demanding to see evidence of their organisation's data resilience, from their internal teams and any third-party partners. “Data Privacy Day is a good chance to reflect on how much can change in a year. After all, organisations can’t rely on markers like this to nudge them on the importance of data resilience - it needs to be a priority 365 days a year.” - James Blake, VP Global Cyber Resiliency Strategy at Cohesity, comments, "On Data Privacy Day, it's crucial to recognise that focusing solely on compliance will only lead to companies tying themselves in knots reacting to the swarm of active or planned regulatory requirements, as well as data legislation coming into force across multiple national and state jurisdictions. If we look at Germany alone as an example, there are 17 state laws on top of national and EU requirements. The most effective way to ensure data privacy compliance is by building robust and repeatable operational capabilities. This involves programmatically conducting comprehensive data audits to identify, categorise, and secure sensitive information. Implementing robust encryption protocols, including migrating to encryption methods resilient to emerging quantum computing attacks, is essential. Additionally, consider working with technology companies who can offer immutable data that can provide an extra layer of security, ensuring data cannot be altered or deleted, thus protecting against ransomware attacks, data breaches and the unnecessary financial loss accrued because of downtime. Appointing security champions in each business unit to educate their peers on tailored data privacy processes based on data classification levels is an important step. By embedding these practices, compliance with varying regulatory requirements will naturally follow." - Adrianus Warmenhoven, a cyber security expert at NordVPN, comments: “As debates continue over whether data, oil, or land holds the greatest value, in cyber security, the answer is unequivocal: data. Personal data, unlike physical assets, can be copied, stolen, or sold without leaving visible traces, creating significant financial and reputational risks. “Apps are a major culprit, often exposing sensitive information through excessive permissions, missed updates, or unauthorised data sharing. Keeping software current is not just a personal safeguard; it also helps protect your network of contacts from phishing attacks through outdated systems. The good news is that while it may seem like an uphill battle to get on top of your data privacy, it’s never been easier to manage how much you share.” To protect people’s privacy on apps, Adrianus offers these preventive measures: Always download apps from official stores - Unofficial apps may not check how safe it is before it is available to download, increasing the risk of modifications by criminals. Familiarise yourself with the data permissions required by apps - Head to your settings and review and adjust these permissions as necessary, particularly sensitive ones like access to your camera, microphone, storage, location, and contact list. Before downloading any app, read its privacy policy - Understand what information it will track and share with third parties. If the privacy level is unsatisfactory, consider an alternative. You can usually find this in the description on your mobile device’s app store. Limit location access only when using the app - It is difficult to justify why some apps need to know your location at all times, so do not give it to them. Avoid using social media accounts to log in, because doing so can allow unnecessary data exchange. Delete any apps you no longer use - This helps to prevent them from collecting data in the background. For more on data privacy, click here.

Palo Alto Networks partners with air transport expert

SITA, a specialist in air transport technology, has reached a significant agreement to partner with Palo Alto Networks, a global cyber security expert, to deliver comprehensive cyber security protection for mission-critical airports applications. As part of the agreement, Palo Alto Networks’ AI-powered cyber security platforms will be added into SITA’s CyberSecurity portfolio. SITA will provide the management and operation from its CyberSOC. The platform will safeguard access from remote sites, mobile workforce and airport assets such as check-in workstations, self-service kiosks, tablets, smartphones and baggage scanners, enabling smooth passenger flows whilst also avoiding downtimes and reducing turnaround times where efficiency of operations is a key priority. The partnership will focus on delivering advanced cyber security solutions (including Palo Alto Networks' Next Generation Firewalls (NGFW), Prisma SD-WAN Instant-On Network (ION) Devices, and Palo Alto Networks Prisma Access) to provide comprehensive network security, connectivity and cloud-based protection, all managed by SITA. This innovative development, called SITA Managed Security Service Edge (SSE) and consisting of Palo Alto Networks technologies, offers a complete suite of network security services (such as Secure Web Gateways, intrusion detection, threat intelligence, next generation antivirus or WildFire, DNS protection, SSL decryption and data loss prevention), all seamlessly delivered from Palo Alto Networks’ dedicated cloud platform. As a specialised subset within SITA’s Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) framework, SSE delivers robust and innovative world-leading security measures to protect digital infrastructure and implements the kind of advanced protection demanded by all CISOs and compliance authorities - including the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and ISO 27000. Martin Smillie, SITA Senior Vice President for Communications and Data Exchange (CDE), says, “The need to protect vital digital applications within the transportation industry has never been more acute, given the ever-evolving threat from cyber attacks. This agreement delivers industry-leading cyber security protection for our airport, airline and other customers, in mission critical areas of their operation. Managed by SITA CyberSOC, this combines Palo Alto Networks' best-in-class AI-powered, cloud native endpoint and application protection, all optimised and future-proofed to combat cyber threats.” Patricia Murphy, VP EMEA & LATAM Ecosystems at Palo Alto Networks, adds, “SITA has provided innovative answers for communications and data exchange to the aviation industry for the past 75 years, and is now expanding into other areas of transportation also. This partnership will begin a transformation of cyber security in the air transport industry, helping ensure that critical systems are protected with the most advanced cyber security platforms available - fostering a safer and more efficient environment for air travel worldwide.” Palo Alto Networks will help to provide the current and next generation of cyber security protection and software for SITA Secure Service Edge at mission-critical areas of aviation and other areas of transport. Palo Alto Networks leverages its Precision AI proprietary AI system to detect and outpace potential cyber threats, providing next-generation cyber security to thousands of customers globally across all industry sectors. Its platforms and services are supported by cutting-edge threat intelligence and state-of-the-art automation. For more from Palo Alto Networks, click here.

Tech leaders gather to discuss AI Opportunities Action Plan

Technology industry leaders gathered in London this week to discuss the government’s AI Opportunities Action Plan, launched by Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, earlier this week. The meeting, which took place on Wednesday at The Savoy Hotel in central London, saw digital experts discuss the implementation and practicalities of adopting the much-hyped initiative, which is backed by a £14bn investment and set to create over 13,000 jobs. Key attendees included Feryal Clark MP, Minister for AI and Digital Government, who summarised the government’s AI roadmap, and Steven George-Hilley, Founder of Centropy PR. Speaking at the event, John Lucey, VP EMEA North for Cellebrite, commented, “We’ve seen the importance of AI and digital policy this week with the launch of the AI Opportunities Actions Plan poised to position the UK as a global AI leader. Data will play a central role in Britain’s AI future, requiring comprehensive data management systems and data privacy protocols to ensure that AI is trained on trustworthy data and that data inputs don’t breach privacy laws. “In key sectors such as policing and defence, for example, organisations need to be able to trust AI systems to deliver accurate results in a safe manner, maintaining client confidentiality while automating manual processes to drive efficiencies. For AI to be truly successful, it will require investment in data practices and training.” Meanwhile, cyber expert, Andy Ward, SVP International for Absolute Security, stated, “As the UK positions itself as a global AI leader, it’s important that a security-first approach is taken to AI innovation and development to mitigate cyber risks. AI-powered threats are growing increasingly sophisticated, targeting sensitive data from public sector bodies and high-profile individuals, right the way down to small businesses. “Recognising these threats and building cyber resilience frameworks to protect critical IT systems can help organisations to remain operational in the face of threats, allowing them to push forward with innovative AI solutions while limiting potential risks.” Ben Green, Chief Revenue Officer at adCAPTCHA, observed, “The evolution and widespread adoption of AI is showing no signs of slowing down, requiring collaboration between the public sector and industry to shape the UK’s AI future. There’s no question of the benefits that AI can bring, but we must also be mindful of the risks, with trends such as AI-enabled bot attacks continuing to threaten businesses and drain marketing revenues through manipulating ad auctions. “Understanding the threats that AI could pose, as well as where it can be a vital solution, is crucial to the UK’s ambitious AI leadership.”

PM unveils AI Opportunities Action Plan

The Prime Minister has unveiled the Government’s AI Opportunities Action Plan, committing £14 billion in investment into ‘game-changing’ artificial intelligence and creating 13,250 jobs. The IMF estimates that AI could increase productivity across the UK by as much as 1.5 percentage points each year, if the technology is fully embraced. These gains may be worth an average of £47 billion to the UK economy every year for over a decade. As part of the plan, the government is creating new AI Growth Zones to fast-track the building of AI infrastructure, starting in Culham and Oxfordshire. These zones will speed up planning permission and generate energy connections needed to power AI. Prime Minister Keir Starmer says, “Artificial Intelligence will drive incredible change in our country. From teachers personalising lessons, to supporting small businesses with their record-keeping, to speeding up planning applications, it has the potential to transform the lives of working people. “But the AI industry needs a government that is on their side; one that won’t sit back and let opportunities slip through its fingers. And in a world of fierce competition, we cannot stand by. We must move fast and take action to win the global race.” The AI Opportunities Action Plan takes forward the 50 recommendations set out by AI expert Matt Clifford, providing the full support of the government. The plan re-enforces the UK commitment to become a global leader in AI, learning from the US and EU’s approach to lead innovation and deliver long-term stability for businesses. Sachin Agrawal, UK Managing Director for Zoho, comments, “Artificial Intelligence is already having a transformative impact on people and businesses, driving efficiencies across areas such as data analysis, fraud detection and forecasting which make a significant difference to people’s lives. The commitment to investment and support in the AI Opportunities Action Plan is hugely encouraging, demonstrating the UK’s ambition as a global AI leader and instilling confidence in businesses to turbocharge innovation. “As part of this innovation push, it is important for the UK to understand how AI regulation and data privacy continue to challenge businesses developing and implementing AI systems. In 2024, multi-agent AI emerged as a significant trend by enabling the collaboration between specialised agents to handle complex workflows in enterprise businesses where structured information and datasets are critical for context. No comprehensive frameworks have been enacted yet in the UK, although renewed commitments such as this and continued efforts indicate the growing recognition of responsible AI governance. According to our Digital Health Study, 78% of businesses have already used AI or are planning to invest heavily in the technology. “As businesses take the next steps of AI adoption, fuelled by this landmark policy, they should be guided by the government, regulators and educators under AI frameworks that promote the safe and ethical development and usage of AI systems.” The Prime Minster highlighted the transformative role that AI can play in driving public sector efficiency, saving time on admin that can be reassigned to improving public services. Speeding up planning consultations to get Britain building, faster and more accurate medical diagnoses, reducing admin for teachers, and AI analysis of camera footage to improve roads were among the examples given by the Prime Minister on the benefits the plans will provide working people. As part of the plan, the government is setting up a new team to build the UK’s sovereign capabilities and seize AI opportunities, as well as creating a new National Data Library to securely unlock the value of public data and support AI development. Andy Ward, SVP International for Absolute Security, comments, “For the AI Opportunities Action Plan to truly deliver the transformative impact we all hope, it is vital that security is at the heart of these developments to ensure that AI systems that are being developed and deployed aren’t posing dangerous security risks. There’s no doubt that AI can bring a wealth of positives to our lives, but there’s a dark side to AI with cybercriminals manipulating it as part of attacks, infiltrating IT systems and increasing the sophistication and volume of attacks.” “While the intention of becoming a global AI leader is encouraging, it requires the government, NCSC and industry to ensure that AI rollouts consider the security risks posed and put in place safeguards to provide additional business protections. Our research found that over half of CISOs feel that their security team is unprepared for evolving AI-powered threats, and 44% have gone as far as banning their employees from using AI due to the security risks. “Cyber attacks have long been a case of when, not just if, and with AI positioned to increase the threat volume, taking a proactive approach to building cyber resilience has never been more important. Security teams not only need to identify and prevent attacks, they need the capability to recover when a breach does occur, shutting off compromised systems and restoring operations quickly and securely.”

KETS Quantum Security reacts to Salt Typhoon cyber attacks

On the back of the Salt Typhoon cyber attacks, Chris Erven, CEO & Co-Founder of KETS Quantum Security, comments on the potential threat of China developing a quantum computer and the danger for telecommunications companies. Chris takes up the story: “This is a fully global threat. Every single telco should be considering their cyber defences in the wake of the Salt Typhoon attacks. “China is making some of the largest investments in quantum computing, pumping in billions of dollars into research and development in the hope of being the first to create a large-scale, cryptographically relevant machine. And although they may be a few years away from being fully operational, we know a quantum computer will be capable of breaking all traditional cyber defences we currently use. So they, and others, are actively harvesting now, to decrypt later. “Telcos are particularly vulnerable since they provide the communication services for major enterprises and many governments, so these organisations should be the first to upgrade to quantum-safe methods, including a defence in depth approach with quantum key distribution and post quantum algorithms. “Adding to the danger, many telcos are moving to software-defined networks which use software-based controllers to manage the underlying network infrastructure rather than dedicated and more restricted hardware devices. This makes them particularly vulnerable because if an adversary gets into the management plane of a telco's SDN, they will have complete control of that network; whereas in the past, the access would have been much more limited. We really are talking about taking down the UK’s national telecommunications network. “Despite warning bells being raised for the last decade, Q Day is rapidly approaching, and telcos have to prepare now to avoid a catastrophic data breach. Thankfully, telcos - like BT and SK Telecom - are actively working to upgrade their systems to make them quantum-safe in the future. However, this transition needs to happen even quicker, and the Salt Typhoon attacks serve as a timely reminder that robust cyber defences are not a ‘nice to have’ - they are essential to protecting our way of living.”

Feature - Reducing the impact of cyber attacks with rapid detection

By Eric Herzog, CMO at Infinidat. There are constant headlines reporting cyber attacks on enterprises and preparing for the inevitability of cyber crime is absolutely critical. Yet despite such a widespread expectation of cyber attacks, there's a concerning lack of preparedness. Research conducted by the Ponemon Institute in 2023 suggests that only 35% of enterprises say they feel properly prepared to deal with a cyber security incident. And even among the ones that are prepared, there’s a general acceptance of vulnerabilities within their defences and reactions that they are not fully prepared for. Hackers will exploit this to the maximum. Three major costs of a cyber attack When a cyber attack does occur, and enterprise data becomes compromised, huge costs, operational disruption, and reputational damage are incurred. Let’s examine these impacts individually. The financial impact of data breaches is substantial and continues to rise. According to the Ponemon research, the global average cost of a data breach increased by 10% to $4.88 million, which is the highest ever recorded. Cyber attacks, as we all know, also significantly disrupt business operations. According to Statista research, it took an average of 64 days to contain a breach in 2024 and in cases where stolen or compromised credentials were involved, this increases significantly. Such an extended period of disruption can severely impact a company's ability to function normally, potentially leading to lost productivity, lost revenue, and lost profits. And let’s not overlook the reputational impact of data breaches, which leads to loss of business in the longer term. This is, perhaps, the most costly aspect of a cyber attack, because the intangible values of customer trust and loyalty are significantly affected. Depending on the industry, this cost can vary significantly, with the healthcare, financial services, technology and service sectors being the most expensive to recover from. In the UK, the Ponemon research cites the average cost of recovery within these industries was £5m. What enterprises need to properly prepare for and counter these attack threats is powerful, easy-to-manage data protection and backup storage solutions, combined with guaranteed cyber storage resilience. This is because the speed at which a cyber attack occurs requires immediate and coordinated responses - from all levels of an organisation. A need for ‘baked in’ cyber storage resilience Using a software-defined storage architecture with integrated cyber storage resilience technology is one good way to minimise these impacts. When cyber storage resilience is embedded into enterprise storage, it allows for sub-second protection response and recovery times. This is critical because, when confronting a cyber attack, losing time can cost tremendous amounts of money. Ultra-fast response times will significantly reduce a cyber event's potential cost and recovery impact. For instance, a backup repository involving multiple petabytes of storage could be fully recoverable in just a few minutes. Here's an actual, real-world use case example to illustrate this. To protect the client’s confidentiality, I will just call them ‘Fortune Global 500 company’. This actual customer needed to improve its restore times for their Oracle databases without impacting on service. They were able to achieve an average seven-times improvement to the backup time of their databases using Infinidat. They also achieved a 97% reduction in recovery time for full copies and a 95% reduction to full physical back up times. In addition, backup integrity was fully verified and, after verification, could be converted to an immutable copy to protect against cyber attacks. The five cyber essentials What core cyber storage resilience capabilities were essential for this enterprise to have in place? There are five: • Logical air-gapped protection: Leveraging the ability to isolate data sets logically, fully, and completely, without requiring secondary environments.• Immutable snapshots: Completely hardened and unchangeable data set protection, helping ensure your business is following a proper set of best practices.• Fenced forensic network: Dedicated networking resources activated only to surface a copy of the data to be inspected, tested, or recovered from, within a fully isolated, tightly managed network environment.• Near-instantaneous recovery of any size backup repository.• Data centre-wide cyber security integration, where enterprise storage is seamlessly integrated with data centre-wide cyber security software applications. AI powered scanning To extend their cyber prevention further, advanced cyber detection capabilities can validate the integrity of immutable snapshots using powerful, AI-based scanning engines. Comprehensive machine learning technology can detect ransomware and malware attacks with up to 99.99% accuracy, enabling enterprises to quickly and easily identify a last known good copy for rapid, intelligent recovery. This provides complete reassurance that the data has not been compromised. A new standard for cyber resilient storage What enterprises need from their storage platform today are outstanding performance levels, guaranteed availability, cyber storage resilience, ease of use, and cost savings - at scale and for any backup/recovery data protection use case. By their very nature, backups are the last resort for protecting and recovering critical data. The storage location for this critical data should embody enterprise-calibre reliability and resilience. It should come with SLA-based guarantees for performance, 100% availability, and cyber storage recoverability. This sets the standard for enterprise storage and backup use cases, ensuring the utmost safety and recoverability for critical, backed-up data. Infinidat allows customers to choose the solution that best fits their use case or environment, with a consistent and easy-to-manage set of solutions to save them time and money. Action is critical Extensive research clearly indicates that preparing for cyber attacks is not just advisable, but critical for business survival in the digital age. The inevitability of cyber threats means companies must invest in comprehensive preparation strategies to mitigate their risks, protect their assets, and ensure rapid response capabilities. This proactive approach is essential for maintaining business continuity and safeguarding against potentially devastating financial and reputational damages. To read more from Infinidat, click here.

Infinidat's 2024 year in review

By Eric Herzog, Chief Marketing Officer of Infinidat, reflects back on 2024 - a year of awards, cyber storage innovation, and the next-generation InfiniBox family. 2024 will be remembered as the year that Infinidat took enterprise storage to the next level with the launch of the InfiniBox G4 family of next-generation storage solutions for all-flash and hybrid configurations. Not only has the new enterprise storage solution raised the bar for the performance of a high-end storage array, but it also delivers ground-breaking cyber storage resilience capabilities that are game-changing, coupled with the practicality of hybrid multi-cloud support. In 2024, Infinidat also revolutionised enterprise cyber storage protection to reduce ransomware and malware threat windows. Infinidat’s InfiniSafe Automated Cyber Protection (ACP) was introduced as a first-of-its-kind cyber security integration solution, enabling enterprises to seamlessly integrate with their Security Operations Centers (SOC), Security Information and Event Management (SIEM), Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response (SOAR) cyber security software applications, and simple syslog functions for less complex environments. With InfiniSafe ACP, a security-related incident or event triggers immediate automated immutable snapshots of data, providing the ability to protect InfiniBox and InfiniBox SSA block-based volumes and/or file systems and ensure near instantaneous cyber recovery, while reducing the threat window. It’s an innovative solution that clearly differentiates Infinidat in the storage space and emphasises the importance of incorporating cyber storage resilience into an overall cyber security strategy. This is just one example of the innovation that Infinidat delivers – and we’ve been getting noticed on multiple fronts. Equipped with an extremely strong value proposition for large enterprises, Infinidat keeps on winning. We have garnered a slew of awards in 2024. The past year has been a time when Infinidat won major industry recognition to set us apart from the competition in the storage industry. Indeed, we are on track to surpass a record number of awards in a 12-month period by the end of 2024. Some of the 35 awards to date include: 2024 Gartner Peer Insights Customers’ Choice in the Gartner Peer Insights “Voice of the Customer” ─ Gartner; the xixth time that Infinidat has been identified as a Gartner Peer Insights Customers’ Choice; the “Best of Show Award” at 2024 FMS ─ InfiniBox G4 family ─ FMS: The Future of Memory and Storage trade show; and “Best Enterprise Storage Array of the Year” (Gold Medal winner) ─ InfiniBox SSA – TechTarget. What all these accolades and recognitions have done is give Infinidat substantial momentum heading into 2025. As a company, we are well-positioned to enable our enterprise customers and cloud provider/managed service customers to reap the superior benefits of the next generation InfiniBox G4 in the new year. Many enterprises are up for a refresh of their enterprise storage – and the InfiniBox G4 has become the new obvious choice in the enterprise market. The combination of the business value and technical value of the G4 is unparalleled. The year of GenAI 2024 is also the year that Infinidat ventured into generative AI (GenAI), making a move to unlock the business value of GenAI applications. We unveiled our Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) workflow deployment architecture to enable enterprises to fully leverage GenAI. This dramatically improves the accuracy and relevancy of AI models. With Infinidat’s RAG architecture, enterprises utilise Infinidat’s existing InfiniBox and InfiniBox SSA enterprise storage systems as the basis to optimise the output of AI models, without the need to purchase any specialised equipment. Infinidat also provides the flexibility of using RAG in a hybrid multi-cloud environment, with InfuzeOS Cloud Edition, making the storage infrastructure a strategic asset for hereby unlocking the business value of GenAI applications for enterprises. Infinidat will play a critical role in RAG deployments in 2025 and beyond, leveraging data on InfiniBox enterprise storage solutions, which are perfectly suited for retrieval-based AI workloads. Vector databases that are central to obtaining the information to increase the accuracy of GenAI models run extremely well in Infinidat’s storage environment. Our customers can deploy RAG on their existing storage infrastructure, taking advantage of the InfiniBox system’s high performance, industry-leading low latency, and unique Neural Cache technology, enabling delivery of rapid and highly accurate responses for GenAI workloads. Three keys to success across the board for Infinidat To harness this success in 2024 and then drive success in 2025, we will continue to do three key things: • Be unwaveringly customer-centric, delivering the best white glove-quality customer experience in the industry• Work hand-in-hand with the channel, empowering partners to increase their business• Excel to spread the word about Infinidat through teamwork, unleashing the power of Infinidat employees to achieve new milestones that propel our company forward. The customers We love it when our customers provide feedback that collectively catapults Infinidat forward to acclaim. We’re so proud that Infinidat was named a 2024 Gartner Peer Insights Customers’ Choice in the Gartner Peer Insights “Voice of the Customer”. This special recognition is indeed the sixth time that Infinidat has been identified as a Gartner Peer Insights Customers’ Choice in either a regional segment or overall distinction for enterprise storage. In 2024, CIO Review named Ryan Walker, CIO of Net3 (an Infinidat customer), one of the Top 10 CIOs of the Year. Walker was honoured for his forward-thinking use of the industry’s most advanced storage technology to transform the data infrastructure of Net3, a leading cloud service provider (CSP) in the US. Net3 has become a prime example of how to run a cloud services business efficiently and economically. The channel CRN named Infinidat as one of 2024's 50 Coolest Software-Defined Storage Vendors. Infinidat was also named as a CRN Storage Vendor 100 for the fifth consecutive year. Plus, CRN awarded us with a 5-Star Rating for the Infinidat Channel Partner Program for the third consecutive year. Approximately 90% of Infinidat’s business comes through the channel. Steve Sullivan, Chief Revenue Officer at Infinidat, was named a 2024 Channel Chief by CRN. James “JT” Lewis was named a 2024 Regional Channel Chief for EMEA and APAC by CRN. In addition, CRN named Lynsy Marshall, Senior Field & Channel Marketing Manager at Infinidat, as a finalist in the “Rising Star of the Year – Vendor/Distributor” category of the 2024 CRN Women of the Year Awards. The team In Q4, Infinidat’s global marketing team was awarded a 2024 OnCon Icon Award, being recognised as one of the Top 50 Marketing Teams in the world. Infinidat’s marketing team has been instrumental in catapulting awareness of the company as an innovator, articulating the business value of Infinidat’s broad portfolio of enterprise storage solutions, educating enterprises about how to secure storage infrastructure against cyber attacks, and how to leverage their storage solutions for AI applications and workloads. As an industry, we have evolved to value inclusive leadership, and it’s worth the effort, spurring a diverse set of news ideas and thought-provoking perspectives. For transparent, inclusive leadership that cultivates a culture of belonging within our organisation and with our channel partners, CRN named me as a 2024 Inclusive Channel Leader. As a byproduct of our accomplishments as a team, I was recently given two prestigious awards for excellence in marketing. I was awarded a 2024 Top 10 Marketer / CMO Award from OnCon Icon as one of the top marketers in the world. I have also been named to HotTopics’ 2024 Global B2B CMO 100 list as one of the most innovative and effective CMOs in the technology sector. Looking ahead to 2025 All things considered, we are poised to enable enterprises to accomplish their goals in 2025, including: • Make AI more accurate with a RAG workflow deployment architecture• Recover nearly instantaneously from ransomware and malware attacks• Sustain 100% availability of the storage infrastructure• Simplify hybrid multi-cloud configurations• Lower total cost of ownership for enterprise storage through storage array consolidation and flexible consumption models• Deliver the most comprehensive enterprise cyber storage solution in the market• Our Infinidat solutions are backed by our SLA-driven, enterprise-proven guarantees: performance, 100% availability, cyber storage resilience, and enhanced data services. Infinidat has shaken up the status quo of the storage industry with the innovation we have brought to market in 2024. This is how we roll. Because of it, I predict that the new year will be the year of mass adoption of the InfiniBox G4. There is a sense of urgency in the channel, and those partners who are proactive will score big. The hard work we did in this past year to launch all the new innovations and ground-breaking capabilities and prepare channel partners will pay off over the next 12 months. Leveraging our momentum, I look forward to Infinidat continuing as, to borrow CRN’s term, one of the 'coolest' software-defined storage vendors in the industry. Infinidat is so cool, it’s 'hot, hot, hot'. For more from Infinidat, click here.

Schneider Electric announces Galaxy VXL UPS

Schneider Electric has announced the launch of its new Galaxy VXL – a highly efficient, compact, modular, scalable, and redundant 500-1250 kW (400V) three-phase uninterruptible power supply (UPS), complete with enhanced cyber security, software, and safety features. At just 1.2m² with a power density of up to 1042 kW/m², Galaxy VXL UPS sets a new benchmark in efficient, sustainable, and advanced UPS technologies. Available immediately in all 400V IEC regions worldwide, Galaxy VXL delivers the highest levels of power performance for AI, colocation, and hyperscale data centre environments, as well as large-scale critical infrastructure and electrical systems within commercial buildings and industrial facilities. With its industry-first compact design, high-density power provision, and AI-load tolerant design, Galaxy VXL maximises uptime and availability for the most energy-intensive infrastructure systems – being capable of powering up to 1.25 MW in one frame, and up to 5 MW with four units running in parallel, while increasing both operational and energy efficiencies to help minimise customers’ total cost of ownership (TCO). Through its patented operating technologies, Galaxy VXL delivers up to 99% in its high-efficiency eConversion mode, and up to 97.5% efficiency in double conversion mode, providing Class-1 power protection alongside leading levels of energy reduction, while lowering the UPSs’ carbon emissions by a factor of two. With a 52% smaller footprint compared with the industry average, its scalable, modular design also enables N+1 levels of redundancy to increase the system’s level of availability by a factor of 10. Further, through its modular architecture, customers can reduce their capital expenditure (CapEx) by purchasing power modules as they need them, enjoying optimised energy efficiency, and adding more power modules as demands grow. Galaxy VXL is also compatible with both Lithium-ion and VRLA batteries, and with its Live Swap function, allows for greater uptime, availability, and easier serviceability – offering highly resilient, flexible, and predictable runtimes for data centre, IT, and critical electrical loads. This is complemented by anywhere remote monitoring via Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure IT software, and enhanced security and ethernet connections, which are certified to the latest IEC 62443-4-2 security standards, providing a completely secure and connected remote management experience. “As dependency on large-scale infrastructure systems grows at an unprecedented rate, it’s crucial that customers can access the most sustainable, resilient, and efficient technologies to safeguard their critical systems, while minimising their energy and environmental impact,” says Tarunjeet Sarao, SVP Data Centre Systems, Schneider Electric. “Our new Galaxy VXL UPS combines a compact, innovative, and highly efficient design with enhanced safety features, providing world-leading power protection for a wide range of AI, data centre, and industrial applications. This ensures the high-density workloads of the future are supported by unparalleled levels of reliability.” Key features and benefits Schneider Electric’s Galaxy VXL UPS has been designed to offer record breaking power densities, and an AI-ready power architecture for the most energy-intensive workloads. For the first time, this new UPS provides customers 1.25mw scalable and modular solution with 125kw/3U power modules in 1.2m² footprint, while being capable of supporting up to 1.25 MW of critical load in one frame and up to 5 MW with four units in parallel in only 4.8m² space. Key benefits include: • Modular, scalable, high-power design: With a power density of 1042 kW per squared meter, customers can deploy a 1.25 MW modular UPS in a single frame, and add power modules incrementally via pay-as-you-grow flexibility.• Smaller footprint: Standing at 1.2m², Galaxy VXL has a 52% footprint improvement compared with industry average, with full front access and no rear clearance, offering better power and space utilisation.• Increased efficiency and sustainability: Galaxy VXL provides up to 99% efficiency in eConversion mode and up to 97.5% efficiency in double conversion mode. Its compact footprint means raw material reduction, less packaging, and includes SPoT (Smart Power Test) mode for UPS and Power Module testing, saving electricity.• Lower CapEx and OpEx: Improved operational and energy efficiencies provide a catalyst for lower electricity bills, and ease of service/maintenance equates to lower labour cost for a better TCO.• Reinforced, resilient design: Galaxy VXL utilises conformal-coated boards, 100kA short circuit rating and optional seismic kit for a robust mechanical design.• Enhanced cyber security and safety: Galaxy VXL is certified to the latest IEC 62443-4-2 security standards and includes Live Swap technology to allow power module replacements, with zero downtime.• Extended lifespan via EcoCare: With Galaxy VXL, Schneider Electric is introducing EcoCare membership, a next-generation services plan, providing premium on-site and remote access to technical experts, 24/7 remote monitoring powered by AI, condition-based maintenance to minimise on-site disruptions by up to 50%, and help extend the UPS’s lifespan.• Perfect for prefabricated data centres: With a smaller physical footprint, higher efficiency, and lower cost, Galaxy VXL provides a resilient backbone for the prefabricated data centres of the future. Scaling-up to customer demands for AI systems To meet customer demands for AI systems, Schneider Electric has increased manufacturing and production capacity at a host of its global factories, where its annual production capacity for Galaxy VXL UPS will exceed 9,000 units in 2025. Additionally, Galaxy VXL UPS will be available at Schneider Electric’s Sant Boi, Barcelona factory, where it will be integrated to form the resilient backbone for Schneider Electric’s prefabricated, modular range of high-compute workload data centre solutions. Schneider Electric’s Galaxy VXL UPS is available for order immediately. For more from Schneider Electric, click here.