Constant threat of ransomware causing data protection headaches

Organisations are facing several data protection challenges driven by the constant threat of ransomware and the consumption of emerging technologies such as cloud-native applications, Kubernetes containers, and artificial intelligence, according to the Dell Technologies 2021 Global Data Protection Index.
 
According to a recent IDC survey, more than one-third of organisations worldwide have experienced a ransomware attack or breach that blocked access to systems or data in the previous 12 months. To help address these rising and seemingly inevitable issues, Dell Technologies is introducing new software and services to accelerate virtual machine backup data availability, simplify management of large data sets, and maintain business continuity while alleviating dependencies on day-to-day cyber recovery operations.

"Our newly launched Dell Technologies 2021 GDPI findings indicate that over two-thirds of the respondents from Asia Pacific and Japan are concerned that their organisations existing data protection measures may not be sufficient to cope with malware and ransomware threats," says Lucas Salter, general manager, Data Protection Solutions, Dell Technologies, Asia Pacific - Japan.

"In this age of increasing cyber threats, we understand that the stakes have never been higher and protecting data has never been more complex," he says.

"We have been working with our customers across the region to address this growing challenge by adopting a holistic cybersecurity and data protection strategy to reduce risk and ensure resilience in the event of a ransomware or other cyberattack."

New GDPI findings reveal increased state of complexity around data protection

The 2021 Dell Technologies GDPI survey of 1,000 global IT decision makers of which 250 are from APJ (Australia, India, Japan, Singapore, and South Korea) shows organisations are combatting continued data growth and increased data protection complexities. The study found that globally organisations are managing more than 10 times the amount of data than they did five years ago from 1.45 petabytes in 2016 to 14.6 petabytes in 2021. Additionally, Global: 82%, APJ: 72% of respondents are concerned their organisations existing data protection solutions wont be able to meet all future business challenges. These concerns are well-founded, with Global: 33%, APJ: 38% reporting data loss in the last year and Global: 45 %, APJ: 42%, experiencing unplanned system downtime.

GDPI findings include:

• Global: 62%, APJ: 68% are concerned their existing data protection measures may not be sufficient to cope with malware and ransomware threats, while Global: 74%, APJ: 72% agree they have increased exposure to data loss from cyber threats with the growth of employees working from home.
• Global: 67%, APJ: 67%, lack confidence that all their business-critical data can be recovered in the event of a destructive cyberattack or data loss.
• Global: 63%, APJ: 64% believe emerging technologies such as cloud-native applications, Kubernetes containers, artificial intelligence and machine learning pose a risk to data protection, and the lack of data protection solutions for newer technologies was one of the top three data protection challenges for organisations.
• On average, the cost of data loss in the last 12 months is approaching four times higher for organisations using multiple data protection vendors as compared to those using a single-vendor approach.

New software and managed services offerings include:

• Dell EMC PowerProtect Data Manager adds Transparent Snapshots to give organisations a new and unique way to help protect their VMware VMs at scale. By simplifying and automating VM image-level backups and requiring less infrastructure, Transparent Snapshots deliver up to five times faster backups and up to a five-time reduction in VM latency iv, helping organisations ensure availability of VM data effectively and efficiently.
• Dell EMC PowerProtect appliances with Smart Scale helps organisations manage multiple data protection appliances at exabyte scale, allowing IT staff to make informed decisions about their capacity needs and keep up with data growth. With Smart Scale, customers can configure multiple appliances as a single pool giving them the ability to see and manage large data sets in one entity as many as 32 PowerProtect appliances and more than three exabytes of logical capacity. Organisations can maximise resources and save costs with proactive monitoring and simplified management of backup data.
• Dell Technologies Managed Services for Cyber Recovery Solution helps organisations drive consistent operations and reduce risk of data loss by having Dell experts manage day-to-day cyber recovery vault operations and support recovery activities. These managed services build on Dell's portfolio of cyber recovery consulting, deployment, and support services, helping customers protect and manage this critical capability.

Tian Beng Ng, senior vice president and general manager, Channel, Dell Technologies, Asia Pacific and Japan says, "Hybrid work arrangements bring with it new threats that make effective cybersecurity practices a challenge for businesses of all sizes.

"Successful security transformation is based on working in collaboration with a wider ecosystem from partnering with vendors in providing the best-in-class solutions to enhancing cyber resilience with their local know-how," he says.

"Our channel partners play a vital role in how we drive new innovations that we bring to market, and new offerings such as Transparent Snapshots and Smart Scale will offer organisations greater speed and agility in the race to protect their virtual infrastructure."