IBM has announced it is adding advanced data protection capabilities to its FlashSystem family of all-flash arrays, as it looks to help companies better plan and recover from ransomware and cyberattacks.
The firm is adding IBM Safeguarded Copy to FlashSystem, a tool designed to automatically create data copies in “immutable snapshots” that are securely isolated within the system and cannot be accessed or altered by unauthorised users.
In the event of any malicious activity or data loss, customers can recover their data from these snapshots based on known points-in-time prior to the event.
Safeguarded Copy can now also be integrated with IBM Security QRadar, which monitors activities and searches for signs of malicious activity.
"Protecting against ransomware and other forms of malware requires a two-pronged approach to resiliency that involves automated protection and rapid recovery," explained Denis Kennelly, general manager of IBM Storage.
"That's why we're standardising our modern data protection software, Safeguarded Copy, across our portfolio, bringing even more cyber resiliency to IBM FlashSystem. Cyber attacks are on the rise, but data can be protected and restored when you are prepared."
Additionally, IBM has unveiled new storage as a service offerings to give customers a speedy way to integrate hybrid cloud storage into any datacentre environment.
Scheduled to roll out in September in Europe and North America, IBM Storage as a Service forms part of the company’s Flexible Infrastructure family of pay-as-you-go offerings, eliminating the upfront expense that comes with a system purchase.
With one to five-year options and no new contract penalty, customers pay a single rate based on TB/month at a fixed annual rate and the performance level of the system deployed, the firm said.
“Customers will be able to dynamically scale their storage capacity up or down as they need with variable pricing, only paying for what they use,” IBM explained in its press release.
“And unlike some comparative services, IBM Storage as a Service's base and variable pricing (when extra capacity is needed) are the same. In addition, customers are not penalised for having data that is not compressible.”
