According to Scality, IT leaders consider immutable storage essential in the fight against cyberattacks.
The threat of ransomware is now understood by organizations as inevitable. According to the report, one in four organizations that pay a ransom are unable to get their data back, and only 16% of organizations recover without paying a ransom.
This strengthens the role of immutable data storage as a critical last line of defense within the cybersecurity toolkit. With this type of storage, data cannot be deleted or modified once it is written, making data more secure and allowing organizations to recover data with 100% accuracy in the event of a breach.
94% of IT leaders already rely on or plan to implement such data storage within the next 12 months, and a further 2% plan to do so within the next three years.
69% believe this data storage is essential to their company’s cybersecurity, and only 12% of companies that have implemented immutable data storage say it is not essential.
The nuances of vertical markets and regions
Comparisons among IT leaders surveyed across vertical industries and specific countries reveal many notable differences.
vertical market
Manufacturing organizations (95%) are the most likely to implement immutable storage, and 84% believe immutable storage is essential to enterprise cybersecurity. Financial services companies (74%) report the least reliance on this storage, with 60% saying it is critical to their company’s cybersecurity.
By region
The majority of IT leaders in all regions currently use or plan to use immutable data storage. The United States has the highest level of current or planned adoption, with 98% of respondents either having adopted 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 small number of IT leaders worldwide currently use immutable data storage (12%) and do not consider it a “must-have” for their cybersecurity strategy, many more do. % reside in the UK. His 24% of UK respondents said that although they have implemented immutable data storage: Not essential for cybersecurity, compared to 11% in France, 9% in the US and 6% in Germany.
“The widespread adoption of immutable storage has led to increased awareness of the important role that secure backups play as an active defense against cyber-attacks, especially in combination with immutable backup data. We believe that achieving zero trust data resiliency with truly immutable data is a great opportunity for IT leaders to reduce risk from growing data security threats and improve overall cyber resiliency. ,” said Dave Russell, Vice President of Enterprise. Veeam Software Strategy.
The role of immutable storage in data cybersecurity
This study highlights the importance of immutable storage as the industry conversation around data cybersecurity best practices and technologies evolves. However, it is important to note that not all immutability is created equal. Some formats still have room for exposure.
Unlike the forms of immutability provided by traditional solutions (such as NAS/file system snapshots, deduplication appliances, Linux-hardened repositories and tape), true object storage solutions are It remains unchanged.
The system implements appropriate protocols and true object storage semantics to store data in its original format the moment it is written. This is not the case with other immutable solutions where there may be a time delay before the data becomes immutable. Each object cannot be overwritten, deleted, or modified, even if written nanoseconds apart. This architectural enhancement provides a critical last line of defense against attempts by ransomware attackers to encrypt data and extort victims.
“Immutable data storage is insurance against ransomware. Survey data shows that IT leaders strongly agree that immutability is the cornerstone of their cybersecurity strategy, but 31% still say immutability is essential. The reality is: Being able to quickly restore from an immutable backup can mean the difference between a successful ransomware attack and a failure. Without truly immutable storage, cybercriminals ,” said Paul Speciale, CMO at Scality.
“The perception by some respondents that it is not essential for cybersecurity is misplaced, and is essential as a much-needed last line of defense to lock down data and protect it from ransomware.” “This presents an opportunity for many IT leaders to shift towards a modern object storage solution that is virtually immutable and secure from theft, modification, or destruction,” Speciale concluded.
