IBM recently announced that it is bringing advanced data protection capabilities to its IBM FlashSystem all-flash arrays. IBM says that its Safeguarded Copy for these all-flash storage arrays automatically creates data copies in “immutable snapshots” that are securely isolated within the system and cannot be accessed or altered by unauthorized users. If the case of data loss, a data breach or other activities that compromises data or disrupts operations, customers can use the snapshots to recover their data to some point in time prior to the problem. The figure below shows the creation of these snapshots and recovery using them.
Safeguarded copy keeps up to 15,000 immutable point-in-time copies of data with an isolated logical air-gap. These copies cannot be written or read by an application and can’t be mapped to a host. There are also separate privileges for admins of production data and the safeguarded backups. IBM Copy Services Manager software provides scheduled creation of backups and helps with recovery.
IBM announced that Safeguarded Copy can now be integrated with IBM Security QRadar . QRadar monitors activities and looks for signs that an attack may have begun, such as the attempted logging in of an unauthorized person. With today's announcement, QRadar can now be used to proactively invoke Safeguarded Copy to automatically create a protected backup at the first sign of a threat.
IBM also announced plans to roll out this Fall the new IBM Storage as a Service offering which is designed to give customers a fast, new way to integrate hybrid cloud storage into any datacenter environment, eliminating the need for upfront capital expense of a system purchase. IBM says that its Storage as a Service makes it simple for customers to choose the storage they need by determining the right performance, capacity, and service term that matches their workload and business needs.
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.Pricing for IBM Storage as a Service will be offered in three tiers that consider the level of system performance needed, capacity required, and the length of commitment. The service will start as low as $27/TB/month on effective basis and come with full concierge lifecycle services.
Strongbox Data Solutions, providing intelligent data management and archiving solutions, announced the introduction of StrongLink 3.2. The company also said it tape virtualization product, StrongBox is not end of life. StrongLink v.1 was released in 2017. StrongLink is a software solution for providing automation and control in multi-vendor, multi-platform storage environments.
StrongLink aggregates file system metadata, selected rich file headers and user-created meta data to provide material for its metadata-driven policy engine. The company says its policy engine can automate routine IT operations, quickly recognize and take action with serious issues, streamline collaboration between groups and teams and maximize the ROI of IT resources.
IBM announced its Safeguarded Copy immutable snapshots for ransomware and other data loss recovery situations. StrongBox Data Solutions announces the latest generation of its StrongLink software for automation and control and control in multi-vendor, multi-platform storage.
