Implementing Data Resilience from Ransomware with Zadara Object Storage and VPSA Technology

In today’s data-driven world, cyberattacks like ransomware are increasingly prevalent and more sophisticated than ever before. This makes the protection of data not just an IT responsibility, but a business-critical requirement. The ability to quickly recover from such an attack is key to minimising downtime and mitigating the potentially catastrophic effects. 

In this blog, we will explore how Zadara Object Storage with Object-Lock immutability and Zadara VPSA’s (Virtual Private Storage Array) utilised as on-demand recovery targets can provide a robust defence against ransomware. Additionally, we’ll show how Data Protection solutions such as Veeam Data Platform 12.2 integrate with Zadara’s solutions to offer enhanced data protection and recovery capabilities.

Using Zadara Object Storage as a Backup Target with Object-Lock Immutability

Zadara Object Storage is a scalable, enterprise-grade storage solution that can serve as a direct backup target for mission-critical workloads. What sets it apart for ransomware mitigation is its Object-Lock immutability capability, which ensures that once data is written to storage, it cannot be modified, deleted, or tampered with for a predetermined retention period.

This feature makes Zadara Object Storage ideal for protecting backups from ransomware, as cybercriminals won’t be able to encrypt or delete your backups even if they manage to breach your primary systems. 

Key Features:

• Write-Once-Read-Many (WORM): Data stored with Object-Lock becomes immutable, preventing even administrators from accidentally or maliciously deleting it until a predefined time has passed.
• Policy-based retention: You can enforce data retention policies to ensure backups remain immutable for the required duration.
• Compliance: Object-Lock provides an additional layer of security by helping to meet regulatory compliance, it may be difficult or even impossible to obtain cyber insurance without this capability.

By using Zadara Object Storage as a direct backup target with Object-Lock, businesses can ensure that backup data remains untouched and fully recoverable in case of a ransomware attack.

Zadara VPSA as On-Demand Recovery Targets

In the event of a ransomware attack or disaster, businesses need a reliable and flexible way to recover critical data. Zadara VPSA offers the perfect solution as an on-demand recovery target for such scenarios.

Benefits of Using Zadara VPSA:

• On-demand provisioning: VPSAs can be spun up when needed, providing storage and compute resources without requiring upfront investment.
• Immediate recovery testing: You can easily restore backups to VPSA environments to test recovery scenarios, ensuring that your data is recoverable when needed.
• Disaster recovery: If your primary infrastructure is compromised, VPSAs can act as secondary environments where you can restore applications and continue operations while your primary infrastructure is being recovered or cleaned.

In combination with Zadara Object Storage and Object-Lock, Zadara VPSA’s allow businesses to recover quickly, whether in recovery testing or in real disaster recovery scenarios. A complete solution with in-built multi-tenancy and separation without the need for a multi-vendor approach.

Defence in Depth Strategy: Limiting the Impact of Ransomware

A defence-in-depth strategy is essential for modern businesses to reduce the risk of reinfection or additional damage during a ransomware attack. By layering multiple security measures, you can create a comprehensive protection framework that reduces the chance of a full-blown disaster.

How Zadara Supports a Defence-in-Depth Approach:

• Isolation of resources: Use network segmentation and isolated storage environments to ensure that ransomware cannot spread from one system to another. By keeping critical backup resources, such as Zadara Object Storage and VPSA, isolated from the primary environment, the chances of reinfection are greatly minimised.
• Immutable backups: With Object-Lock, even if the ransomware breaches the production network, backups remain untouched and recoverable.
• Granular recovery options: On-demand VPSAs can act as isolated recovery environments where backups can be restored and tested before reintroducing systems back into production, helping to mitigate the risk of reinfection.

Integration with Veeam Data Platform 12.2

Veeam Data Platform 12.2 brings powerful capabilities to the table that, when combined with Zadara’s infrastructure, provide even more robust protection and recovery solutions for businesses.

Key Features of Veeam Data Platform 12.2:

• Direct-to-object storage backup: Veeam supports direct integration with Zadara Object Storage, allowing seamless data backup workflows without the need for intermediate repositories.
• Backup immutability: Veeam leverages Zadara’s Object-Lock feature to ensure backups are protected with immutability, even at the object storage level.
• Instant recovery: Veeam’s “Instant Recovery” capabilities allow backups to be mounted directly from Zadara Object Storage to VPSA environments, reducing downtime during a disaster.
• Automated recovery testing:  With Veeam’s SureBackup technology, you can automate recovery tests within the Zadara VPSA environments to ensure data integrity and recovery capabilities.

By integrating Veeam Data Platform 12.2 with Zadara Object Storage and VPSA, you gain a unified solution that offers comprehensive data protection, immutability, automated testing, and flexible recovery options. 

Conclusion: A Ransomware-Resilient Strategy with Zadara and Veeam

The threat of ransomware is not going away, but with the right tools and strategies, businesses can drastically reduce their risk and improve their recovery capabilities. Zadara Object Storage with Object-Lock immutability and on-demand VPSAs provide an unbeatable combination for ensuring your data remains safe and recoverable, even in the worst-case scenarios. By integrating these capabilities with Veeam Data Platform 12.2, you can create a truly ransomware-resilient architecture.

A defence-in-depth approach, alongside isolating backup environments and utilising immutable backups, ensures that ransomware’s impact is limited, reducing downtime and the risk of reinfection. By taking advantage of these modern technologies, businesses can stay one step ahead of cyber threats, ensuring that their data and operations remain intact even in the face of adversity.

Protect your data. Test your recovery. Plan for the worst—because with Zadara and Veeam, you’re ready for it.

Key Takeaways:

• Zadara Object Storage with Object-Lock ensures backups are immutable and untouchable.
• Zadara VPSA provides flexible, on-demand recovery environments to support disaster recovery testing and recovery.
• Veeam Data Platform 12.2 integrates with Zadara to enhance backup workflows and recovery.
• A defence-in-depth strategy with resource isolation and automated recovery tests mitigates ransomware impact and reinfection risk.