Kasten launched its biggest update since Veeam acquired the Kubernetes data protection provider. Kasten Kubernetes backup adds immutability to its K10 platform.
With its latest major product update, Kasten's Kubernetes backup and recovery platform tackled the security problem that just won't go away and, in some cases, has gotten worse: ransomware.
Kasten K10 v4.0, launched today, offers ransomware protection that is native to Kubernetes, including immutability against attacks.
Customers have increasingly asked about ransomware protection, as malware groups have started to target container environments, said Niraj Tolia, president and general manager of Kasten by Veeam.
"Kubernetes recovery is complex in this environment," Tolia said.
Importance of ransomware protection for Kubernetes
Containers are vulnerable to ransomware for several reasons, said Gaurav Rishi, vice president of product at Kasten by Veeam.
These include hackers exploiting over-permissioning during installation and operations. Also, users don't update their Kubernetes platforms enough and gaps in backup and recovery lead to unprotected applications.
"One of the biggest issues the industry is seeing today is around ransomware," Rishi said. "The attacks are getting more and more sophisticated."
For their ransomware protection, Kasten customers needed backup integrity to protect against content deletion and corruption; simple operations that can scale across multi-cluster environments; quick recovery across time, location and infrastructure; and a cost-effective approach, Rishi said.
The immutability in Kasten K10 v4.0 provides object store backup with write-once read-many (WORM) support. Kasten claims that users can install and start protecting multi-cluster operations within 10 minutes. The Kasten Kubernetes backup features policy-based automation as well.
Immutability also protects against malicious insider attacks and accidental deletions.
In the emerging market, Kasten is early with its protection of container environments from ransomware specifically, and in discussing what makes containers unique targets, said Krista Macomber, senior analyst at Evaluator Group.
"Container environments will become more popular targets as their production usage grows, so I wouldn't be surprised to see conversations start turning quickly to how to protect container assets from ransomware," Macomber said.
The Kasten K10 platform for Kubernetes backup and recovery added ransomware protection.
As malicious attackers continue to get more sophisticated, it's a challenge to stay a step ahead.
"Avoiding bad actors from penetrating the production environment to begin with is a great goal, but practically speaking, you should operate assuming that they will," Macomber said. "This is where hindering the intruder's ability to manipulate backups with the addition of support for WORM object storage becomes important."
In addition, the Kasten Kubernetes backup update added application-centric policies. Users can create Kasten K10 policies in an application's namespace to protect specific applications.
We're seeing a shift now -- and I think it's the biggest shift in the last 15 years -- to Kubernetes and container-based infrastructures.
Danny AllanCTO and senior vice president for product strategy, Veeam
"We're seeing a shift now -- and I think it's the biggest shift in the last 15 years -- to Kubernetes and container-based infrastructures," said Danny Allan, CTO and senior vice president for product strategy at Veeam.
Veeam aims to have protection native to the given environment, Allan said. The vendor began with a focus on backup for VMware VMs and has since expanded to cloud, physical and now container protection.
"We're on a journey with Kasten," Allan said.
Veeam plans to keep Kasten K10 as a standalone product. The vendor is also working on integrating Kasten Kubernetes backup into the Veeam platform.
Allan said Veeam intends to discuss the integration more at its virtual VeeamON user conference, scheduled for May 25-26.
Niraj Tolia
