IBM FlashSystem 5045 aids access to storage cyber resilience
As ransomware and other cyber attacks persist, enterprises should prioritize cyber resilience. IBM's FlashSystem 5045 improves accessibility for that protection.
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Published: 24 Jul 2023
IBM recently launched the FlashSystem 5045, a new generation of its FlashSystem 5000 series, designed to address the needs of small to midsize enterprises and simplify cyber-protection.
The new system includes the following notable cyber-resilience features:
Safeguarded Copy. This feature enables IT teams to create immutable and isolated copies to help protect against cyber attacks and speed up recovery.
Multifactor authentication. IBM now requires multiple layers of authentication before authorization to access any FlashSystem storage, including the 5045.
Two-Person Integrity. Two independent users must execute critical functions such as deletion, encryption or copying of data.
IBM is extending its cyber-resilience features across its storage portfolio, making these capabilities -- including IBM Safeguarded Copy -- more accessible in the FlashSystem 5000 series. For example, the Safeguarded Copy functionality enables users to create point-in-time copies of a volume.
IBM is extending its cyber-resilience features across its storage portfolio, making these capabilities -- including IBM Safeguarded Copy -- more accessible in the FlashSystem 5000 series.
According to IBM, these copies are then hidden, becoming unaddressable and unalterable, which protects them from being changed, deleted or encrypted -- and ultimately increasing protection against malicious attacks. IBM Safeguarded Copy is already available in the higher-end flash system arrays. Bringing it to the FlashSystem 5045 improves accessibility to better ransomware protection and recovery, which is what matters.
Focus on storage security
Given the contemporary landscape of cyber threats, cyber-resilience features such as Safeguarded Copy must be at the top of the evaluation criteria list for modern enterprise storage. After all, ransomware and other cyber attacks continue to increase in frequency and severity. Consider that research from TechTarget's Enterprise Strategy Group has uncovered the following statistics:
79% of organizations report having experienced a ransomware attack.
Among that population, 73% report that the attacks were successful, affecting finances or operations, with 32% reporting they were victims of multiple successful attacks.
As large enterprises increase their security investments, bad actors will likely turn their attention to smaller firms. Therefore, these days accessible cyber-resilience features are essential for every organization.
Every infrastructure investment, including every storage investment, should prioritize cyber-resilience capabilities. Although IBM is not alone in offering immutable clone technology, the IBM FlashSystem 5045 is a notable step toward making these essential capabilities more accessible to all businesses.
Enterprise Strategy Group is a division of TechTarget. Its analysts have business relationships with technology vendors.
