Data Center Intelligence Group Report Validates Active Archive Solutions as Ransomware Defense

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New White Paper Highlights Crucial Role of Active Archiving in Defeating Ransomware Attacks

Boulder, Colo. – December 15, 2021 — / BackupReview.info / — The Active Archive Alliance today announced a new white paper by the Data Center Intelligence Group (DCIG), “Mitigating Ransomware through Active Archive Solutions,” highlighting the importance of active archiving in defending against ransomware attacks. The white paper was commissioned by the Active Archive Alliance.

Cybersecurity software is the first line of defense against cyberattacks. But security software alone cannot guard against all types, especially ransomware. This form of malware often invades a network when a user innocently clicks on a malware-infested URL in an email. Because ransomware is cheap to develop and easy to spread, it has become today’s chief malware threat. Ransomware attacks can devastate an organization between lost revenue, lost time and lost reputation.

Enter active archiving: a scalable storage architecture that intelligently manages digital data assets and protects them against ransomware attacks, accidental data loss and corruption.

“Hackers often attack industries with high-value data like healthcare, utility infrastructures, finance, and media and entertainment. These organizations often pay to recover their data,” said Rich Gadomski, Co-Chairperson of the Active Archive Alliance. “Active archive solutions provide a strong countermeasure to ransomware attacks while providing a strategic approach to the many data management challenges that organizations are faced with today.”

Key DCIG Highlights

DCIG notes that active archiving solutions offer permanent and long-term protection for archived data against malicious intrusion as well as accidental data loss or corruption. The report highlights numerous ways that active archive solutions can provide ransomware mitigation, including:

1. Protecting archive data from modification. WORM (write once, read many) and retention management features keep archived data safe from malicious encryption or overwrite.
2. Replicating archived data and securing offline storage. Active archive solutions may secure archived data through offline storage, providing an air gap defense that removes the data from the network where it cannot be attacked. Archived data may be replicated for additional protection.
3. Replicating data to a secure cloud. Data remains online in a secure cloud, protecting it with security features like Secure Socket Layers (SSL) encryption and multi-factor user authentication.
4. Supporting 3-2-1 data archiving. The 3-2-1 model maintains three replicated copies stored on two different storage types, such as a disk-based backup system, a secure cloud platform, and online or offline tape.
5. Enabling rapid recovery. The more data sets that reside in primary storage, the greater the opportunity for hackers. Active archiving minimizes attack opportunities in primary storage by identifying and moving inactive files to secure cloud and offline archives. This approach leaves fewer data sets to test and recover on primary storage and primary backup, speeding up recovery with minimal business impact.

Download the full report here: Mitigating Ransomware through Active Archive Solutions — https://activearchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/FINAL_211215-DCIG-White-Paper-Active-Archive-Alliance.pdf

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About Active Archive Alliance
The Active Archive Alliance serves as a vendor-neutral, trusted source for providing end-users with technical expertise and guidance to design and implement modern active archive strategies that solve data growth challenges through intelligent data management. Active archives enable reliable, online and cost-effective access to data throughout its life and are compatible with flash, disk, tape, or cloud as well as file, block or object storage systems. They help move data to the appropriate storage tiers to minimize cost while maintaining ease of user accessibility. Members and sponsors include FUJIFILM Recording Media USA, MediQuant, Spectra Logic, Atempo, ELLKAY, Harmony Healthcare IT, IBM, Integrated Media Technologies, Inc., Iron Mountain, Legacy Data Access, PoINT Software & Systems, QStar Technologies, Quantum, StorMagic, StrongBox Data Solutions, SullivanStrickler, Western Digital and XenData.

About DCIG
The Data Center Intelligence Group (DCIG) empowers the IT industry with actionable analysis. DCIG analysts provide informed third-party analysis of cloud, data protection, and data storage technologies. DCIG’s audiences include C-level executives, IT managers, IT professionals, magazine editors, bloggers, analysts, and providers within the IT and cloud service industry.

ACTIVE ARCHIVE is the trademark of the Active Archive Alliance. Third party trademarks used herein are the trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners used with permission. ©2021 Active Archive Alliance. All rights reserved.

Contacts:
Susan Merriman
Spectra Logic
303-449-6444 x1378
susanm@spectralogic.com

Kim Pegnato
A3 Communications
781-835-7118
Kim.pegnato@a3communicationspr.com

Source: Spectra Logic

Tags: Active Archive Alliance, Spectra Logic