You’re working late at the office. Ready to leave, you just finish up a few bits and go to shut
down your PC. Except it won’t let you. For a moment, your screen looks frozen, then a loading
bar appears. You freeze. This can’t be happening. Another window pops up. A skull, smiling in
all its pixilated horror, relays this message.
These 4 words strike fear into the hearts of companies worldwide and appear in the
nightmares of all IT professionals. If you receive this message, you’ve been placed at the
heart of a ransomware attack.
The UK has seen a surge in these attacks, crippling businesses and institutions alike. So is there any way to mitigate the risk of a ransomware attack? How do we break free from this horror story?
Well first, we need to understand the monster at the heart of this tale.
The UK has seen a surge in these attacks, crippling businesses and institutions alike. So is there any way to mitigate the risk of a ransomware attack? How do we break free from this horror story?
Well first, we need to understand the monster at the heart of this tale.
What Exactly is Ransomware?
A major concern is how planned in advance these attacks may be. When you restore your
data, how do you know it’s clean? You might receive notification of an attack today, but
in reality the breach could have been over 100 days ago. Even if you recover your data, is
the breach still there? How far back do you go?
And the horror doesn’t end there. After the initial attack, it can be a slow road to recovery. You need to consider your Recovery Time Objective (RTO). How is your data stored? Recovery takes time, and if you’re having to dredge up petabytes of data from your backups, it could take days, weeks, or even months before it’s back to business as usual. But by that point, it’s not really business as usual, is it? You’ll have been delivered a haunting experience that may very well collapse the future of your organisation.
It’s important to note that with the current landscape of cyber-attacks, the question is not IF you’ll be attacked, but WHEN. Whilst this sounds terrifying, knowing that an attack may be inevitable allows you to prepare properly, and that’s where Pure Storage shines
And the horror doesn’t end there. After the initial attack, it can be a slow road to recovery. You need to consider your Recovery Time Objective (RTO). How is your data stored? Recovery takes time, and if you’re having to dredge up petabytes of data from your backups, it could take days, weeks, or even months before it’s back to business as usual. But by that point, it’s not really business as usual, is it? You’ll have been delivered a haunting experience that may very well collapse the future of your organisation.
It’s important to note that with the current landscape of cyber-attacks, the question is not IF you’ll be attacked, but WHEN. Whilst this sounds terrifying, knowing that an attack may be inevitable allows you to prepare properly, and that’s where Pure Storage shines
While preventing ransomware is the ideal scenario, Pure Storage offers a powerful
defence strategy for when the worst happens. Their innovative solutions are designed to
minimise the impact of an attack and accelerate recovery.
Step-by-Step Recovery with Pure Storage
1. Detection and Isolation: Pure1®, Pure Storage’s AI-driven management platform,
acts as an early warning system. It detects unusual file activity, signalling a potential
ransomware attack. Rapid isolation of affected systems contains the damage. Pure
Storage is constantly monitoring and analysing your data, allowing to pinpoint the exact
moment of an attack. This alleviates fears of a breach being hidden in your data, waiting
for months before enacting a heist.
2. SafeMode Snapshots: Pure Storage’s SafeMode snapshots are your digital safety net. These immutable copies of your data are immune to encryption or deletion, even by attackers with administrator privileges. They provide a secure, verified starting point for recovery. It’s a fallback for when the worst happens, and an immutable picture of your data before an attack.
3. Rapid Data Recovery with FlashBlade®: Time is of the essence after a ransomware attack. FlashBlade, Pure Storage’s high-performance storage platform, empowers you with Rapid Restore. This feature allows you to recover petabytes of data in mere hours, not days or weeks, minimising downtime. Best of all, you can assign FlashBlade to different sets of data that hold different levels of importance to your organisation. By giving you different levels of recovery time, you can still achieve lightning-fast recovery of your critical data whilst staying within your budget.
4. Continuous Data Protection (CDP): Pure Storage goes beyond recovery. With Continuous Data Protection, you create near-instantaneous recovery points, minimising data loss and ensuring your business operations continue with minimal disruption.
2. SafeMode Snapshots: Pure Storage’s SafeMode snapshots are your digital safety net. These immutable copies of your data are immune to encryption or deletion, even by attackers with administrator privileges. They provide a secure, verified starting point for recovery. It’s a fallback for when the worst happens, and an immutable picture of your data before an attack.
3. Rapid Data Recovery with FlashBlade®: Time is of the essence after a ransomware attack. FlashBlade, Pure Storage’s high-performance storage platform, empowers you with Rapid Restore. This feature allows you to recover petabytes of data in mere hours, not days or weeks, minimising downtime. Best of all, you can assign FlashBlade to different sets of data that hold different levels of importance to your organisation. By giving you different levels of recovery time, you can still achieve lightning-fast recovery of your critical data whilst staying within your budget.
4. Continuous Data Protection (CDP): Pure Storage goes beyond recovery. With Continuous Data Protection, you create near-instantaneous recovery points, minimising data loss and ensuring your business operations continue with minimal disruption.
Evolving Threats, Proactive Defence
The cyber threat landscape is ever-changing, but Pure Storage is committed to staying
ahead of the curve. Their solutions continually evolve to combat the latest ransomware
variants and other cyber threats. By partnering with Pure Storage, XMA delivers the
perfect storage solution for you. We work with best-in-class cyber-resilience vendors such
as Commvault, Druva, Veeam, and Rubrik, ensuring that you’re protected on all fronts,
building a pro-active and reactive fortress of defence for your data.
We understand that every organisation has unique needs, and our team of experts is dedicated to helping you assess, design, and deploy a Pure Storage solution tailored to your specific requirements. From initial consultation to ongoing support, we’re with you every step of the way
We understand that every organisation has unique needs, and our team of experts is dedicated to helping you assess, design, and deploy a Pure Storage solution tailored to your specific requirements. From initial consultation to ongoing support, we’re with you every step of the way
Protect Your Organisation Now
Don’t wait to become a horror story. Be proactive in your cybersecurity defence.
Pure Storage offers a comprehensive suite of solutions to protect your data, minimise
downtime, and recover from ransomware attacks with unparalleled speed
Ready to fortify your digital defences?
Visit Pure Storage | XMA and contact us today for a free
consultation and discover how XMA and Pure Storage can
safeguard your valuable data.