Why the channel is chattering about immutable storage
CRN delves into the phrase being bandied about by vendors and resellers to find out why this old concept got a new name and whether the rebrand is working
As ransomware attacks continue to make headlines, a buzzword has gained traction among security vendors, who proclaim it to be a tool in the arsenal against hackers: immutable storage.
Vendors such as Rubrik, Cohesity, Arcserve, AWS and Microsoft have all been promoting the service, but it's not exactly a new concept.
Immutable storage is based on the idea that a backup copy of your data is stored offline in a form that cannot be tampered with, modified or hacked.
Traditionally it was stored on tape, but is more likely now on disk or the cloud, or a mixture of both. Immutable storage ostensibly gives customers the peace of mind that if their data be encrypted, all is not lost.
But have these high-profile ransomware attacks driven customers to seek out this service, or is it a case of an old idea wrapped in a rebrand?
Something old, something new
Brett Edgecombe, MD of Bristol-based 101 Data Solutions, said he is seeing customer demand for immutable storage from across all verticals, mainly from businesses that want to modernise their infrastructure and protect their data.
"Many organisations want to have the ability to save that data - whether on-premise, in the cloud or a mix of both - to ensure that safety mechanism, that's why we're hearing a lot more about it," he explained.
"We've seen quite a few data breaches around back-up this year, so organisations are far more concerned about being able to restore good copies or have access to archived copies of their valuable data set."
Data has become a significant asset to most companies and IT decision-makers are aware of the requirements to protect data as much as any other important part of their operations, Edgebombe added.
"This is a modern world we live in with data and it is a valuable asset to any organisation; it's the modern commodity," he said.
"We're living in a data-driven world, so they invest in the protection of that intellectual property - it's a good feature to have.
"Most organisations are asking or demanding that functionality because the awareness is out there; technology leaders are absolutely aware of the challenges they face with data protection."
Despite the heightened awareness of customers about their need for unmodifiable backup of their data, not everyone convinced by the vendor messaging around immutable storage.
Jonathan Lassman, MD of storage specialist Epaton, believes that too much emphasis is being placed on the tool as a solution by itself, stating that it is just one way of protecting data among many and that customers often have those other tools at their disposal.
"Don't get me wrong, we sell immutable storage, it's a good thing and I'm all for it," he said.
"The issue with this scaremongering is that these vendors and resellers are going out there and saying ‘What you've got now is not up to the job, you need to buy something else that guarantees you immutable storage'.
"But there are other ways for clients to do it with what they probably already have, such as firewalling off the backup, making sure there's one way in and one way out or potentially putting your back-up off-site in a colocation facility with one line in, one line out.
"All of these things don't necessarily mean that they need to replace what they have, they just might need to re-architect."
Paul Brunyee, EMEA pre-sales director at Arcserve, added that customers who are seeking out immutable storage specifically are "fringe" cases, but that he has observed an uptick in enquiries on the offering.
"In my experience, customers have been curious about it, but not demanding it. I am aware of a couple of occasions [where they have asked for it], but I see that in a minority of cases - they're very much fringe cases," said Paul Brunyee, EMEA pre-sales director at Arcserve.
"I think the partners, by their very nature, have to respond and react because they're closest to the customers. Some partners that I've spoken to asked us specifically about our positions and our story on it, so there's obviously a demand out there.
"Now, will that demand translate into people actually implementing it? Or is it demand for more knowledge and education? I think we're probably at that point where it's about education on immutable storage."
Why is it so hot right now?
The coronavirus crisis has also provided hackers with new ways to access an organisations network and data.
Organisations shifting to working from home caused a renewed sense of concern among bosses that their employees were now working in unsecure environments.
"Incidents of phishing, security breaches and ransomware on are on the increase and a big part of that is that people have got access to their corporate network and data from their home office," Brunyee explained.
"A lot of organisations have had to extend their security perimeters to include these outlying endpoints. And so there's going to be holes and more scope for ransomware.
"People are joining the dots and thinking, ‘ah, this is a potential thing I can look to protect the company from ransomware - and it is, but I think it's for specific use cases. It's not the entire solution, but it seems to be in vogue at the moment."
Epaton's Lassman agreed with this sentiment, adding that recent breaches have shown customers the importance of having a safe copy of their data held offline, particularly as they continue to adapt to a hybrid working model.
"Even when you're buying a storage solution, you need to consider security, when you're buying a security solution, you need to consider where that information lives - if you're not doing these things, then you're missing a trick," he said.
"Is immutable storage 100 per cent safe? Hell no. No one can tell you it is. The reason why people hack is that there's money in it; whatever door we put up, they're going to break it down. We just have to keep putting doors up."