IBM to fight ransomware by combining its FlashSystem and Cyber Vault product

IBM is expanding its Cyber Vault product to FlashSystem, bringing features to its flagship all-flash arrays to fight ransomware.  

IBM FlashSystem Cyber Vault takes the existing Cyber Vault data protection from the vendor's mainframe line and brings it to the all-flash storage array, adding protection automation and a faster recovery time. Aimed at hybrid cloud environments, FlashSystem's midrange and high-end storage also saw a refresh with the addition of the 7300 and the 9500 models, and optimization.

IBM has been an early leader in providing anti-ransomware protections and capabilities that are important before, during and after an attack. The damage from a ransomware attack, including the potentially long data recovery process, was the impetus behind expanding Cyber Vault onto FlashSystem, according to Denis Kennelly, general manager at IBM Storage.

"The business value is taking that recovery time down from weeks to, you know, seconds and minutes," he said.

IBM's Cyber Vault offers users a secure and isolated environment for critical data on primary storage, according to Scott Baker, chief marketing officer and vice president of IBM storage product marketing. Cyber Vault should be thought of as operational air gapping, he said. The vault is disconnected from the primary RAID, still within the IT network itself, but secure and separated from the primary storage.

While the new offerings unveiled are being delivered by IBM's storage group, much of the unit's focus is on other technology areas, namely security and hybrid cloud. This is in line with a broader trend occurring in the data storage industry where vendors target hot use cases that give them a better chance of selling their hardware.