Softsource VBridge Deploys Cloudian Immutable Storage To Keep NZ Data Beyond The Reach Of Ransomware Attacks

Cloudian today announced it has expanded its agreement with New Zealand ICT systems integrator and service provider, Softsource vBridge, to help New Zealand organisations protect data from ransomware attacks by creating an immutable backup of their critical data.

The agreement sees Softsource vBridge leverage Cloudian’s HyperStore object storage and Object Lock data immutability technology and operate it from its Auckland and Christchurch data centres. The data protection service, named Indelible Backup, has ramped up as New Zealand organisations seek to keep a failsafe of their critical operational data separate and available to reinject quickly in the event of a ransomware attack or accidental deletion.

The Indelible Backup service is already used by Auckland University of Technology, several district councils and other New Zealand-based organisations using AI to power large, geospatial datasets. Softsource vBridge has deployed and is fast filling two petabytes of data – equivalent to about 22,000 4K movies – on Cloudian’s platform, and will expand the environment for new and existing customers as part of the new agreement.

“Our Cloudian-based service, Indelible Backup, offers the difference between being back online within hours or days instead of weeks or months when the worst happens,” said John Ward, Customer Experience Manager, Softsource vBridge. “When organisations are locked out of their data, they can’t operate, trade, pay staff or process invoices. The costs can spiral into millions of dollars, notwithstanding the long-term customer relationship and reputational damage that can occur.”

The system helps to maintain data sovereignty by keeping the data hosted in and only accessible from within New Zealand, helping organisations to meet security and compliance needs and preferences around sensitive data. It also has zero ingress or egress costs, charges typically associated with pulling data in and out of the cloud. This can save tens of thousands of dollars per month or more depending on the amount of data in play. The solution is also compliant with ISO 27001, the leading international information security standard.

Supporting Cyber Insurance Cover

The partnership expansion comes as organisations find it increasingly difficult to obtain cyber insurance. Cloudian and Softsource vBridge customers often find that data immutability is key to securing the cyber insurance coverage they need. Further, some Cloudian customers report receiving a discount of up to 15% on cyber insurance because of ‘robust data protection’.

“Cyber insurance is often the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff – if you need to activate it, you’ve already lost in a sense,” added Ward. “But it’s something New Zealand organisations require. By partnering with Cloudian, we can help organisations get insurance, and we help them avoid needing to use it.”

Cloudian Asia Pacific and Japan Senior Director James Wright said the issue of data immutability needs to be forefront at the Board level and should be central to organisations’ governance.

“There’s a wider risk here when organisations believe there is a level of separation between the data they use and its backup copy. In reality, backup copies are vulnerable, something they only realise when they’re attacked and both datasets are compromised,” said Wright.

“We’ve designed this system to provide the level of assurance that New Zealand organisations need. The backups are untouchable, and are even protected from rogue actors within the organisation. The backup copies can be the lifeline organisations need when their perimeter defences are taken down, and really that is a ‘when, not if’ consideration.”

As well as leveraging Cloudian HyperStore, Indelible is built on HPE servers within Softsource vBridge’s data centres, and typically employs Veeam’s leading backup, disaster recovery and modern data protection software. Veeam is a key partner to both Softsource vBridge and Cloudian and recently integrated Cloudian’s object storage on its new Data Platform.

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About Cloudian

Cloudian is the leader in data management software for the hybrid cloud. With military-grade security, limitless scalability and seamless cloud integration, Cloudian’s S3-compatible object storage lets users optimise data access, meet data sovereignty requirements, and cut costs by consolidating information to a single, cloud-like platform. Cloudian’s geo-distributed architecture manages and protects object and file data at the edge, core, and in the cloud, for both conventional and modern applications. Learn more at cloudian.com

About Softsource vBridge

Softsource vBridge is an ICT systems integrator providing specialist Technology Solutions, Professional Services, Technical expertise and Data Centre Services to the SMB, Government and Enterprise markets. Learn more at softsource.co.nz

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