IBM Adds AI-Enhanced Data Resilience Capabilities to IBM Storage Portfolio
AI-enhanced versions of the IBM FlashCore Module will help organizations defend against ransomware attacks with IBM Storage FlashSystem products and IBM Storage Defender software
Among the significant dangers posed to company data and viability—ranging from insider threats, hardware failure, natural disasters and more—cyberattacks consistently top the list, with 89% of companies ranking it within their top five threats.
“It’s only a matter of time before attackers start looking at AI as an attack surface,” says Sam Werner, VP of IBM Storage product management. “Building data resilience into the infrastructure is an essential step to not only safeguard from today’s attacks, but from the AI-enabled attacks of tomorrow as well.” Because cyberattacks can happen at any time and have potentially dire, costly consequences, early threat detection and faster time to recovery are paramount.
Advanced Solutions for Advanced Threats
To address these evolving threats, IBM has announced new enhancements to the IBM FlashCore Module developed to provide end-to-end data resilience. The fourth generation IBM FlashCore Module (FCM4) will integrate into new IBM Storage FlashSystem products and an updated version of IBM Storage Defender. “…data can be restored or recovered to multiple target locations, including new locations [during recovery],” Werner notes.
Cybercriminals are using AI to boost the efficiency of attacks, but both FCM4 and IBM Storage Defender do the same for data protection. “The new FCM4 technology is designed to continuously monitor statistics gathered from every single I/O using machine learning models to detect anomalies like ransomware in less than a minute,” Werner adds. This helps organizations take preventative measures before attacks happen, minimizing the potential for financial and legal damage or impacts to hardware.
IBM Storage Defender software also utilizes AI, offering end-to-end data resilience across enterprise data estates to protect organizations’ critical assets. AI-powered sensors developed by IBM Research help detect cyberthreats with high accuracy and speed.
IBM Storage Defender offers additional workload and storage inventory management capabilities, helping organizations understand the breadth of their applications and data—and develop a business continuity plan to recover from cyberattacks.
According to Werner, “New settings also allow administrators to automate the creation of Safeguarded Copy snapshots, which are cyber-resilient point-in-time copies of volumes that cannot be changed or deleted through user errors, malicious actions or ransomware attacks. Isolating these backup copies from production data can help recover data quickly in case of a cyberattack.”
A Comprehensive Defense System for the Future
Combined, FCM4 and IBM Storage Defender offer world-class data resilience to organizations, help them dodge threats before they occur, and aid in the recovery process should a breach occur.
“The ability to not only detect anomalies faster, but also to restore data that has been safeguarded from corruption, helps organizations maintain operations during an attack and avoid business interruptions,” says Werner. For organizations looking to enhance cyber resilience, IBM’s AI-enhanced offerings provide a comprehensive and proactive safety net to save time and money.
Read the full press release for more information.