The Backup Wrap-Up

Ransomware attacks and data breaches dominate the headlines, but is your data protection strategy truly secure? This must-listen episode dives deep on an unsung hero of cyber resilience - tape.

Tape may have been written off by some as a legacy technology, yet it offers unparalleled air gap protection that no hacker can penetrate. Top experts from Fujifilm and IBM (sponsors of this episode) reveal the major advances that make modern tape more scalable, reliable, and cost-effective than ever before.

Learn how the pioneering capabilities of the newest LTO-9 drives and 50TB tape cartridges can economically safeguard tens or hundreds of petabytes. Hear the shocking sustainability advantage, with tape generating 97% less CO2 emissions and using drastically less power than comparable disk solutions.

With powerful integrated encryption, quantum-safe algorithms on the horizon, and clever optimizations to tame growing data volumes, tape has been reborn as the undisputed information lifeline every organization needs. Don't let your backups remain exposed - get the insider intel on fortifying your last line of defense with tried and tested tape.

Stories referenced in the episode:

https://blocksandfiles.com/2023/11/03/backblaze-shard-stash-cache/

https://blocksandfiles.com/2023/11/06/cohesity-smartfiles-becomes-snowflake-analytics-playground/

What does "air gap" really mean when it comes to backups? Curtis takes us back to the early days of offsite tape backups with Iron Mountain to explore the principles behind physical air gaps. We learn about barcode tracking, unmarked vans, and multi-factor delete authorization. How do modern "virtual air gaps" in the cloud compare? Are backup vendors misusing important security terms? Join us as we separate marketing hype from real backup protection and learn timeless lessons around alerting, access controls, and immutable data. After this episode, you'll know how to assess if your backups are following air gap principles - no matter what technology you use.

In this episode of The Backup Wrap-Up, host W. Curtis Preston discusses the importance of understanding the difference between snapshots and backups. He emphasizes that storage snapshots should not be considered as true backups. The episode also covers the recent 1Password and Okta hack, highlighting the frustration of such incidents, especially for those who advocate for password managers and cloud technologies. Tune in to learn more about the risks and implications of relying solely on snapshots and the importance of proper backup strategies.

In this episode of the Backup Wrap-Up, W. Curtis Preston and Prasanna Malaiyandi discuss Continuous Data Protection (CDP) and its potential as the next great thing in disaster recovery. They explore the concept of meeting an RTO and RPO of zero and question why CDP isn't used for all backups in DR. Tune in to learn more about CDP and its role in backup and disaster recovery.

Article mentioned in the story:

https://www.theregister.com/2023/10/10/ransomware_attacks_register_record_speeds

In this episode, W. Curtis Preston, aka Mr. Backup, and Prasanna Malaiyandi discuss the fundamental technology of replication in data protection systems. They explore what replication is, how it differs from other methods, and why it's not used for everything. They also delve into the differences between synchronous and asynchronous replication and why it matters. The hosts also share news of a backup company called Alcion, which recently raised funding with support from Veeam, a backup company investing in Alcion's focus on Microsoft 365 backups for SMB customers. They also discuss a report from ESG about how cloud backup has evolved. The episode provides insights into the world of data protection and highlights the importance of replication in safeguarding valuable data.

Articles discussed in this episode:

https://www.techtarget.com/searchdatabackup/news/366552363/Veeam-leads-funding-round-for-SaaS-backup-provider-Alcion

https://www.techtarget.com/searchdatabackup/feature/Cloud-backup-and-disaster-recovery-evolve-toward-maturity

In this episode of the Backup Wrap-Up, host W. Curtis Preston discusses the importance of distinguishing between a copy and a backup to ensure the protection of valuable data. He also explores key backup concepts such as multiplexing, incremental backups, block-level incremental backups, and source-side deduplication. The episode kicks off with a discussion on the recent MGM hack, highlighting the significant impact it had on the hotel chain and the potential for personal information leaks. Tune in to learn how to safeguard your data effectively and become a backup hero.

Articles mentioned in the episode:

https://www.reddit.com/r/vegas/comments/16hxwj0/explain_like_i_am_5_mgm_hacking/

https://www.reversinglabs.com/blog/what-we-know-about-blackcat-and-the-mgm-hack

In this episode of the Backup Wrap-up, we continue our Backup to Basics series by discussing the importance of protecting cloud infrastructure, including Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Software as a Service (SaaS). We then dive into the differences between these various cloud services and highlight the need to back up various components of each. We also discuss a recent incident where a Danish hosting company lost a significant amount of customer data due to a ransomware attack, emphasizing the ongoing threat of ransomware and the vulnerability of service providers. Tune in to learn more about safeguarding your data in the cloud.

Links to articles mentioned in the post:

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/hosting-firm-says-it-lost-all-customer-data-after-ransomware-attack/

https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/how-to-back-up-restore-your-documents-in-windows-10

In this episode of the Backup Wrap-Up, host W. Curtis Preston and co-host Prasanna Malaiyandi explore the topic of data protection in the Internet of Things (IoT) era. With the increasing number of IoT devices in our homes and organizations, it is crucial to understand how to back up and secure the data generated by these devices. They discuss the importance of knowing which devices create important data and where that data is being stored.

They also discuss IBM's release of a 150 terabyte tape, which showcases advancements in data storage capacity, and a TechTarget ESG survey about the use of the cloud in data protection.

Tune in to this informative episode for insights on safeguarding your IoT data.

In this episode of the Backup Wrap-Up, host W. Curtis Preston, also known as Mr. Backup, and his co-host Prasanna Malaiyandi, discuss the importance (or not) of backing up data in hybrid cloud storage systems, with a possibly surprising answer. The episode begins with backup-related news, followed by a deep dive into a single area or lesson that can help protect against ransomware. The news segment includes a story about Toyota, where multiple manufacturing plants shut down during their production process. Tune in for the answer to the question about backing up hybrid storage systems, and to learn more about data backup and disaster recovery systems.

This is a very short episode to explain our name change and a few other minor changes to the format. The show you know and love is getting better! (Prasanna and I aren't going anywhere.)