STLATEST

STORAGE 

MAGAZINE 

The UK’s number one in IT Storage 

May/June 2024 

Vol 24, Issue 3 

HARD DRIVES: 

Optimising the service life of HDDs 

MANAGEMENT: 

Data strategies for SMEs 

RESEARCH: 

Getting backup right 

STRATEGY: 

Multi-cloud grows in popularity 

COMMENT - RESEARCH - INTERVIEWS - CASE STUDIES - OPINIONS - PRODUCT REVIEWS

7000 SERIES 

7000 SERIES

The UK’s number one in IT Storage 

HARD DRIVES: 

Optimising the service life of HDDs 

May/June 2024 

Vol 24, Issue 3 

CONTENTS 

STOR 

MAGAZINE 

STORAGE 

CONTENTS 

MANAGEMENT: 

Data strategies for SMEs 

RESEARCH: 

Getting backup right 

STRATEGY: 

Multi-cloud grows in popularity 

COMMENT - RESEARCH - INTERVIEWS - CASE STUDIES - OPINIONS - PRODUCT REVIEWS 

COMMENT….....................................................................4 

Getting experts round the table 

06 

TECHNOLOGY: HARD DRIVES……..............................….6 

Rainer W. Kaese, Senior Manager Business Development for storage products at 

Toshiba Electronics Europe, explains how to get the maximum service life out of hard 

drives 

ANALYSIS: MICROSOFT …....…..................................…..8 

Microsoft entering the backup market is great news for customers and for the data 

protection community, argues Paul Robichaux, Microsoft MVP and Senior Director of 

Product Management at Keepit 

10 

EVENT: STORAGE AWARDS 2024………..................…10 

The full list of finalists for this year's Storage awards is right here - don't forget to cast 

your vote! 

ROUNDTABLE: STORAGE TRENDS…….................……16 

Storage magazine asked a selection of industry experts to compare the data storage 

challenges of 2014 to today 

CASE STUDY: OTTOMAN'S LIFE HOTEL DELUXE…21 

Ottoman's Life Hotel Deluxe, a hotel in Istanbul, Turkey, is protecting its business-critical 

Microsoft 365 and VMs with Nakivo Backup & Replication 

16 

FEATURE: BACKUP…………......................................……22 

Another year, another World Backup Day been and gone - but does having an official 

day to remind us of the importance of data protection actually change anything in the 

real world? Storage magazine gathers the views of experts from across the sector 

MANAGEMENT: SME STRATEGIES……...................….26 

Uwe Kemmer, Director of Field Engineering EMEA at Western Digital, looks at how UK 

SME's can boost performance through their data 

21 

STRATEGY: DISASTER RECOVERY……..................…..28 

Richard Connolly, Regional Director for UKI at Infinidat, describes three critical 

capabilities for successful recovery from a cyberattack 

TECHNOLOGY: AREAL DENSITY….…….…...............….30 

Areal density technologies are paving the way for a whole new generation of data 

centres, says B.S. Teh, Chief Commercial Officer, Seagate 

MANAGEMENT: DATA PROTECTION………..............…32 

Jon Fielding, Managing Director, EMEA Apricorn, describes how failing to implement 

the right backup strategy can compromise data recovery 

30 

RESEARCH: CLOUD ADOPTION…….......................……34 

Nutanix has announced the findings of its sixth annual Enterprise Cloud Index (ECI) 

survey and research report, which measures global cloud adoption and related trends 

www.storagemagazine.co.uk @STMagAndAwards May/June 2024 

STORAGE 

MAGAZINE 

03

COMMENT 

EDITOR: David Tyler 

david.tyler@btc.co.uk 

SUB EDITOR: Mark Lyward 

mark.lyward@btc.co.uk 

REVIEWS: Dave Mitchell 

PUBLISHER: John Jageurs 

john.jageurs@btc.co.uk 

LAYOUT/DESIGN: Ian Collis 

ian.collis@btc.co.uk 

SALES/COMMERCIAL ENQUIRIES: 

Lucy Gambazza 

lucy.gambazza@btc.co.uk 

Stuart Leigh 

stuart.leigh@btc.co.uk 

MANAGING DIRECTOR: John Jageurs 

john.jageurs@btc.co.uk 

DISTRIBUTION/SUBSCRIPTIONS: 

Christina Willis 

christina.willis@btc.co.uk 

PUBLISHED BY: Barrow & Thompkins 

Connexions Ltd. (BTC) 

35 Station Square, Petts Wood 

Kent BR5 1LZ, UK 

Tel: +44 (0)1689 616 000 

Fax: +44 (0)1689 82 66 22 

SUBSCRIPTIONS: 

UK £35/year, £60/two years, 

£80/three years; 

Europe: £48/year, £85 two years, 

£127/three years; 

Rest of World: £62/year 

£115/two years, £168/three years. 

Single copies can be bought for £8.50 

(includes postage & packaging). 

Published 6 times a year. 

No part of this magazine may be 

reproduced without prior consent, in 

writing, from the publisher. 

©Copyright 2024 

Barrow & Thompkins Connexions Ltd 

Articles published reflect the opinions 

of the authors and are not necessarily those 

of the publisher or of BTC employees. While 

every reasonable effort is made to ensure 

that the contents of articles, editorial and 

advertising are accurate no responsibility 

can be accepted by the publisher or BTC for 

errors, misrepresentations or any 

resulting effects 

GETTING EXPERTS ROUND 

THE TABLE 

BY DAVID TYLER 

EDITOR 

The May/June issue of Storage magazine includes not one but two of our everpopular 

roundtable features, where we gather the views of many of the great and 

good from around the sector to establish their views. In the first, we take a look 

back at the storage issues of the day from ten years ago and compare them with the 

big stories of today - and even try to imagine what we might be talking about in 

another ten years time! 

From the article it might seem that the data storage challenges that IT organisations 

faced in 2014 are very similar to those they face today - at least at a high level. "The 

challenges haven't changed much, even though the technology has," said Randy Kerns, 

senior strategist and analyst at the Futurum Group. "Probably the biggest was dealing 

with ever-increasing demands for storage capacity. The second challenge was 

protecting the data. Even though the intensity of ransomware attacks was not the same 

as it is today, data protection was still a major issue. The third challenge was not 

having enough staff to handle the storage workload. That staffing problem has only 

gotten worse since then." 

Sound familiar? I thought it might. David Norfolk of Bloor Research added: "The 

technical issues of ten years ago have largely gone. Storage is now cheap, reliable 

and easy to scale. But storage management is now a source of cost." 

Our second expert roundtable looks at backup - and specifically, whether the idea of 

World Backup Day has passed its useful sell-by date. Is having a day dedicated to the 

importance of a potentially critical business issue really appropriate? And does it 

actually make any difference to organisational awareness of backup and data 

protection? 

Kevin Cole of Zerto made the possibly contentious argument that one of backup's 

problems is that it is - well, boring: "It can be hard to get attention for a computing 

practice that dates many decades. Yet, backup remains more relevant than ever thanks 

to the explosive growth in data, distributed from edge to cloud, and an ever-evolving 

cyber threat landscape. Backup is still one of the foundational pillars in data 

protection alongside disaster recovery, archive, and cyber recovery." 

Carl D'Halluin of Datadobi was equally outspoken in his advice - and his words are 

unquestionably wise: "Backup isn't just a technical formality. Given the virtually 

unavoidable risks of ransomware, malicious or accidental deletions, and countless 

other threats - it's absolutely crucial for the health of your business. The first step? Get 

your arms around your data. You cannot protect it if you do not know what you have." 

04 STORAGE 

MAGAZINE 

May/June 2024 

@STMagAndAwards 

www.storagemagazine.co.uk

DON’T 

SaaSSS 

GET YOUR 

KICKED! ! 

TAKE CONTROL NOW AND 

PROTECT YOUR SaaS DATA 

Global SaaS vendors like Microsoft, Google and Salesforce 

don’t assume any responsibility for your data hosted 

in their applications. So, it’s up to you to take control 

and fully protect your SaaS data from cyber threats or 

accidental loss. Arcserve SaaS Backup offers complete 

protection for your SaaS data, eliminating business 

interruptions due to unrecoverable data loss. 

Arcserve SaaS Backup 

Complete protection for all your SaaS data. 

arcserve.com 

The unified data resilience platform

TECHNOLOGY: HARD DRIVES 

EXTENDING THE LIFE OF YOUR HDDS 

RAINER W. KAESE, SENIOR MANAGER BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT FOR STORAGE PRODUCTS AT TOSHIBA 

ELECTRONICS EUROPE, EXPLAINS HOW TO GET THE MAXIMUM SERVICE LIFE OUT OF HARD DRIVES 

Hard drives are extremely reliable and 

only rarely fail. Treated properly, they 

can generally be used beyond the 

guarantee period without any notable increase 

in the failure rate. But what are the specific 

factors influencing the service lives of hard 

drives? And what are the optimum operating 

and ambient conditions? 

Hard drive reliability is extremely important, 

especially for professional applications. 

Although backups and data replication may 

provide protection against data losses, the 

replacement of defective drives and the 

restoration of regular operation involve 

resources in personnel and financial terms that 

companies prefer to keep to a minimum as far 

as possible. 

The major operators of data processing 

centres and cloud providers are exceptionally 

good at doing this. Their failure rates are often 

between 0.1 and 0.2 percent - meaning that 

for every 1,000 drives, just one to two fail each 

year. In addition, because of very good 

ambient conditions, they use their hard drives 

well beyond the guarantee period without a 

significant increase in failure rates. As a 

general rule they only ever replace their data 

storage media when they require additional 

storage capacity and replace older HDDs with 

the latest new models with much higher 

storage capacities. 

But how do you get the maximum service life 

out of hard drives? As storage media with 

moving parts, HDDs ideally prefer steady and 

smooth operation - every form of movement 

of, or shock to, the devices in which they are 

located is deadly for their mechanical 

elements. NAS systems and other devices 

which are not installed in a server rack should 

therefore never be moved while in operation. 

Ideally, they should not even be stood on or 

underneath the desk, where there is an everpresent 

risk of bumping them or knocking 

them with your feet. In addition, the desktop 

can easily transfer vibrations on the desk to the 

device, thereby acting as a resonant body 

which amplifies the rotational vibrations 

occurring in the device. Although NAS, 

Surveillance and Enterprise HDDs have special 

vibration protection which detects undesirable 

vibrations and adjusts the operating 

parameters to minimise them, this is quickly 

strained to the limit by externally induced or 

amplified vibrations. 

For this reason, it is important that hard drives 

are properly secured in the device and not 

simply inserted in the housing. All of the 

supplied fastening material should be used to 

install the drives so that they are not loose in 

any way. Nevertheless, it is still possible 

(especially in the 

case of cheaper systems with clamps or plastic 

trays) that the HDDs or the trays may not be 

held completely securely. In such cases it is 

advisable to secure them in place with small 

pieces of rubber or similar materials to 

eliminate any remaining play. 

HARD DRIVES NEED COOLING 

High temperatures are just as much of a 

problem for hard drives as movement. If they 

get hot, their electronic and mechanical 

components no longer work properly and 

individual parts wear out more quickly. As an 

example, the oil used for lubricating the 

spindle bearing can become too liquid under 

excessive heat and then escape - with a 

significant reduction in service life. This is why 

hard drives require continuous temperature 

monitoring and reliable cooling, especially 

under heavy load. 

The temperature of the drives can be read via 

SMART (Self-Monitoring Analysis and 

Reporting Technology) and must be within the 

temperature range specified by the 

manufacturer. For Enterprise HDDs this means 

5 to 60°C, for NAS systems 5 to 65°C and for 

Surveillance HDDs as much as 0 to 70°C. The 

reason for these differences is that 

Enterprise HDDs 

06 STORAGE May/June 2024 


www.storagemagazine.co.uk 

MAGAZINE

TECHNOLOGY: HARD DRIVES 

"The service life of a hard drive also depends on usage or, more 

specifically, the annual workload and - in case of models not 

designed for 24/7 operation - the daily operating time. PC 

drives are designed for a workload of 55 TB and an operating 

time of eight to 16 hours per day. NAS and Surveillance HDDs, 

on the other hand, are rated for reliability considering a 

workload of up to 180 TB and can be in operation around the 

clock. The same applies to Enterprise HDDs, whose high 

reliability is rated assuming a workload as high as up to 550 TB." 

are normally used in air-conditioned rooms, 

whereas NAS and Surveillance HDDs are often 

run in environments in which the temperatures 

are not stable and are not easy to control. 

Video surveillance systems, for example, are 

frequently used in warehouse buildings or 

storage areas. 

However, the temperature range specified by 

the manufacturers is of relevance merely with 

respect to the pure functionality of the hard 

drives. To last as long as possible, the drives 

need to be operated at an average temperature 

of 40°C maximum, because it is this value 

which is used as the basis for the mean time to 

failure (MTTF) information in the data sheets. 

A typical Enterprise HDD has an MTTF of 2.5 

million hours, which equates to an annual 

failure rate (AFR) of 0.35 percent. Experience 

shows that for every 5 degrees over 40°C, the 

failure rate increases by around 30 percent. 

Continuous operation at 55°C therefore means 

that the AFR can be more than double (0.76 

percent). In this case, the failure rate per year 

for every 1,000 drives is no longer likely to be 

three to four, but more like seven to eight drives. 

Especially in the summer months, when 

temperatures in rooms without airconditioning 

regularly exceed 30°C, the inside 

of a system quickly reaches more than 40°C. 

A home or office NAS is therefore better 

located in a cool basement than in a sunny 

living room or home office. 

Professional systems need to be in airconditioned 

rooms anyway, where a wellthought-out 

cooling concept ensures that cold 

air gets to it effectively and does not mix with the 

warm exhaust air flowing out of the back of the 

device. Where top loaders with several dozen 

drives are used, companies may also need to 

ensure that very low air intake temperatures are 

provided in order to keep the rear rows of 

HDDs, which are only reached by the air which 

has already been warmed by the front HDDs, 

below 40°C on a permanent basis. 

If the hard drive temperature is permanently 

more than 15°C above the air intake or 

ambient temperature, this indicates that there is 

a problem with the thermal design of the 

system. It may be that the fan is not working 

properly, or the air flow is not reaching the hard 

drives to optimum effect. This can certainly be 

the case with consumer devices when 

manufacturers give greater priority to visual 

appearance over efficient cooling. 

BEAR THE WORKLOAD IN MIND 

The service life of a hard drive also depends on 

usage or, more specifically, the annual 

workload and - in case of models not 

designed for 24/7 operation - the daily 

operating time. PC drives are designed for a 

workload of 55 TB and an operating time of 

eight to 16 hours per day. NAS and 

Surveillance HDDs, on the other hand, are 

rated for reliability considering a workload of 

up to 180 TB and can be in operation around 

the clock. 

The same applies to Enterprise HDDs, whose 

high reliability is rated assuming a workload as 

high as up to 550 TB. It is generally immaterial 

for the workloads whether the data is read or 

written. In terms of write cycles, hard drives are 

not subject to any limitations and can be 

written over any number of times, if the data 

volume is within the specified workload. 

If the limits for workload and operating time 

are exceeded, this does not mean that there is 

an immediate risk of failure but the probability 

of failures does increase. Anyone wishing to 

maximise the service lives of their drives should 

therefore observe the specified workloads and 

operating times, protect their HDDs against 

knocks and vibrations and operate them at a 

constant temperature not exceeding a 

maximum of 40°C. 

More info: toshiba.semicon-storage.com/eu 


@STMagAndAwards May/June 2024 

STORAGE 

MAGAZINE 

07

ANALYSIS: MICROSOFT 

WELCOMING MICROSOFT TO THE BACKUP SPACE 

MICROSOFT ENTERING THE BACKUP MARKET IS GREAT NEWS FOR CUSTOMERS AND FOR THE DATA 

PROTECTION COMMUNITY, ARGUES PAUL ROBICHAUX, MICROSOFT MVP AND SENIOR DIRECTOR OF 

PRODUCT MANAGEMENT AT KEEPIT 

Last fall, Microsoft announced that they 

were working on a backup tool for 

Microsoft 365. Formally named 

Microsoft 365 Backup, their tool is in public 

preview and is expected to go into general 

availability in the next couple of months. 

That makes it a great time to share some 

perspective on what their entry to the 

market means for SaaS data 

protection now and going forward. 

AN EXPECTED 

UNEXPECTED ENTRY 

Microsoft is not new to the 

world of data protection. 

Their coverage stretches 

back a couple of decades, 

to the days of trusty old 

Windows Backup, and 

they've also made 

significant investment in 

their Azure Backup toolset. 

But to date they have been 

pretty steadfast in ignoring 

Microsoft 365 as a backup 

opportunity, broadcasting the 

message that the native data 

protection features in the service 

provide adequate coverage. 

As a long-time Microsoft community 

member, 20-year Microsoft MVP, and 

Senior Director of Product 

Management at an industry-leading 

data protection vendor, I'd say 

Microsoft's entry into the 

market validates what SaaS 

data protection vendors 

have long been saying 

about the strong need 

for Microsoft 365 data 

protection. 

WHAT HAVE WE BEEN SAYING, 

EXACTLY? 

Keepit and its industry peers have been 

trying to get a simple message out: 

Microsoft is not responsible for your data, 

you are. Therefore, you need to back up 

that data! 

This message seems counterintuitive in 

the face of Microsoft's massive investments 

in data integrity and redundancy. So, why 

have we been saying it? 

First, we know that an overwhelming 

percentage of Microsoft's enterprise 

customers have no backup at all. 

Customers' reasoning is - and I meet this 

in organisations all over the world, all the 

time - that cloud SaaS data doesn't need 

backup at all, because Microsoft won't 

lose it. 

In truth, though, what Microsoft is really 

saying is that they won't lose all your data 

at the same time. Their track record bears 

this out. But what they don't - what they 

can't - promise is that you'll never lose any 

of your data because of something you 

do, or something that is done to your 

tenant. In the backup and recovery space, 

we've been trying to get that message 

across for many, many years. 

This popular perception is a real 

problem: to the organisations who fail to 

protect their data, to their customers and 

users, and to the communities they play 

a role in. Consequently, it's in the 

interest of all of us to bring that number 

down to boost cyber resilience of the 

many critical infrastructure services we 

rely on in our lives. 




MAGAZINE

ANALYSIS: MICROSOFT 

"... an overwhelming percentage of Microsoft's enterprise customers have no backup 

at all. Customers' reasoning is - and I meet this in organisations all over the world, 

all the time - that cloud SaaS data doesn't need backup at all, because Microsoft 

won't lose it. In truth, though, what Microsoft is really saying is that they won't lose 

all your data at the same time. Their track record bears this out. But what they don't 

- what they can't - promise is that you'll never lose any of your data because of 

something you do, or something that is done to your tenant." 

HOW DOES MS RELEASING THEIR 

OWN SOLUTION HELP? 

The minute Microsoft announced 

Microsoft 365 Backup, they legitimised 

the idea that "Hey, maybe I do need to 

back up my Microsoft 365 data". Before 

that introduction, all the vendors in this 

space have long had to challenge the 

popular notion that data in the cloud 

was, by default, automatically and 

perfectly protected. 

Many of us vendors talked at length 

about Microsoft's shared responsibility 

model, where Microsoft themselves clearly 

state that the customer is responsible for 

backup of information and data, including 

devices, accounts, and identities. 

The introduction of Microsoft 365 

Backup marks the start of Microsoft's 

journey into protecting your Microsoft 365 

data against a range of threats, including 

malicious attacks, mistakes, misbehaving 

automations, and other misfortunes. 

And that's great! But it's early days yet: 

Microsoft's solution is still very new, so it 

doesn't include the range of coverage 

(e.g. there's no backup for Entra ID, 

Teams, or Power Platform) or restore 

granularity that third-party data protection 

products can offer. As always, it's crucial 

to have your backups separated physically 

and logically from the Microsoft 

infrastructure. You don't leave your spare 

key in the car, after all. 

The optimist in me hopes that now, with 

Microsoft themselves developing their own 

backup service, we can finally put the 

shared responsibility model into its proper 

perspective and start getting protection for 

the many, many enterprise customers who 

don't have it today. 

WHAT'S REALLY CHANGED? 

Good question. Until Microsoft 365 

Backup reaches GA, you can argue not 

that much has actually changed - except 

now we can start the burial service for the 

original "I don't need backup" objection. 

That frees us to skip over the boring 

question of whether or not you should 

back up Microsoft 365 data, then jump 

into the interesting conversations. For 

example: 

What do you need to back up? Entra 

ID is the control plane for your entire 

Microsoft 365 tenant - since it holds all 

the identities, permissions, and policies 

for your estate it's an excellent example 

of something that you'll probably want 

to consider protecting. In the same 

vein, there are other key SaaS 

workloads (notably Salesforce!) that 

might be important to your business. 

 

What does a good backup look like? 

What are the most important criteria 

for good backup? That it's completely 

separate from your production 

environment? That the data can't be 

tampered with? That recovery is fast 

and precise? That you can protect all 

your most critical SaaS applications? 

Lots to think about here. 

One exciting part of Microsoft's entry 

that's not getting a lot of attention in the 

broad market is that they're making the 

storage layer, Microsoft 365 Backup 

Storage, available to third-party 

independent software vendors (ISVs). 

Clever use of this storage layer makes it 

possible for these ISVs to marry the best of 

Microsoft's technology with the unique 

advantages that each vendor offers. This 

fusion is where I expect to see the most 

innovation and growth in backup for 

Microsoft's platforms. 

Anyway, it's great to see Microsoft 

entering the market because that entry is 

newly awakening interest in data 

protection. And I'm optimistic that their 

marketing and technical muscle will help 

mature the conversations out there so 

that everyone who needs SaaS data 

protection gets it. 

More info: www.keepit.com 



STORAGE 

MAGAZINE 

09

EVENT: 

EVENT: STORAGE AWARDS 2024 

THE CLOCK IS TICKING… 

THE 21ST STORAGE AWARDS CEREMONY IS FAST APPROACHING - 

SEE BELOW FOR THE FULL LIST OF FINALISTS AND DETAILS ON 

HOW TO MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD 

This year's Storage awards ceremony 

takes place in London on June 6th - 

and in this case, D-Day stands for 

Decision-Day. 

If you haven't yet cast your votes in the 

storage industry's biggest and longest 

established awards process, time is 

running out. 

The key dates for your calendar are: 

Voting closes - May 24 

Ceremony date - June 6 

There are still some sponsorship 

opportunities available at the time of 

publication, so if your organisation wants 

to take advantage of the marketing 

opportunities that being involved with the 

awards can bring, don't leave it too late to 

get in touch: email Stuart 

(stuart.leigh@btc.co.uk) or Lucy 

(lucy.gambazza@btc.co.uk) now. 

Remember you don't have to vote in every 

category, just select the ones relevant to 

you and your organisation - as ever, the 

winners of the Editor's Choice awards are, 

as the name suggests, chosen by Storage 

magazine editor David Tyler, so not open 

to voting. 

As always, it's shaping up to be an 

amazing night of networking, socialising 

and of course trophy-collecting for the 

lucky winners. 

There are still places available on the 

night if you've left it late to decide you want 

to attend. Again, see the website below for 

full details. 

More info: www.storage-awards.com 

THE STORRIES XXI 




MAGAZINE

EVENT: 


STORAGE AWARDS 2024 FINALISTS IN FULL - VOTE NOW 

STORAGE INNOVATORS OF THE YEAR 

Arcserve 

Arcitecta 

Boston 

Cloudian 

Cohesity 

CTERA 

Dell EMC 

Hitachi Vantara 

HPE 

Hornetsecurity 

IBM 

Infinidat 

Lenovo 

Nasuni 

NetApp 

Object First 

Pure Storage 

Quantum 

Rubrik 

Seagate 

SoftIron 

Spectra Logic 

Stormagic 

Storpool 

Tintri 

Vast Data 

Veeam 

Veritas 

ZaveIT 

ONE TO WATCH - VENDOR 

Arcitecta 

Assured Data Protection 

Boston 

Datadobi 

Hammerspace 



Infinidat 

Keepit 

Nasuni 

Nexsan 

Object First 

Panzura 

Quest 

Qumulo 

Scale Computing 

Scality 

SoftIron 

StorMagic 

Storpool 

Storetec Services 

Storware 

Tintri 

Vast Data 

Wasabi 

ZaveIT 

ONE TO WATCH - CHANNEL 

101 Data Solutions 

CDS 

Climb Channel Solutions 

Coolspirit 

Ethos Technology 

Insurgo 

iSystems 

Logicalis 

M2M 

N2S 

Nexstor 

Oriium 

Primesys 

Procurri 

Relltek 

Ultra Support 

Westcoast 

ZaveIT 

IMMUTABLE STORAGE COMPANY 

OF THE YEAR 

Acronis 

Arcserve 

Cloudian 

Commvault 

Datto 

ExaGrid 


HPE 

IBM 

Infinidat 

Komprise 

Object First 

Pure Storage 

Quantum 

Rubrik 

Seagate 

Spectra Logic 

Synology 

Tintri 

Veritas 

Wasabi 

STORAGE INDUSTRY CHAMPION - 

COMMERCIAL 

101 Data Solutions - Brett Edgecombe 

Barracuda - Chris Ross 

CDS - Ian Burton 

Climb Channel Solutions - Yvonne Prest 

DataCore - Nicola Houghton 

Epaton - Tom Gibson 

Exagrid - Belinda Fairon 

Hitachi Vantara - Paul Jassies 

Infinidat - Sapna Capoor 

iSystems - Mick Cooper 

Logicalis - Andy Griffiths 

M2M - Ged Mitchell 

Nexstor - Russ Sampson 

Scale Computing - Gary Lynch 

Stormagic - Elliot Goodman 

Tintri - Mark Walsh 

Titan Data Solutions - Jade Easton 

Ultra Support - Richard Morgans 

Veeam - Sarah Quennell 

Veritas - Simon Jelley 


TECHNICAL 

Arcserve - Carl Green 

Climb Channel Solutions - Gary Morris 

Epaton - Pete Aspinall 

Exagrid - Graham Woods 

Exertis Enterprise - Simon Regan 

Hammerspace - Mark Lucas 

Nexsan - Richard Hornsby 

Titan Data Solutions - Stefan Ferrari 

Vast Data - Ross Cooper-Smith 

Wasabi - Neale "Nelly" Simpkins 


MARKETING 

Arcserve - Bradina Freedman 

Barracuda - Tilly Tavers 

Boston - Miodrag Relic 

ExaGrid - Mary Domenichelli 

HPE - Adam Jennings 

Infinidat - Eric Herzog 

Nexstor - Catherine Osborne 

Pure Storage - Julie Murray 

Quantum - Tom Hassall 

Seagate - Cassie Newman 

StorMagic - Leigh Grainger 

Tintri - Ken Man 

Titan Data Solutions - Harry Berner 

Veeam - Clare Angood 

Veritas - Varun Verma 

CHANNEL EXCELLENCE AWARD 

Arrow ECS - William "Billy" Bond 

Assured Data Protection - Ron Mackle 

Barracuda - Giovanni Goduti 

Cameo - Luke Walker 

CDS - Chris Gregory 

CDS - Ricky Patel 

Climb Channel Solutions - Peter De Lange 

DataCore - Craig Hatter 

Epaton - Jonathan Lassman 

Hammerspace - Giada Ligato 

Infinidat - James Lewis 

M2M - Patrick Mitchell 

Nasuni - Kenz Mroue 

Nexstor - Troy Platts 

Pure Storage - David Lewis 

Pure Storage - Geoff Greenlaw 

Quantum - Robert Clark 

Seagate - Andy Palmer 

SoftIron - Philip Crocker 

Spectra Logic - Iain Hamilton 

StorMagic - Brian Grainger 



STORAGE 

MAGAZINE 

11

EVENT: 


Titan Data Security - Steve Low 

Veritas - Toby Keen 

CYBER RESILIENT STORAGE COMPANY OF 

THE YEAR 

Acronis 

Arcserve 


Barracuda 

Cloudian 

Commvault 

DataCore 

Datto 

ExaGrid 


IBM 

Infinidat 

Komprise 

Nasuni 

Object First 

Pure Storage 

Quantum 

Rubrik 

Seagate 

Spectra Logic 

Synology 

Vast Data 

Veeam 

Veritas 

Wasabi 

CLOUD BACKUP COMPANY OF THE YEAR 

Acronis 

Arcserve 

Asigra 

Barracuda 

Cloudian 

Commvault 

Datto 


HPE 

IBM 

NetApp 

Rubrik 

Scality 

SpectraLogic 

Veeam 

Veritas 

Wasabi 

DATA PROTECTION COMPANY OF THE 

YEAR 

Arcserve 

Barracuda 

Cloudian 

Commvault 

Exagrid 


HPE 

IBM 

Infinidat 

Object First 

Pure Storage 

Quantum 

Rubrik 

Spectra Logic 

Tintri 

Vast Data 

Veeam 

Veritas 

ZaveIT 

ENTERPRISE BACKUP HARDWARE VENDOR 

OF THE YEAR 

Boston 

Cloudian 

Dell EMC 

Exagrid 

HPE 

IBM 

Infinidat 

Lenovo 

NetApp 

Pure Storage 

Quantum 

Rubrik 

Seagate 

Spectra Logic 

Tintri 

DATA MANAGEMENT & MONITORING 

VENDOR OF THE YEAR 


Cirrus Data Solutions 

DataCore 

DataDobi 

Hammerspace 


HPE 

IBM 

Komprise 

Nagios 

NetApp 

Paessler 

Park Place Technologies 

Pure Storage 

Solarwinds 

Splunk 

StorMagic 


Veeam 

Veritas 

ZaveIT 

OBJECT STORAGE VENDOR OF THE YEAR 

Cloudian 

Datacore 


HPE 

IBM 

MinIO 

NetApp 

Pure Storage 

Quantum 

Scality 

Seagate 

Spectra Logic 

Wasabi 

HYPER-CONVERGENCE VENDOR OF THE 

YEAR 

Boston 

DataCore 

Dell EMC 

HPE 

Lenovo 

Nutanix 

Open-E 

Scale Computing 

StarWind 

Stormagic 

Storpool 

Supermicro 

Synology 

Virtuozzo 

'AS A SERVICE' PLATFORM OF THE YEAR 

Acronis 

Arcserve 

Carbonite 

Cirrus Data Solutions 

Cohesity 

Crashplan 



HPE 

Infinidat 

Komprise 

MinIO 

NetApp 

Nexstor 

Nutanix 

Pure Storage 

Rubrik 

Storpool 


Titan Data Solutions 

Veritas 

Wasabi 

Zadara 

ZaveIT 

FLASH STORAGE VENDOR OF THE YEAR 

Accelstor 

Dell EMC 


HPE 

Huawei 

IBM 

Infinidat 

NetApp 

Nexsan 

Panasas 

Pure Storage 

Quantum 

Seagate 




MAGAZINE

EVENT: STORAGE EVENT: 

AWARDS 2024 

Tintri 

Toshiba 

Vast Data 

PERFORMANCE STORAGE VENDOR 

OF THE YEAR 

Accelstor 

Dell EMC 


HPE 

Huawei 

IBM 

Infinidat 

MinIO 

NetApp 

Nexsan 

Panasas 

Panzura 

Pure Storage 

Quantum 

Seagate 

SoftIron 

Tintri 

Toshiba 

Vast Data 

CLOUD ENABLER OF THE YEAR 

Acronis 

Arcserve 

Asigra 

Barracuda 

Cloudian 

Datacore 

IBM 

NetApp 

Pure Storage 

Spectra Logic 

Veeam 

Veritas 

Virtuozzo 

Wasabi 

SOFTWARE DEFINED STORAGE (SDS) 

VENDOR OF THE YEAR 

DataCore 

Hammerspace 

IBM 

Infinidat 

Lightbits 

NetApp 

Open-e 

Pure Storage 

Scality 

SoftIron 

StarWind 

Stormagic 

Storpool 

Veritas 

STORAGE OPTIMISATION COMPANY OF 

THE YEAR 

Arcitecta 

Cloudian 

Exagrid 

Hammerspace 

IBM 

Infinidat 

Komprise 

Nasuni 

NetApp 

Panzura 


Pure Storage 

Qumulo 

Scality 

Storpool 

Vast Data 

Veeam 

Veritas 

ELECTRONIC DATA WAREHOUSING 


Creative ITC 

Databricks 

Google 

HPE 

IBM Netezza 

Natrinsic 

Oracle 

Rimini Street 

Snowflake 

Support Revolution 

Terradata 

CAPACITY STORAGE VENDOR OF THE YEAR 

Boston 

Cloudian 

Dell EMC 

Exagrid 

HPE 

Huawei 

IBM 

Infinidat 

Lenovo 

NetApp 

Nexsan 

Pure Storage 

Quantum 

Seagate 

Scality 

Spectra Logic 

Supermicro 

Toshiba 

Veritas 

CHANNEL PARTNER PROGRAM OF THE YEAR 

Arcserve 

Barracuda 

Cloudian 

Datacore 

Exagrid 

Infinidat 

Lenovo 

Pure Storage 

Quantum 

Seagate 

Spectra Logic 

Stormagic 

Veeam 

Veritas 

MULTI-VENDOR SERVICE PROVIDER 

OF THE YEAR 

Cameo 

CDS 

Centerprise 

Logicalis 


Procurri 

Service Express 

SL3 Technologies 

Stortrec (a Jiliti company) 

Ultra Support 

STORAGE REPAIR CENTRE AND BROKER 

OF THE YEAR 

Evernex 

Gentronics 

Intec Microsystems 


Procurri 

SL3 Technologies 

Sprague Europe 

Ultratec 

SUSTAINABILITY CHAMPION OF THE YEAR 

Base IT 

Cameo 

CDS 

Gentronics 

N2S 


Procurri 

Relltek 

Restyle Systems 

Service Express 

Stone Group 

Ultra Support 

ITAD COMPANY OF THE YEAR 

Base IT 

Computacenter 

Iron Mountain 

N2S 


Procurri 

Relltek 

Restyle Systems 

Stone Group 

Techbuyer 

SECURITY STORAGE RESELLER OF THE YEAR 

Cognitive Network Solutions 

CoolSpirit 

ITEC Group UK - A Xerox Company 

Logicalis 

www.storagemagazine.co.uk @STMagAndAwards May/June 2024 

STORAGE 

MAGAZINE 

13

EVENT: 


MTI Technology - A Ricoh Company 

Nexstor 

NGS 

Primesys 

SHI International 

Telefonica Tech 

TruStack 

SPECIALIST STORAGE RESELLER OF THE YEAR 

101 Data Solutions 

CoolSpirit 

Cristie Data - An IOmart Company 

Epaton 

iSYSTEMS - An Ekco Company 

ITPS 

Logicalis 

NAS UK Ltd 

Nexstor 

Primesys 

Vespertec 

Virtual Effect 

ENTERPRISE STORAGE RESELLER 

OF THE YEAR 

Academia 

Bytes 

CDW 

Computacenter 

Insight 

Logicalis 

Nexstor 

Phoenix Software 

SCC 

Softcat 

Stone Group 

Trustmarque 

MANAGED SERVICE PROVIDER (MSP) 

OF THE YEAR 

Aspire Technology Solutions 

Autodata 

BCN Group 

Capita Plc 

Daisy Corporate Services 

DataVita 

IONOS UK 

ITEC Group UK - A Xerox Company 

Keepit 

Nexstor 

Node4 

Redcentric 

Softcat 

Trustmarque 

SPECIALIST STORAGE DISTRIBUTOR 

OF THE YEAR 


CMS Distribution 

Ethos Technology 

Global Distribution 

M2M Direct 


ENTERPRISE STORAGE DISTRIBUTOR 

OF THE YEAR 

Arrow ECS 

Exertis Enterprise 

Infinigate 

Ingram Micro 

Northamber 

Nuvias 

TD Synnex 


Westcoast 

CLOUD PRODUCT OF THE YEAR 

Arcserve - Cloud Direct 

Asigra - SaaSBACKUP 

Barracuda - Cloud-to-Cloud Backup 

Cirrus Data - Migrate Cloud 

Commvault - Metallic 

Databricks - Lakehouse 

Hornetsecurity - 365 Total Protection Enterprise 

Backup 

HPE - Greenlake 

IBM - Cloud Platform 

Infinidat - InfuzeOS Cloud edition 

Nasuni - Nasuni File Data Platform 

Nutanix - Cloud Platform 

Pure Storage - Cloud Block Store 

Seagate - Lyve 

Snowflake - Horizon 

Spectra Logic - Vail 

Storetec Services - FreeDocs 

Veeam - Cloud Platform 

Veritas - Alta SaaS 

Virtuozzo - Hybrid Cloud 

Wasabi - Cloud Sync Manager 

ZaveIT - ZaveIT Platform 

STORAGE PRODUCT OF THE YEAR 

Arcserve - N-Series Storage Appliance 

Barracuda - Barracuda Backup 

Boston - Igloo Series 

Cloudian - HyperBalance 

Commvault - Backup and Recovery 

DataCore - Bolt 

ExaGrid - Tiered Backup 

HPE - GreenLake for Block Storage 

IBM - Spectrum Sentinel 

Infinidat - InfiniSafe Cyber Detection Cloud 

NetApp - AFF A150 

N Cloud - Nexstor 

Pure Storage - Flashblade//E 

Quantum - TS-h1290FX 

Seagate - EXOS X VelosCT/4006 

Scality - ARTESCA 

SoftIron - HyperDrive 

StorMagic - StorMagic Edge Control 

Storetec Services - FreeDocs 

Tintri - VMstore T7000 Series 

Veeam - Data Platform 

Veritas - Backup Exec 

CLOUD COMPANY OF THE YEAR 

AWS 

Acronis 

Asigra 

Arcserve 

Barracuda 

Cloudian 

Commvault 

DataCore 

Datto 

Google 



HPE 

IBM 

Infinidat 

Microsoft Azure 

Nasuni 

NetApp 

Nexstor 

Pure Storage 

Rubrik 

Scality 

Seagate 

Veeam 

Veritas 

Virtuozzo 

Wasabi 

STORAGE COMPANY OF THE YEAR 

Arcserve 

Barracuda 

Boston 

Cloudian 

Commvault 

Datacore 

Dell EMC 

Exagrid 

HPE 

IBM 

Infinidat 

Lenovo 

NetApp 

Nexstor 

Pure Storage 

Quantum 

Seagate 

Spectra Logic 

Stormagic 

Tintri 

Vast Data 

Veeam 

Veritas 

Storage Solution of the year - Corporate* 

Storage Solution of the year - Public Sector* 

Editor's Choice - Product* 

Editor's Choice - Company* 

*Not open for votes (A Panel of Industry Experts 

working with the Editor of Storage Magazine will 

decide the winner) 




MAGAZINE

ROUNDTABLE: STORAGE TRENDS 

TEN YEARS IS A LONG TIME IN STORAGE 

STORAGE MAGAZINE ASKED A 

SELECTION OF INDUSTRY 

EXPERTS TO COMPARE THE 

DATA STORAGE CHALLENGES 

OF 2014 TO TODAY 

As Einstein explained, the perception of 

how fast time is passing depends on the 

perspective of the observer. In the data 

storage industry, changes happen at a far 

faster rate than in many other spheres of 

human activity. We spoke to a panel of 

experts about the data storage and 

management challenges that enterprises 

faced ten years ago with those they face now. 

We also asked the panel to discuss the way 

that the current storage landscape and its 

increasingly complex challenges are now 

influencing technology developments. 

It seems that the data storage challenges 

that IT organisations faced in 2014 are very 

similar to those they face today - at least at a 

high level. "The challenges haven't changed 

much, even though the technology has," said 

Randy Kerns, senior strategist and analyst at 

analyst firm the Futurum Group. "Probably 

the biggest was dealing with ever-increasing 

demands for storage capacity. The second 

challenge was protecting the data. Even 

though the intensity of ransomware attacks 

was not the same as it is today, data 

protection was still a major issue. The third 

challenge was not having enough staff to 

handle the storage workload. That staffing 

problem has only gotten worse since then." 

Brock Mowry, CTO & VP of products at 

storage system vendor Tintri agreed but 

added an important qualification: "The 

challenges are fundamentally the same as 

they were ten years ago, while the scope 

and scale of these challenges have 

dramatically changed." 

CAPACITY FOR CHANGE 

Erfane Arwani, CEO at Biomemory, a start-up 

focused on DNA storage and synthesis, 

stressed the difficulties of keeping up with data 

growth in 2014. "Companies struggled to 

manage exponential data growth with 

technology solutions that weren't yet optimised 




MAGAZINE


"Capacity demand continues, but the scale and 

performance of flash allow for greater consolidation 

and fewer physical systems, less power/cooling/space 

demands, and simpler means for addressing 

performance. The technology to address problems is 

available and more effective than ten years ago. 

Having the staff to take advantage of it is the big 

issue." - Randy Kerns, Futurum Group 

for large data volumes," he said. Arwani 

pointed out that ten years ago, enterprise disk 

drive capacities ranged from only 1TB to 4TB. 

In the ten years since then, disk capacities 

have soared, and the highest capacity disk 

drives now handle 30TB. Meanwhile data 

centre usage of flash storage has surged, and 

the largest enterprise flash drives now exceed 

60TB in capacity. 

In 2014 enterprises were still focused on onpremise 

storage and were using public cloud 

storage services to a lesser extent than now. "It 

was a matter of choosing between NAS and 

SAN, and cloud solutions were comparable to 

ice baths - beneficial but not suitable for 

everyone," said Ferhat Kaddour, VP of sales 

and alliances at Atempo. Ensuring sufficient 

overall capacity for an organisation was a 

multi-faceted activity. "The scalability challenge 

involved predicting future storage needs, 

optimising storage utilisation, and 

implementing effective storage tiering 

strategies," added Drew Wanstall, VP of 

business development at Scale Logic. 

Fast forward to now, and data is still 

expanding at a very rapid rate. "It's interesting 

to see how data keeps growing at a crazy 

pace," said Enrico Signoretti, VP of products 

and partnerships at Cubbit. 

BIG DATA GETS BIGGER 

Valéry Guilleaume, CEO at Nodeum, 

identified some of the new sources of data 

that are perpetuating this growth and have 

already ushered in the era of so-called Big 

Data. "Today, it's not just users that are 

generating data, but also the systems being 

developed within each industry, for example: 

data-generating cars, electronic microscopes, 

blade scanners, or seismic sensors. These new 

sources are creating data at a speed that is 

incommensurate with the data-generating 

sources of ten to fifteen years ago," he said. 

However, the difficulties of scaling up 

physical storage capacity to keep up with 

data growth have been lessened to at least 

some extent by the increased use of public 

cloud storage, and by improvements in data 

storage technology. Among the last ten years' 

technology developments, the most notable 

has been the enormous reduction in the price 

of flash memory, which has led to the 

widespread use of flash in enterprise data 

centres. "Capacity demand continues, but the 

scale and performance of flash allow for 

greater consolidation and fewer physical 

systems, less power/cooling/space demands, 

and simpler means for addressing 

performance," said Futurum's Kerns. "The 

technology to address problems is available 

and more effective than ten years ago. 

Having the staff to take advantage of it is the 

big issue." 

David Norfolk, practice leader at analyst firm 

Bloor Research, said: "The technical issues of 

ten years ago have largely gone. Storage is 

now cheap, reliable and easy to scale. But 

storage management is now a source of cost." 

The threats that Norfolk referred to include 

cyberattacks. "Security is clearly today's top 

data storage challenge," said Paul Speciale, 

CMO at cloud storage software vendor 

Scality. "While there have always been security 

threats from malicious actors and users, 

today's issues are indeed harder and more 

expensive to address, as a result of the wellorganised 

and funded ransomware actors, 

often from state-sponsored groups." 

"With the ongoing ransomware boom and 

the emergence of malicious AI tools and as-aservice 

cybercrime models, data protection is 

at the forefront of storage challenges today," 

said Sergei Serdyuk, VP of product 

management at Nakivo. "Breaches are not 

only more frequent, but they also pack a more 

powerful punch with improved tactics like 

double - and triple - extortion and the more 

recently observed dual-strain attacks." 



STORAGE 

MAGAZINE 

17


"Since public clouds are one of the main solutions 

for keeping the majority of organisations' data, 

the dependency on these external vendors for 

business continuity, or even other more important 

sovereignty-related matters, is now a growing 

challenge." - Ricardo Mendes, Vawlt 

That is not the only change in the IT 

landscape that has driven up storage 

management costs. Ten years ago, data 

growth was being driven by the overall 

digitisation of business and the increasing use 

of analytics. Now it is also being driven by the 

need to collect data to train AI and ML 

systems, and as Nodeum's Guilleaume 

described, the growth of the IoT as a data 

source. Unstructured data now accounts for 

the majority of data stored by enterprises. 

Unlike structured data, unstructured data is not 

organised according to pre-defined database 

schema, making it far harder to manage. 

MAINTAINING AN EDGE 

Edge computing and the use of public clouds 

as part of hybrid computing strategies have 

also complicated data storage. "Managing 

data at the edge efficiently has become 

crucial. Ensuring data availability and 

resilience in distributed environments present 

new challenges," said Johan Pellicaan, VP and 

managing director at Scale Computing. 

As well as securing data at the edge, 

enterprises must also move data between 

multiple locations. "Today's challenges are all 

related to the movement of data across multiand 

hybrid-cloud environments," said Scott 

Sinclair, practice director at analyst firm the 

Enterprise Storage Group (ESG). "Around 50% 

of organisations identify that they move data 

between on and off premises environments 'all 

the time' or 'regularly'. These issues are more 

difficult to address because of how disparate 

the environments are when your data spans 

AWS, Azure, GCP, the data centre, edge, etc." 

Data movement and the need for 

interoperability across multiple computing 

venues are not the only complications created 

by public cloud computing. "Since public 

clouds are one of the main solutions for 

keeping the majority of organisations' data, the 

dependency on these external vendors for 

business continuity, or even other more 

important sovereignty-related matters, is now a 

growing challenge," said Ricardo Mendes, 

cofounder CEO at Vawlt, a vendor of storage 

and security software. Data sovereignty was 

also named as a challenge for businesses 

using public clouds. Cubbit's Signoretti added: 

"Navigating complex data sovereignty 

regulations, such as GDPR and NIS2, adds a 

layer of complexity for businesses." 

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION 

Public cloud SaaS services have also 

introduced new locations in which data must 

be protected. "One big difference today is in 

the number of different places where 

companies house critical data," said Kim King, 

senior director of product marketing at backup 

software vendor HYCU. "This is particularly 

apparent when you look at the increased use 

of SaaS applications. The average midsize 

company uses over 200 SaaS applications, but 

there are very few options available to deliver 

enterprise-class data protection that can scale 

to protect those applications and provide 

rapid, granular recovery." According to King, 

over 50% of successful ransomware attacks 

begin by targeting SaaS applications. 

Futurum's Kerns supported this view of SaaS 

data protection. "Meeting the same enterprise 

requirements for protection of information 

assets in the public cloud as on premises has 

been a learning experience that requires effort, 

and, usually, new software solutions," Hinting 

that enterprises should learn from others' 

mistakes: "There have been cases where some 

believed this effort was not necessary for data 

in a public cloud." Note his use of the past 

tense in that statement. 

But while public clouds have introduced 

challenges, the advantages they have 

delivered include the democratisation of 




MAGAZINE


"Today, it's not just users that are generating data, but also the 

systems being developed within each industry, for example: 

data-generating cars, electronic microscopes, blade scanners, 

or seismic sensors. These new sources are creating data at a 

speed that is incommensurate with the data-generating 

sources of ten to fifteen years ago." - Valéry Guilleaume, Nodeum 

technologies, to the benefit of smaller 

businesses. Norfolk said: "There used to be a 

huge difference between big firms with proper 

databases and small firms with data stores that 

didn't support ACID [Atomicity, Consistency, 

Isolation and Durability.] Cloud technologies 

have evened this up a lot." 

We asked our experts how today's challenges 

are changing vendors' storage technologies 

and services. Security challenges are being 

addressed by developing yet more 

sophisticated defences against cyber-attacks, 

according to Serdyuk at Nakivo: "Vendors are 

incorporating advanced encryption 

mechanisms, access controls, and compliance 

features into their solutions. Many offer secure 

enclaves and hardware-based security to 

address the evolving threat landscape. 

However, many storage solutions remain 

lacking in terms of comprehensive backup and 

recovery tools." 

The need to extract and categorise data from 

diverse sources is driving the development of 

software tools that automate that process. 

Serdyuk goes on: "Management tools like 

metadata tagging, version control, and 

analytics capabilities are gaining traction." 

Guilleaume of Nodeum added: "Emerging 

solutions providing data analysis now make it 

possible to make data talk, and to extract 

metadata from it in a way that is incomparable 

with what was possible in the past." 

"There is a push for consistency of technology 

across environments. Some vendors are 

putting their technology in the cloud," said 

Sinclair. One example of such vendors is 

NetApp, whose on-premises storage and data 

management software is now also 

incorporated into the AWS, Microsoft Azure, 

and Google Cloud public clouds. "Others are 

integrating third-party technologies like 

VMware or Red Hat OpenShift that can be 

deployed in multiple locations," Sinclair 

added. 

With respect to the complications caused by 

the need to maintain data sovereignty and 

comply with multiple data regulations that 

apply to data storage in what may be multiple 

public clouds and multiple countries, Signoretti 

at Cubbit commented: "Vendors are 

prioritising sovereign solutions for regulated 

industries like healthcare and the public sector, 

emphasising compliance in regions such as 

EMEA and APAC. Though still subject to the 

CLOUD Act, Microsoft and AWS recently 

introduced sovereign cloud storage offers." 

The CLOUD (Clarifying Lawful Overseas Use 

of Data) act is US legislation implemented in 

2018 that gives US and non-US authorities 

investigating crimes the right to access 

enterprise data held by service providers. 

On a technical front, Craig Carlson, an 

advisor to the technical council of the Storage 

Networking Industry Association (SNIA), 

referred to the need to provide AI systems with 

fast access to data. "AI is currently being 

addressed by looking at what can be done to 

bring networks to their highest performance 

while also being highly scalable. This work is 

ongoing in groups such as Ultra Ethernet," he 

said. 

A body called the Ultra Ethernet Consortium 

is developing an architecture that it says will 

make Ethernet as fast as current 

supercomputing interconnects, while being 

highly scalable and as ubiquitous and costeffective 

as current Ethernet, and backwards 

compatible. Members of the heavily-backed 

consortium include AMD, Arista, Broadcom, 

Cisco Systems, Huawei, HPE, and Intel. 

AND THE NEXT TEN YEARS? 

Our final questions for our experts were about 

the future challenges they expect enterprises to 



STORAGE 

MAGAZINE 

19


"Security is clearly today's top data storage challenge. 

While there have always been security threats from 

malicious actors and users, today's issues are indeed 

harder and more expensive to address, as a result of 

the well-organised and funded ransomware actors, 

often from state-sponsored groups." - Paul Speciale, Scality 

face as data volumes continue to grow, 

especially in the context of AI and ML. A 

consensus view about the relationship 

between data size and management 

difficulties was typified by Mowry at Tintri, 

who said: "More data absolutely drives 

increasingly complex challenges related to 

storage. Data growth stretches demands in 

every dimension, illuminating the need for 

more leverage - the proverbial 'do more 

with less'." 

The much-needed bigger levers are likely 

to be available from advances in data 

management systems - the metadata 

tagging, version control, and analytics 

capabilities referred to by Guilleaume. 

AI is also set to drive advances in data 

mobility, according to Guilleaume, who 

said: "AI/ML will further accelerate the need 

for data mobility between the levels where 

data is stored and where it is analysed." 

These storage management and mobility 

advances may not be restricted purely to AI 

usage. Carlson at SNIA said: "There's 

always a trickle down in technology. So, 

technologies being developed now for the 

highest-end AI data centres will become 

more mainstream in a few years." 

Roy Illsley, chief analyst at research firm 

Omdia, said: "I think the big question is: 

how can storage and all the data we have 

be as 'green' as possible? At some point we 

either have to change our lives and the way 

we do things, or technology rides to the 

rescue. I think it will be a combination of 

these two, which means we need to work 

out how we can generate less data or be 

more precise about what data we have." 

Arwani also named the environmental 

impact of storage, particularly in terms of 

CO2 emissions and energy use, as a 

current storage challenge, alongside 

platform interoperability and security. He 

cited an estimate by the International 

Energy Agency (IEA) that data centre 

electricity consumption in 2022 was 

around 1% to 1.3% of global demand. The 

IEA has also predicted that data centre 

energy consumption could rise three to 

four-fold by 2026. Arwani said: "These 

problems are more costly and complex to 

solve, as they require not only 

technological advances, but also 

awareness and changes in data 

governance." 

On the hardware side, Carlson 

commented on the fact that the flash 

technology curve appears to be running 

out of steam, as it has become very much 

harder for flash chip makers to reduce 

costs by packing yet more data bits into 

each flash memory cell. "What will be the 

next technology to bring reliable high 

performance to storage in the next ten to 

20 years?" he asked. "Long-term usage of 

the current tape-disk-flash model may not 

be feasible. Hence the development of 

new (and still highly experimental) 

technologies such as DNA storage." 

Not surprisingly, Arwani at Biomemory 

suggested that DNA storage will indeed 

be the solution. "Suppliers are developing 

greener solutions, such as helium hard 

disks that reduce energy consumption, or 

DNA storage technologies such as those 

being developed by Biomemory and 

Catalog DNA. These technologies 

promise a storage density of one exabyte 

per gram and a durability of several 

millennia. What's more, they open up the 

possibility of new use cases, such as the 

first space data centres." If that last 

prediction comes true, remember that you 

read it here first. ST 




MAGAZINE

CASE STUDY: 

CASE STUDY: OTTOMAN'S LIFE HOTEL DELUXE 

THE DELUXE APPROACH TO BACKUP 

OTTOMAN'S LIFE HOTEL DELUXE, A HOTEL IN ISTANBUL, TURKEY, IS PROTECTING ITS BUSINESS-CRITICAL 

MICROSOFT 365 AND VMS WITH NAKIVO BACKUP & REPLICATION 

Ottoman's Life Hotel Deluxe is located 

in the historical peninsula, where the 

heart of Istanbul beats. The hotel is 

only 4 kilometres from important historical 

landmarks such as the Blue Mosque, Hagia 

Sophia, Topkapi Palace and the Old Bazaar. 

The hotel's infrastructure consists of 3 physical 

servers and 30 virtual machines. The virtual 

machines store various files and the ERP 

system. As a company in the hospitality industry, 

the hotel generates and stores large volumes of 

front- and back-office data. This data is critical 

to both day-to-day operations and business 

decision-making. Data loss can have a 

considerable impact on revenue and 

operational continuity. A VM backup solution is 

vital for the IT department to ensure operational 

recovery and system availability. 

Despite having a VM backup solution, the 

hotel was looking for a replacement because 

that solution and support costs exceeded their 

budget. "We were looking 

for a solution 

with an affordable price and good 

performance," says Omer Akosman, 

Information Technology Manager at Ottoman's 

Life Hotel Deluxe. "We found that NAKIVO 

Backup & Replication fit our expectations in 

terms of both features and pricing." 

"EVERYTHING WAS PERFECT" 

NAKIVO Backup & Replication is a robust VM 

backup solution that offers flexible installation 

and configuration options, including installation 

on QNAP NAS. With QNAP NAS, installation 

can be completed in minutes to create a fully 

functional and affordable backup appliance. 

"Everything was perfect, from deployment to 

configuration and backup process," says Omer. 

"The web interface is very friendly and easy to 

use. We are backing up on QNAP NAS. In 

both ways, the backup and recovery process is 

very successful and fast." 

With NAKIVO Backup & Replication and 

QNAP NAS, backups are sent directly to QNAP 

disks to reduce storage space usage with 

compression and deduplication. Moreover, 

backup copies can be kept offsite by sending 

them directly from NAS disks to remote 

or cloud storage. "Backup of our 

entire environment takes 

around three 

hours. Almost all the features are useful and 

straightforward, but I was very impressed with 

the backup copy, as we are able to send copies 

to a number of destinations," says Omer. 

The hotel also uses the Backup for Microsoft 

365 functionality, which offers fast incremental 

backups, instant granular recovery, 

compliance, and archiving for Exchange 

Online, Microsoft Teams, SharePoint Online 

and OneDrive for Business. "Microsoft 365 

backup is essential for us, and we back up all 

the supported applications. Backups are fast, 

steady, and incremental, thus allowing us to 

save time," says Omer. 

FASTER AND MORE COST-EFFECTIVE 

"NAKIVO Backup & Replication is faster and 

more cost-effective than other solutions on the 

market," concluded Omer. "Since our previous 

VM backup solution became too expensive, 

NAKIVO Backup & Replication is definitely a 

lifesaver. We pay a minimal amount per user 

for one year, and we are very happy that all 

Microsoft 365 applications are protected. 

When needed, technical support is fast and can 

be reached via an online chat. All 

conversations with support were successful so 

far for us." 

More info: www.nakivo.com 



STORAGE 

MAGAZINE 

21

FEATURE: BACKUP 

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A DAY MAKES 

ANOTHER YEAR, ANOTHER 

WORLD BACKUP DAY BEEN 

AND GONE - BUT DOES 

HAVING AN OFFICIAL DAY TO 

REMIND US OF THE 

IMPORTANCE OF DATA 

PROTECTION ACTUALLY 

CHANGE ANYTHING IN THE 

REAL WORLD? STORAGE 

MAGAZINE GATHERS THE VIEWS 

OF EXPERTS FROM ACROSS THE 

SECTOR 

There is a very real danger that 

World Backup Day (March 31st, in 

case you missed it!) is becoming 

somewhat lost as pretty much every 

single date in the calendar seems to be 

ascribed some hitherto unrealised 

significance - often by the PR industry, it 

has to be said. April 30th is International 

Jazz Day, for instance, while May 1st is 

National Cockapoo Day - in some 

countries at least. 

So is having a day dedicated to the 

importance of a really serious business 

issue really appropriate? And does it 

actually make any difference to 

organisational awareness of backup and 

data protection? We asked a selection of 

industry experts for their views - not just on 

World Backup Day itself, but on what 

people should really be focused on. 

Spoiler alert, neither jazz nor cockapoos 

were mentioned once. 

Nearly half (48 per cent) of businesses 

may lack the necessary backup measures 

to prevent catastrophic data losses, 

according to new research from Fasthosts 

released ahead of this year's World 

Backup Day. And data loss doesn't just 

pause operations: it can spell the end for 

some, while for others it becomes a costly 

saga of data theft, reputational damage 

and missed opportunities. 

Marco Pozzoni, EMEA Storage Sales 

Director at Lenovo, commented: "As data 

breaches continue to rise at an alarming 

rate, World Backup Day is a timely 

reminder of the importance of protecting 

data and maintaining powerful safeguards 

against cybercrime. Eight million data 

records were exposed worldwide through 

breaches in the first quarter of 2023 

alone. While artificial intelligence (AI) 

could help cybercriminals broaden their 

attacks, it can also help businesses stay 

one step ahead." 

BACKUP IS BORING 

Kevin Cole, Director of Product and 

Technical Marketing for data protection at 

Zerto, added: "World Backup Day is a 




MAGAZINE


"Modern cyberattacks, data leaks and ransomware 

outbreaks all reveal the same thing: the current 

approach to cybersecurity is failing, and failure is the 

result of weak technologies, heightened complexity and 

human mistakes caused by clever social engineering 

tactics. Backup is essential for when cybersecurity 

solutions fail." - Candid Wüest, Acronis 

welcome chance to remind ourselves of 

the importance of protecting our data and 

ensuring its availability. As the old saying 

goes: 'the best time to put in place a 

modern data protection strategy was 

yesterday; the second-best time is today'. 

However, for most people there's a simple 

reality: backup is boring. It doesn't get the 

same hype as the latest trends in IT, 

whether artificial intelligence, 

cryptocurrency, or Web 3.0. It can be 

hard to get attention for a computing 

practice that dates many decades. Yet, 

backup remains more relevant than ever 

thanks to the explosive growth in data, 

distributed from edge to cloud, and an 

ever-evolving cyber threat landscape. 

Backup is still one of the foundational 

pillars in data protection alongside 

disaster recovery, archive, and cyber 

recovery." 

Candid Wüest, VP Product Management, 

Acronis builds on this point: "Modern 

cyberattacks, data leaks and ransomware 

outbreaks all reveal the same thing: the 

current approach to cybersecurity is 

failing, and failure is the result of weak 

technologies, heightened complexity and 

human mistakes caused by clever social 

engineering tactics. Backup is essential for 

when cybersecurity solutions fail. At the 

same time, backup solutions can be 

compromised or disabled, and often 

perform slowly, causing significant 

financial losses due to downtime. Even if 

backup solutions are working well and 

remain uncompromised in an attack, it 

usually takes hours or days to restore 

systems and data to an operational state." 

To solve these problems, Wüest argues 

for an integrated cyber protection solution 

that combines anti-malware, EDR, DLP, 

email security, vulnerability assessments, 

patch management, RMM and backup 

capabilities into a single agent. 

Justin Bateman of Fasthosts added: "It's 

incredibly worrying that half of 

organisations may lack the necessary 

backup measures to prevent a data crisis. 

It's a bit like half of drivers on roads 

having no insurance… Most data loss 

incidents don't have a happy ending. For 

businesses with existing backup measures, 

they should ensure these are activated 

and efficient, and for those without, this is 

the time to invest in securing their 

information before it's too late." 

LETTING GO OF TRADITION 

Camellia Chan, CEO and co-founder of 

Flexxon, argues that it's no longer enough 

simply to 'do backup'; rather that the need 

is to take a truly proactive approach to 

cybersecurity itself in order to be prepared 

against data loss and theft: "Traditionally, 

many businesses have used only softwarebased 

cybersecurity solutions, but these 

have significant shortcomings and 

vulnerabilities. They rely too much on 

human intervention like actioning updates 

and fail at achieving true Zero Trust 

protection. In today's rapidly changing 

cyber environment, businesses must invest 

in hardware-based security and embrace it 

as an essential layer of protection. When 

combined with software, hardware 

security's ability to detect quickly, respond 

immediately, and in some cases even 

allow for near-immediate recovery, the 

fallout from data loss and theft is greatly 

minimised. It's better to be safe rather than 

sorry and let go of traditional approaches 

to security." 

Carl D'Halluin, CTO, Datadobi is 

outspoken in his advice: "Backup isn't just 

a technical formality. Given the virtually 

unavoidable risks of ransomware, 



STORAGE 

MAGAZINE 

23


"Backups have become a popular target for 

cybercriminals as they've learned that an organisation is 

more likely to pay a ransom if their backup data has 

been compromised. Reports show 93% of attacks target 

backup repositories with a 68% success rate. And in 75% 

of these events, cybercriminals succeed in debilitating 

their victims' ability to recover." - Candida Valois, Scality 

malicious or accidental deletions, and 

countless other threats - it's absolutely 

crucial for the health of your business. 

The first step? Get your arms around your 

data. You cannot protect it if you do not 

know what you have. A well thought-out 

and tested data backup strategy, together 

with a combination of robust data security 

and management solutions, can 

significantly enhance operations 

resilience. Add to that the crucial but 

sometimes missed step of a 'golden copy' 

(i.e., an immutable copy of your businesscritical 

data in a secure and remote site) 

and your business will be protected today, 

as well as ideally positioned to support 

business continuity well into the future." 

PROTECTING THE BACKUPS 

THEMSELVES 

According to Candida Valois, Field CTO 

at Scality, "Backups have become a 

popular target for cybercriminals as 

they've learned that an organisation is 

more likely to pay a ransom if their 

backup data has been compromised. 

Reports show 93% of attacks target 

backup repositories with a 68% success 

rate. And in 75% of these events, 

cybercriminals succeed in debilitating 

their victims' ability to recover. This year's 

World Backup Day therefore no longer 

serves as simply a reminder to back up 

data, but also to make sure those 

backups are protected." 

Immutable storage has emerged as a 

potential solution to protect those 

backups. One recent survey suggested 

that 69% of IT leaders consider immutable 

storage essential to their corporate 

security strategy. However, what is not 

getting enough attention is that not all 

immutable storage is equal. Valois 

explains: "To strengthen their security 

postures, we'll see more organisations 

take a much needed closer look at their 

immutable storage solutions to determine 

if they are truly immutable. They will begin 

to understand the five key areas that 

constitute 'true immutable storage' and 

include no deletes or overwriting ability, 

instant data store lockdown, configurable 

retention policies, support for S3 Object 

Locking APIs, and compliance mode to 

prevent immutability configuration 

changes." 

Michael Cade of Veeam suggests that, 

while the rise of ransomware and 

regulatory legislation have meant more 

companies are taking the backup of their 

data seriously, the fundamentals - having 

multiple, protected, reliable copies of 

data - remain the same: "What has 

changed in regards to backup are the 

environments businesses now need to 

protect. Workloads aren't all under one 

roof anymore, there are multiple 

platforms to protect and backup. Physical, 

virtual, cloud-native and SaaS 

environments, which all interlock and 

integrate, must be reliably backed up and 

recovered. It's no surprise that according 

to our recent research, the two most 

important attributes sought in an 

'enterprise backup' solution are reliability 

and the protection of cloud-hosted 

workloads (IaaS & SaaS). As businesses 

broaden their tech horizons and embrace 

the cloud, virtualisation, containers or 

whatever environment helps them 

optimise performance and lower costs, 

when it comes to backing these up - you 

need the right tool for the job. Naturally, 

the tech comes first, but backup can't be 

an afterthought. Make it part of the 

thinking from day one and you'll see a 

radical shift in your organisation's 

resilience." 




MAGAZINE


"As data breaches continue to rise at an alarming rate, World 

Backup Day is a timely reminder of the importance of protecting 

data and maintaining powerful safeguards against cybercrime. Eight 

million data records were exposed worldwide through breaches in 

the first quarter of 2023 alone. While artificial intelligence (AI) could 

help cybercriminals broaden their attacks, it can also help 

businesses stay one step ahead." - Marco Pozzoni, Lenovo 

Tim Sherbak of Quantum was 

particularly concerned about the impact 

of wider AI use - and the data held in 

LLMs - on backup planning: "Having a 

rock-solid data protection strategy and a 

tried and tested disaster recovery plan are 

essential. With increasing regulations and 

corporate recognition of inherent risk 

around the use of AI, retaining model 

training and input data is also nonnegotiable 

for documenting solutions, 

explaining the models and their 

outcomes, complying with internal policies 

and mitigating legal risks. Massive data 

growth and its required retention will drive 

the need for new levels of cost efficiency 

and accessibility in our data protection 

solutions. Emerging high-performance 

solid-state flash backup storage targets 

will become mainstream along with 

automated, software defined tape 

solutions for massive scale, low cost, and 

simple operations to effectively reuse and 

retain these valuable data assets for 

decades to come." 

KEEPING IT CLEAN 

Darren Thomson, Field CTO EMEAI at 

Commvault focuses on the importance of 

recovery as well as backup itself: "Backups 

remain critical - how else can 

organisations quickly return to minimal 

viable operation after an attack and 

maintain performance? But now a key 

target for cybercriminals, the main focus 

should be on clean backups and recovery. 

Anomaly detection and early warning 

systems are essential to this. Only then 

can businesses stay ahead of the game 

and prevent cybercriminals from 

infiltrating backups in the first place." 

However, clean backups are only useful 

if you have a clean environment to 

recover into. In addition, a recovery plan 

that is not tested is no recovery plan at 

all, as Thomson goes on: "The issue is 

that properly testing and recovering to a 

clean environment has historically been 

very expensive and complex. Now, 

utilising the power of the cloud and AI, 

this is possible at a low cost and in a 

scalable manner. The cloud enables 

virtual environments to be created that 

are guaranteed to be malware-free so 

that clean backups and datasets can be 

restored and tested with confidence. Such 

cloud environments can be spun up and 

down to allow for regular testing whilst 

keeping costs low so that, in the most 

critical circumstances, rapid, frictionless, 

and reliable recovery is ensured." 

Anthony Cusimano, Technical Director, 

Object First, summed up many of the 

points already made: "There are three 

peaks of opportunity to grant backupminded 

individuals the effective tools 

required to secure data and peace of 

mind. The first is zero trust, which hasn't 

been appropriately applied at large when it 

comes to backup. However, implementing 

a Zero Trust Data Resilience strategy that 

underlines data backup systems with 

immutable storage, contextual 

authentication, and strong access controls 

is key for enterprises to heighten their 

security posture against data attacks. Next, 

there's encryption. Among today's 

advanced ransomware tactics, adopting 

end-to-end encryption ensures data is 

locked to those without a key. Lastly, 

implementing immutable backups can curb 

malicious actors by guaranteeing that even 

the most privileged user can't alter or 

delete critical data. World Backup Day is a 

reminder to prioritise data protection, but 

taking actionable steps is how we certify 

that our data will be resilient against 

threats and disasters." ST 



STORAGE 

MAGAZINE 

25

MANAGEMENT: SME STRATEGIES 

DATA KEY TO SME COMPETITIVENESS 

UWE KEMMER, DIRECTOR OF FIELD ENGINEERING EMEA AT WESTERN DIGITAL, LOOKS AT HOW UK 

SME'S CAN BOOST PERFORMANCE THROUGH THEIR DATA 

In the UK, 99.2% of enterprises are 

considered "small businesses". Yet, despite 

their size, these organisations produce 

significant amounts of data in their day-to-day 

operations. They can use this information to 

develop and process insight to boost revenue 

and improve customer experiences. 

To keep business moving quickly, SMEs need 

suitable data storage infrastructure to access 

and act on their insights. These storage 

solutions must not only be able to capture 

insight and offer a range of capacities but must 

also offer improved performance, flexibility and 

agility to help SMEs improve operations. The 

need for suitable reliable storage solutions is 

essential in SMEs trying to get ahead, no 

matter the industry they work in. 

TECH DEVELOPMENTS & DATA 

GROWTH 

Having a suitable storage architecture in place 

is even more crucial as continuing rapid 

technological development means the data 

deluge shows no sign of abating. Indeed, 

recent advancements have created new 

opportunities and efficiencies. For example, 

modern offices, factories, and warehouses now 

often rely on Internet of Things (IoT) 

technologies which use huge amounts of data 

that must be recorded and analysed to 

optimise operations. AI is only contributing 

further to the deluge in available information. 

For SMEs with physical premises, leaders are 

increasingly deploying AI-powered smart video 

for security, facilities optimisation and analytics. 

In large facilities such as factories, this can 

ensure that equipment is functioning efficiently 

and safely. The technology can also be used in 

the resolution of incidents such as health and 

safety concerns. If technology is needed for 

legal or business optimisation purposes, this 

creates large amounts of high-quality video 

content which needs to be safely stored. 

Further data is created through the use of AI 

analytics which needs to be stored to record 

how the facility is functioning as well as 

reporting on any particular incidents. 

Conversely, SMEs with a mostly online 

presence are also producing and storing more 

data in their operations. One such example is 

retailers and e-commerce platforms which rely 

on customer details and buying behaviours, 

which are held for marketing purposes, 

particularly for email communications to 

increase traffic to online stores. In recent years, 

this has been developed with specific 

algorithms to ensure that campaigns impact 

relevant audiences and personalised 

advertising is maximised. The analysis of 

customer data leads to further data being 

created as insights for use in marketing and 

sales strategies. 

SOLVING DATA CHALLENGES 

While data can play an important role in 

helping an SME become successful, if this data 

is not stored on a reliable storage solution, 

then it could be a huge opportunity lost. 

Today's SMEs benefit from a huge number of 

technology options, including cloud storage 

and local external storage. To avoid losing 

data, using more than one form of backup is 

recommended. These backups should also be 

stored in different locations so that even when 

unexpected events like theft or fire occur, data 

is protected. 

Many SME leaders opt for network-attached 

storage (NAS) systems, which allow small 

businesses to share information via a network 

or using network connections with colleagues 

working remotely or even internationally. This 

facilitates the easy exchange of insights and 

boosts collaboration, which reduces cost 

wastage and accelerating productivity. 

The main benefit of NAS is that the data is 

stored centrally, making data backup and 

protection more straightforward while still 

allowing remote access and sharing. NAS 

systems contribute to work and collaboration 

allowing SMEs to save and share files from 

anywhere with an Internet connection, and 

have files organised in one place to help 

streamline workflows. 

No matter the storage solutions SMEs opt for, 

as they grow and adapt their processes, data 

will be created almost constantly. Throughout 

the business lifecycle, regardless of the sector 

or function of the organisation, data is 

increasingly important in day-to-day 

operations, planning and analytics. This is 

especially true as many sectors are facing 

economic pressures: it is crucial for businesses 

to use all means and tools at their disposal to 

stay ahead of the competition, and data is a 

key part of this. 

More info: www.westerndigital.com 




MAGAZINE

Advancing EPYC 

Performance and Density 

with New H13 Systems 

New Cloud, AI, and Technical Computing Solutions with 128-Core 

AMD EPYC 9004 Series Processors and 3D V-Cache Technology 

Learn More at www.supermicro.com/Aplus 

© Supermicro and Supermicro logo are trademarks of Super Micro Computer, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.

STRATEGY: 

STRATEGY: DISASTER RECOVERY 

THREE 'MUST-HAVES' TO HELP CONVERT A DATA 

DISASTER INTO A TRIUMPH 

RICHARD CONNOLLY, REGIONAL DIRECTOR FOR UKI AT INFINIDAT, DESCRIBES THREE CRITICAL 

CAPABILITIES FOR SUCCESSFUL RECOVERY FROM A CYBERATTACK 

When we think about disaster recovery 

planning, our thoughts tend to focus 

on natural disasters. While flood, 

fire, earthquakes and other natural disasters 

are an IT disaster too, they are not as frequent 

as many think. 

But another type of disaster is looming large. 

It's entirely preventable. I'm talking about a 

cyberattack. Cyber threats are much more 

likely to occur than a natural disaster. 

Cyberattacks are now widely regarded as one 

of the single biggest risks that any organisation 

faces and almost always cited by CEOs as 

their #1 or #2 existential threat. 

The risks of a cyber attack are evident in the 

UK Government's Cyber Security Breaches 

Survey 2024. This study reported that half of 

UK businesses (50%), have experienced some 

form of cyber security breach or attack in the 

last 12 months. Among the largest businesses 

in the study, the frequency of cyber incidents is 

even higher. 

Seventy percent (70%) of mid-range 

businesses and 74% of large businesses 

reported an attack. And these threats are not 

limited to the UK, as both the European Union 

and the United States have put out cyber 

security guidelines for business to follow to try 

to reduce the impact of cyber crime. 

40% OF BIG BUSINESS CYBERATTACKS 

ARE MALWARE RELATED 

Cybersecurity attacks come in many forms and 

include a broad range of activities. Of all the 

possibilities, a malware attack is known to be 

the most disruptive to business operations. 

Malware incidents account for 40% of all 

cyberattacks on large businesses in the UK 

specifically and are a significant threat because 

of the risks they pose to data integrity. Regarded 

as 'data disasters' by storage experts, even a 

small malware incident can result in a business 

being shut down for days or weeks. Could your 

business survive an incident like that? 

MINIMISE THE THREAT OF A 

CYBERATTACK 

If your business becomes the subject of a cyber 

attack, what steps can you take to minimise 

disruption and ensure the fastest possible 

recovery? In the past, one way a business 

could protect its data from disaster was by 

having data backups stored at multiple 

locations. If one site was hit, there would 

always be another copy available. 

Unfortunately, things are no longer that 

straightforward. 




MAGAZINE

STRATEGY: 

STRATEGY: DISASTER RECOVERY 

"In the past, one way a business could protect its data from disaster was by having data 

backups stored at multiple locations. If one site was hit, there would always be another 

copy available. Unfortunately, things are no longer that straightforward. Data disasters, 

like massive ransomware attacks, have completely changed the rules of disaster recovery 

and business continuity." 

Data disasters, like massive ransomware 

attacks, have completely changed the 

rules of disaster recovery and business 

continuity. Added to this, the significance 

of business data as a strategic asset is 

much greater today than it was previously. 

It's why KPMG advises that 'data is the 

most significant asset many organisations 

possess' and protecting it isn't just a case 

of having it stored at multiple locations. 

3 MUST-HAVES FOR A DATA 

DISASTER TRIUMPH 

There are three absolute 'must-haves' 

when it comes to being prepared for a 

data disaster with an iron-clad recovery 

strategy. These are as follows: 

 

 

 

Must have #1: The ability to take 

'immutable snapshots' of data that 

cannot be altered in any way and then 

isolate them in a forensic environment, 

when an attack hits. This means the 

copies can safely be analysed to 

identify a good replica of the data to 

recover. 

Must have #2: The ability to perform 

cyber detection on primary storage, 

i.e. the data, programmes and 

instructions that are being used in realtime 

by the business; and secondary 

storage - data that is accessed less 

frequently or retained for compliance 

and historical reasons. Both are 

critically important. 

Must have #3: The ability to 

instantaneously recover data. 

WHY ARE THE DATA RECOVERY 'MUST 

HAVES' SO CRITICAL? 

Looking into each of these capabilities in 

detail, immutable snapshots are the 

foundation of a robust data disaster recovery. 

Without a good copy of your data, you cannot 

recover quickly after a ransomware attack, 

which is likely to have corrupted or encrypted 

your data. By segregating the data copies with 

logical air-gapping and then having a fenced 

forensic environment, you can create a safe 

space to review the data prior to recovery. 

Even if datasets have been "taken hostage", 

it's possible to complete a recovery back to the 

most recent known good copy of data. This 

can completely obliterate the impact malware 

attacks can have because if the data is fully 

recoverable, there's potentially no need to pay 

the cybercriminals. 

The second "must-have" ability is cyber 

detection on primary and secondary storage. 

This is important because it can be an early 

warning sign of a cyberattack. It also ensures 

that there is no ransomware or malware 

hidden in the last known copy of data that you 

could revert back to. But before going through 

to the recovery stage, how do you know that a 

data copy is really "clean?" 

This is where advanced cyber detection 

capabilities built into a software-defined 

primary storage platform can make the 

difference. They make it possible to do highly 

intelligent, deep data scanning and to identify 

any corruption whilst the data is still segregated 

in a fenced forensic environment. Additionally, 

identifying the highest integrity copy is more 

straightforward and it also provides indexing to 

identify potential issues. 

The third "must-have" ability is rapid data 

recovery. This is obvious, but it's easier said 

than done. When a business experiences a 

data disaster, time is of the essence. They can't 

wait for days or weeks to recover a known 

good data copy. Even six hours of downtime is 

too much. Recovery should ideally take 

minutes to avoid a negative impact on the 

business. For this reason, experts measure how 

quickly you can recover your data and the 

quality of the data. Can you bounce back from 

a cyberattack quickly? Would your employees 

and customers notice if you were hit by a 

malware incident? 

HALF OF UK BUSINESSES EXPERIENCED 

A CYBERATTACK IN 2023 

The Government's research says it all: 

cyberattacks are taking place all the time and 

the latest study shows that 1 in 2 businesses 

are being affected. 40% of the attacks involved 

ransomware. As data becomes ever more 

important as a business asset, we can expect 

that these types of data disasters will become 

even more commonplace. 

Even though your business might not be able 

to completely avoid a malware or ransomware 

attack, you can avert a full blown disaster and 

avoid the disruption they cause. By protecting 

your business with the three disaster recovery 

must haves - immutable snapshots, fenced 

forensic environments and advanced cyber 

scanning and rapid recovery - you will have 

done everything possible to mitigate this risk. 

More info: www.infinidat.com 



STORAGE 

MAGAZINE 

29

TECHNOLOGY: AREAL DENSITY 

TACKLING THE DATA DELUGE 

AREAL DENSITY 

TECHNOLOGIES ARE PAVING 

THE WAY FOR A WHOLE NEW 

GENERATION OF DATA 

CENTRES, SAYS B.S. TEH, CHIEF 

COMMERCIAL OFFICER, 

SEAGATE 

Businesses need data to fuel their 

growth, drive innovation, and 

enhance the customer experience. 

Fuelled by the AI boom, data demand is 

growing exponentially and IDC ('Worldwide 

IDC Global DataSphere Forecast, 2023- 

2027: It's a Distributed, Diverse, and 

Dynamic (3D) DataSphere')predicts the 

global datasphere will reach a massive 

291ZB in 2027. 

As the volume and velocity of data soar, 

many companies across diverse industries 

are unable to fully exploit the opportunities 

presented by today's data-driven world. 

They can only capture and use a small 

percentage of the data they generate and 

face the problem of storing all their data 

successfully. 

The challenge is for data centres to meet 

the escalating data needs of enterprises, 

while finding more sustainable ways to 

scale against restricted space, energy 

usage, and cost. 

MIND THE (DATA STORAGE) GAP 

In this age of AI, cloud and data centre 

customers have raced to invest in AI to 

deliver their services in new ways. They have 

initially focused on building out compute 

and AI architecture. Once the infrastructure 

is created, data storage and management 

requirements will accelerate rapidly and 

there is the risk these may even become 

overwhelming. To overcome these 

challenges, the issue of data storage 

capacity is more critical than ever for data 

centre operators. 

The immediate solution for many hard 

drive manufacturers for boosting data 

storage capacity within data centres is to 

increase the number of discs within them. 

But given the upward trajectory of data 

demand - to potentially the point of 

complete overload - this approach simply 

won't be sustainable in the long term. 

Each disc in a hard drive requires many 

materials, including non-renewable 

resources. The more discs added, the more 

it costs to build, and considerably increases 

the amount of floor space needed. Every 

extra disc also increases power 

consumption by up to 12.5%. When scaled 

in a data centre, that results in huge cost 

implications for power alone. The way to 

ensure the greatest efficiency of cost, space 

and energy usage by data centres is by 

boosting areal density. 

MEETING THE DEMANDS OF 

TODAY'S DATA-DRIVEN 

APPLICATIONS AND SERVICES 

In simple terms, areal density means 

expanding the amount of data each disc 

can hold. And being composed of fewer 




MAGAZINE

TECHNOLOGY: AREAL DENSITY 

"The immediate solution for many hard drive manufacturers 

for boosting data storage capacity within data centres is to 

increase the number of discs within them. But given the 

upward trajectory of data demand - to potentially the point 

of complete overload - this approach simply won't be 

sustainable in the long term. Each disc in a hard drive 

requires many materials, including non-renewable 

resources. The more discs added, the more it costs to build, 

and considerably increases the amount of floor space 

needed. Every extra disc also increases power consumption 

by up to 12.5%. When scaled in a data centre, that results 

in huge cost implications for power alone." 

discs means less materials and less power 

are required. Data is more densely 

compacted on storage media, which 

supports faster read and write speeds. This 

solution improves the overall performance 

and responsiveness of data centres, 

ensuring they can meet the growing 

demands of today's data-driven applications 

and services. 

With the ability to store more data in a 

smaller space, data centres can optimise 

their physical footprint, meaning reduced 

power consumption and cooling 

requirements. This not only contributes to 

substantial cost savings but also aligns with 

the global imperative to build sustainable 

and environmentally conscious technology 

infrastructure. 

MAXIMISING DATA STORAGE 

CAPACITY 

Looking ahead, storing, accessing, and 

leveraging vast quantities of data will be 

essential for driving innovation and taking 

advantage of the full potential of digital 

technology. 

Companies worldwide are reliant on 

having the right data centre infrastructure 

in place to fully exploit the real value of 

all this available data. However, one of 

the core management challenges derives 

from the complexities of storing and 

managing scattered data. By residing in 

multiple locations, data often sprawls, 

extending through endpoints, the edge, 

and multiple clouds. This means 

businesses may be missing out on new 

data-driven opportunities and potential 

revenue. 

Rather than immediately expand their 

data storage capacity, enterprise data 

centres should first look to see how 

effectively data is being stored. They 

ultimately need to ensure that collected 

data will be usable for their customers. 

Attempting to capture all available data, 

however, would strain existing IT 

infrastructure and escalate costs. That's 

one of the many reasons why enterprises 

need to review their data management 

strategy. For example, the identification 

and classification of data at the start of its 

lifecycle ensures faster data pruning, 

which results in lower cost implications. 

The future of mass capacity is happening 

today. Areal density technology will play a 

key role at scale in tackling the everincreasing 

global datasphere. This 

innovation will lie at the heart of hard 

drive product evolution and development 

through the next decade and beyond. 

Ensuring data will remain accessible and 

secure, but not at the cost of the planet. 

More info: www.seagate.com 



STORAGE 

MAGAZINE 

31

MANAGEMENT: DATA PROTECTION 

DON'T BUNGLE YOUR BACKUPS 

JON FIELDING, MANAGING DIRECTOR, EMEA APRICORN, DESCRIBES HOW FAILING TO IMPLEMENT 

THE RIGHT BACKUP STRATEGY CAN COMPROMISE DATA RECOVERY 

Defence, prevention, mitigation. When it 

comes to cybersecurity, many still think 

in a castle-and-moat manner. 

While fortifying your outer walls and thwarting 

any attackers who breach them might seem 

like a foolproof strategy, relying solely on this 

approach is no longer sufficient in today's 

rapidly evolving landscape. 

Security practices focused on detecting and 

eliminating threats such as endpoint detection 

and 

response (EDR) undoubtedly have a key role 

to play. However, it must be made clear that 

they form just one piece of a broader 

cybersecurity puzzle. 

Time and time again, we see examples of 

companies that considered their security 

strategies to be watertight, leaking under 

pressure. Why? Well, the simple fact of the 

matter is that even the most cyber-savvy 

enterprises will never be 100% secure. 

Today we're faced with highly complex 

environments that continue to change and 

evolve. And as the building blocks of the 

digital landscape shift and move, cracks 

emerge that threat actors look to find and 

exploit. In 2023 alone, according to the 

Qualys Threat Research Unit (TRU) as 

many as 26,447 vulnerabilities were 

disclosed - an increase of 1,500 CVEs 

on the previous year. Further, it's 

estimated that 25% of high-risk 

vulnerabilities were exploited on the 

same day that they were published. 

The point is, no matter how robust 

or prepared a company may be, 

there is always a chance that 

malware will get in, or a user will 

make an error that results 

in the loss of businesscritical 

data. 

CURRENT 

STRATEGIES ARE 

INADEQUATE 

For this reason, 

recovery is just as 

important as 

detection and 

response in security 

strategies. Here, 

most firms will have 

established 

backups as a means of recovering data when 

faced with attacks - a vital tool to lean on, 

especially with ransomware attacks on the up. 

In fact, according to Apricorn's annual survey 

of security leaders, nearly a quarter (24%) of 

respondents stated that ransomware has been 

the main cause of a data breach at their 

organisation - an increase from 15% last year. 

The ability to leverage backups in quickly 

restoring information and systems following a 

ransomware attack can be the difference 

between recovery and collapse. Given that 

Statista estimates that the average length of 

downtime following an incident can be as 

high as 26 days, and the fact that the hourly 

cost of downtime now exceeds $300,000 for 

90% of firms, it is clear that any delay can 

result in astronomical costs which are 

capable of toppling even the most financially 

secure enterprises. 

However, given the stakes, it is therefore 

equally concerning that those backup 

strategies adopted by organisations are 

proving to be increasingly inadequate. 

According to the Apricorn survey, only 27% of 

the 90% of companies that had been forced to 

turn to their backup system were able to 

recover all their data in 2023 - a significant 

drop from 45% in 2022. 

MANUAL BACKUP IS UNRELIABLE 

Interestingly, security leaders are aware of 

these shortcomings. Almost a third (32%) of 

the security decision makers that were surveyed 

attributed their unsuccessful recovery to a lack 

of robust backup processes - up from 2% in 

2022. Further, 22% also admitted that they 

don't have sufficiently robust backups in place 

to allow rapid recovery from any attack. 

While it's promising that security leaders are 

aware of their flaws, the fact that two out of 




MAGAZINE

MANAGEMENT: DATA PROTECTION 

"Almost a third (32%) of the security decision makers that were surveyed attributed their 

unsuccessful recovery to a lack of robust backup processes - up from 2% in 2022. 

Further, 22% also admitted that they don't have sufficiently robust backups in place to 

allow rapid recovery from any attack. While it's promising that security leaders are aware 

of their flaws, the fact that two out of three of those companies which needed to leverage 

backups were unable to recover all their data is worrying." 

three of those companies which needed to 

leverage backups were unable to recover all 

their data is worrying. 

One of the reasons why this gap is growing 

may be that organisations are turning away 

from technology-backed practices. Indeed, the 

survey reveals that backups were automated at 

just half (50%) of companies - a drop from 

93% in 2022. Further, manual backups are 

now carried out at 48% of companies, up 

significantly from just 6% in 2022. 

This dramatic shift to manual backups is likely 

to be underpinned by IT teams' desire to give 

their employees greater autonomy over routine 

tasks. And while, in theory, asking employees 

to make local backups of their data is a good 

thing, especially when working remotely, it is 

far from foolproof. 

Indeed, relying on manual backups is a 

strategy that relies on employees remembering 

to make them - and to make them correctly. If 

they don't, then firms may find themselves in a 

position where they are unable to recover 

business critical data. 

A MULTI-LAYERED RECOVERY 

STRATEGY 

For greater guarantees, organisations must 

ensure they are creating automated backups 

to a central location. Yet this shouldn't be the 

only method that enterprises rely upon. If any 

one single form of backup is either 

compromised, or fails to work when called 

upon, then organisations will find themselves 

unable to recover at speed as intended. 

Currently, the percentage of companies that 

back up both central and personal 

repositories is still relatively low, standing at 

38% across both automated and manual 

approaches. In other words, too many 

companies remain at risk of single points of 

failure. Instead, a combination of backup 

strategies should be embraced. 

Here, the 3-2-1 rule is accepted as best 

practice, dictating that an enterprise has at 

least three copies of data, stored on at least 

two different media, of which at least one is 

offsite. With such a setup, if one copy is 

compromised, then two others will still be 

available for a quick and full restoration of 

data. For an added layer of security, it's also 

recommended that the offsite backup is an 

offline copy, such as an encrypted, removable 

hard drive or USB that is completely 

disconnected from the central network. 

The ability to encrypt such drives is key. 

According to IBM's latest Cost of Data 

Breach Report, it is one of the most 

impactful ways in which enterprises can 

reduce the total cost of data breach, driving 

savings exceeding $220,000 per breach. 

Should an unauthorised individual manage 

to get their hands on a copy of the data, 

then encryption will ensure that the 

information remains unreadable. 

BAKING IN ATTACK SIMULATIONS AND 

PHYSICAL PLAYBOOKS 

Once each aspect of this more comprehensive 

backup strategy is in place, it is important to 

rigorously test the process itself on a regular 

basis. Here, carrying out breach and attack 

simulations can be highly insightful, as they 

can highlight any issues or shortcomings 

proactively to ensure that backups work 

effectively should a real crisis arise. 

It's also worth building a physical playbook 

that details backup processes on a step-bystep 

basis. By outlining exactly how the 

involved technologies should be used, where 

backups are located, and other key 

information that's required for an effective 

recovery, enterprises can ensure they are 

always able to execute effectively - even if key 

security or IT staff are absent during an attack. 

By diligently implementing and adhering to 

each of these recommended steps, 

organisations can significantly enhance their 

recovery strategies. 

And it's imperative that they do so now. With 

tens of thousands of new vulnerabilities arising 

every year, enterprises cannot solely rely on 

detection and response solutions. Indeed, the 

investments required to develop an effective 

recovery strategy will pale in comparison to the 

potential costs stemming from service 

disruptions, data loss, reputational damage 

and fines resulting from ransomware attacks. 

It is therefore crucial for firms to prioritise 

business continuity, ensuring they are 

adequately prepared to respond promptly and 

effectively to any breaches that may occur. 

More info: www.apricorn.com 



STORAGE 

MAGAZINE 

33

RESEARCH: CLOUD ADOPTION 

MULTI-CLOUD FLEXIBILITY GROWS IN APPEAL 

NUTANIX HAS ANNOUNCED THE FINDINGS OF ITS SIXTH ANNUAL ENTERPRISE CLOUD INDEX (ECI) 

SURVEY AND RESEARCH REPORT, WHICH MEASURES GLOBAL CLOUD ADOPTION AND RELATED TRENDS 

The 2024 ECI report reveals that 84% of 

UK respondents are adopting a "cloud 

smart" stance, placing the applications 

and workloads in data centres, multiple clouds, 

the network edge and wherever they feel is the 

best match for them. 

In the UK, hybrid multicloud models are set to 

increase from 19 per cent today to 26 percent 

over the next three years with use of multiple 

public clouds set to increase from 11 

per cent today to 46 per 

cent in one 

to three years, the research panel said. That 

latter number is well ahead of EMEA and 

global figures. The top five drivers of 

deployment platform choice are performance 

(55%), cost management (53%), data 

sovereignty/privacy (44%), 

ransomware/malware protection (33%) and 

flexibility (33%). Other factors included support 

for sophisticated data services such as backup 

and snapshots, ability to deploy AI optimally, 

and sustainability. 

Another key criterion was application 

migration support with 85% of the audience 

indicating that they swapped platforms for 

apps in the previous 12 months for 

reasons including costs, capacity 

management, data security, 

performance and access to 

innovation. 

As for threats, ransomware remains a 

key concern with 50% of respondents 

listing it as a key C-level concern and 42% 

saying recovering from attacks can take 

days or even weeks. 

Key findings from this year's report 

include: 

The UK will far surpass the global 

average in the next one to three years 

when it comes to use of multiple public 

clouds. Their use is forecast to increase 

to 46% over the next 1-3 years, 

compared to 26% globally. 

Performance and cost are #1 & #2 

drivers of infrastructure choice, higher 

than global and EMEA averages. The UK 

ranked data sovereignty and privacy as its 

#3 choice, behind performance and cost. UK 

focus on cost is worth a call-out, especially 

compared to the global and EMEA averages, 

where cost was placed last in the rank-order. 

87% of UK organisations moved/migrated 

apps across environments in the last 12 

months. IT decision makers in the UK indicate 

a unique set of priorities, ranking "capacity 

concerns," and "cost concerns" as their top two 

reasons for application migration. Arguably, 

the UK is also an application migration 

laggard. Globally and across EMEA, 95% of 

organisations say they moved/migrated 

applications in the last 12 months. The UK is 

8% lower than both global and regional 

averages, at 87%. Application migration seems 

to be less of a priority, and is executed for cost 

and efficiency reasons, rather than reasons 

associated with security and integration. 

Just 59% of UK organisations fully recover from 

ransomware attacks within hours. When looking 

at ransomware recovery by region, distribution 

of recovery times is relatively similar with slight 

differences in proportions of organisations able 

to recover within hours vs days. The UK indicates 

a significantly higher proportion of respondents 

saying their organisation recovered from 

ransomware attack within hours, at 59%. In fact, 

it was the highest incidence of this choice out of 

any country surveyed by a wide margin. 

"The research shows IT in a state of flux," said 

Rowen Grierson (pictured), Senior Director and 

General Manager, UK&I at Nutanix. "Leaders 

have a host of factors competing for attention 

from the menace of ransomware to data, 

workload and application manageability, and 

the sustainability mandate. The solution many 

are pursuing is the ultimate flexibility of hybrid 

multicloud. This is a progressive and pragmatic 

position to hold but they also need the 

management consoles and controls to 

orchestrate and secure their estates." 

More info: 

www.nutanix.com/enterprise-cloud-index 




MAGAZINE

The future is here. 

Tiered Backup Storage 

• Fastest backups 

• Fastest restores 

• Scalability for fixed-length backup window 

• Comprehensive security with ransomware recovery 

• Low cost up front and over time 

Thank you so much 

to all who voted, and 

congratulations to our fellow 

Storage Awards 2023 winners! 

Visit our website to learn more 

about ExaGrid’s award-winning 

Tiered Backup Storage. 

LEARN MORE

STLATEST

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?