IBM announced that it is bringing advanced data protection capabilities to the IBM FlashSystem family of all flash arrays to help companies plan for and recover quickly from ransomware and cyberattacks. 

IBM Safeguarded Copy, which automatically creates data copies in “immutable snapshots,” will now be integrated into the IBM FlashSystem family.

In the event of a data breach, malicious activity or any other event that compromises data or disrupts operations, customers can now recover their data from the snapshots based on known points-in-time prior to the breach. 

“Protecting against ransomware and other forms of malware requires a two-pronged approach to resiliency that involves automated protection and rapid recovery,” said Denis Kennelly, the general manager at IBM Storage. “That’s why we’re standardizing our modern data protection software, Safeguarded Copy, across our portfolio, bringing even more cyber resiliency to IBM FlashSystem. Cyberattacks are on the rise, but data can be protected and restored when you are prepared.” 

Administrators can also now schedule the automatic creation of the logical point-in-time snapshots for scheduled intervals of their choice, and because the software separates the snapshots into distinct Safeguarded ‘pools’ on the storage system, they are immutable and inaccessible.

Also, Safeguarded Copy can now be integrated with IBM Security QRadar, which monitors activities and looks for signs that an attack may have begun. 

IBM also announced that it plans to roll out a new IBM Storage as a Service offering which will give customers a fast, new way to integrate hybrid cloud storage into any datacenter environment, eliminating the need for upfront capital expense of a system purchase.

The solution will be easily extended to support hybrid cloud use cases with the monthly-priced Spectrum Virtualize for Public Cloud, which supports IBM Cloud and AWS, and with planned support for Microsoft Azure, according to IBM.