As cyber extortion continues to plague businesses of all sizes, advanced backup solutions for ransomware are more critical than ever. The shift from traditional backup methods to more secure, scalable systems is shaping the future of cybersecurity. Modern solutions now integrate zero-trust frameworks, automation and simplified architectures to protect sensitive information, ensuring businesses can recover from attacks efficiently.

“We are pedantic about security, and it’s something that we believe should never be an add-on,” said Andy Hurt (pictured), chief marketing officer of Cobalt Iron Inc. “It should never be … charged separately for. It should be something that all of our customers consume.”

Hurt spoke with Christophe Bertrand, principal analyst at theCUBE Research, during an AnalystANGLE segment on theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s livestreaming studio. They discussed cyber extortion’s significant impact and the backup solutions for ransomware that are available to protect and recover data.

Simplified backup solutions for ransomware in complex environments

The increasing complexity of IT infrastructures is challenging for many organizations, especially when it comes to backup solutions for ransomware and protecting data across multiple environments, according to Hurt. However, simplifying backup operations can provide relief and efficiency gains. Automated processes that can handle the scale and complexity of enterprise workloads are crucial for minimizing downtime and focusing resources on higher-priority tasks.

“When you look at backup, it truly is one of the most complex workloads in the data center,” Hurt said. “It touches everything. It’s the largest application in the data center, and everybody on the planet would say it’s complex.” By automating about 80% of daily backup operations, Cobalt Iron’s Compass platform helps free up IT staff to focus on more critical projects, he added.

This level of automation not only simplifies the backup process but also supports large enterprises in scaling their data protection efforts through backup solutions for ransomware, according to Hurt. Compass runs one single code base globally, and that same code base serves some small-to-medium businesses all the way up through enterprise customers with hundreds of petabytes of data the company is protecting on these customers’ behalf.

Zero-access architecture helps protect data from ransomware attacks

One of the standout features of the Compass platform is its zero-access architecture, a security measure designed to eliminate vulnerabilities commonly exploited by ransomware attacks, according to Hurt. The concept of zero access goes beyond traditional zero-trust frameworks by completely isolating backup data, ensuring that credentials, software and storage are protected from unauthorized access.

“There isn’t any access into the vault to manage the backup software, to manage the backup storage, to manage the backup … database [or] to manage the backup catalog,” Hurt said. “There are no credentials into it. And quite frankly, those credentials are where they’re getting hacked.” This architecture dramatically reduces the risk of ransomware attacks targeting backup environments, he added.

Based on today’s sophisticated threats, securing backup systems is crucial. Ransomware attackers often aim for backup environments, knowing that compromising this data gives them significant leverage.

“If you can get the backup environment, you’ve got the crown jewels,” Hurt explained. “And I’ll say your demands might be met at a higher frequency if you’ve got the backup.”

Best practices for ransomware protection

Beyond the technological architecture, following best practices is vital for protecting businesses from ransomware, according to Hurt. Robust access controls, encryption and regular patching are essential for any cybersecurity strategy. When combined with advanced backup solutions for ransomware, these measures create multiple layers of defense that can prevent breaches and ensure data integrity.

“When we reflect back on how most of these attacks are happening today, it’s through breached credentials, it’s through backdoors,” Hurt said. “So, having … strong access controls, multifactor authentication, these are all things that can certainly help reduce that.”

Immutable storage and isolated backup infrastructures are also crucial in backup solutions for ransomware strategies. These practices ensure that backup data can’t be overwritten or altered, which is essential when defending against ransomware attacks. Additionally, isolated backup systems create a security zone separate from the main network, reducing threat exposure.

“It’s amazing how many customers we talk to that are not using immutable storage across the board as a default,” Hurt said. “So, having your storage immutable so it can’t be rewritten [or] overwritten [is] certainly an element that we have as a default within our solution.”