IT managers see immutable storage as essential to the defense against intrusions, particularly those involving ransomware, according to the findings of an independent Vanson Bourne survey which was commissioned by global data storage software provider Scality. With ransomware threats on the rise, 94% of IT executives depend on immutable storage to safeguard data.
Since data cannot be removed or changed once written, immutable storage – as a last line of defense - would increase data security and gives enterprises the ability to accurately recover data in the event of a breach.
For this study, 500 IT decision-makers in France, Germany, the UK, and the US were surveyed by Vanson Bourne to learn more about the importance of immutable data storage for an organization’s overall cybersecurity plan.
The findings of the independent Vanson Bourne survey, commissioned by Scality, would show that IT managers believe immutable storage is essential to the defense against cyberattacks. Key results indicate the following:
- Immutable data storage is already used by 94% of respondents, and another 2% want to use it during the next three years. The other 4% either currently use it or aim to do so within the next 12 months.
- Immutable data storage is deemed necessary for business cybersecurity by 69% of respondents.
- Of those that have implemented immutable data storage, just 12 percent believe it is not necessary for cybersecurity.
“Immutable data storage is an insurance policy against ransomware,” said Paul Speciale, CMO at Scality.“Immutable data storage is an insurance policy against ransomware. While the survey data shows IT leaders resoundingly agree that immutability is a cornerstone of cybersecurity strategy, 31 percent still did not report it as essential,” said Paul Speciale, CMO at Scality. “Here’s the reality: Being able to restore quickly from an immutable backup means the difference between a successful and unsuccessful ransomware attack. Without storage that's truly immutable, you're vulnerable to cybercriminals’ demands. The perception among some respondents that it’s not essential to cybersecurity is misguided and represents an opportunity to shift more IT leaders towards achieving a modern, inherently immutable object storage solution as a much-needed last line of defense to keep data locked and immune to ransomware exfiltration, modification, or destruction.”
Survey insights: Vertical Market and Regional Nuances
Global technology market research company Vanson Bourne carried out this study across a number of sectors, including retail, professional services, financial services, manufacturing, and telecom. Comparisons made between IT executives from different vertical sectors and countries indicate a number of significant distinctions, including the following:
Vertical Markets
- When it comes to immutable storage, manufacturing businesses are the most likely to implement it (95 percent). When it comes to their company's cybersecurity, 84% of them believe it critical.
- The lowest dependence on immutable storage is reported by companies in the financial services industry (74%), with 60% of these companies stating that it is vital to their corporate cybersecurity.
Regional Differences
- The majority of IT executives across all regions are presently using immutable data storage or have plans to utilize it in the near future: With 98% of respondents either having already implemented it or expecting to do so within the next year, the United States of America has the greatest degree of immutable data storage installations that are either now in place or expected to be adopted. After this, France comes in at 96%, Germany comes in at 94%, and the United Kingdom comes in at 85%.
- A greater proportion of IT executives in the United Kingdom are of the opinion that immutable data storage is not necessary to their cybersecurity strategy, despite the fact that just 12% of IT leaders globally who are already using immutable data storage do not consider it to be vital. Only 11% of respondents in France, 9% in the United States, and 6% in Germany have installed it, while 24% of respondents in the United Kingdom have deployed it but feel it is not vital to their cybersecurity.
US vs. France vs. Germany vs. UK
Participants were asked by Vanson Bourne: ‘Is immutable data storage an essential element of your organization's corporate cybersecurity strategy?’ Each respondent had to be engaged mainly in the IT function and have a manager title or higher in an enterprise-sized commercial firm employing more than 1,000 people in order to be eligible.
Key Findings in the US
- Currently, 98% of respondents from the United States either depend on immutable storage or aim to do so over the next year. Of the four areas that were studied, this is the highest (US, UK, France, Germany).
- Across all vertical markets, 79% of American respondents believe that immutable storage is crucial to their company's cybersecurity plan.
- A corporate cybersecurity plan that includes immutable storage is deemed critical by 86% of industrial businesses in the United States. Out of all the industries studied in the United States, this is the highest, with the IT, technology, and telecommunications sectors coming in second at 84%.
Key Findings in France
- Imutable storage is now used by 96% of French respondents, or they intend to use it within the next year. At 98%, this is just second to the United States.
- Across all vertical markets, 69% of French respondents believe that immutable storage is crucial to their company's cybersecurity plan.
- For their corporate cybersecurity strategy, immutable storage is deemed necessary by 90% of French industrial businesses. Out of all the French industries assessed, this one had the highest score.
- For their corporate cybersecurity strategy, immutable storage is deemed vital by 43% of French enterprises and professional services. Out of all the French industries assessed, this one had the lowest score.
Key Findings in Germany
- Imutable storage is now used by 94% of German respondents, or they want to use it within the next year
- Across all vertical markets, 74% of German respondents believe that immutable storage is crucial to their company's cybersecurity plan
- Storage immutability, according to 76% of German respondents from companies with 3,000 or more workers, is crucial to their corporate cybersecurity strategy
- Storage immutability, according to 69% of German respondents from companies with 1,000–2,999 workers, is crucial to their corporate cybersecurity strategy.
Key Findings in the UK
- 85% of respondents from the United Kingdom either now use immutable storage or intend to do so in the next year. Out of the four areas (US, UK, France, Germany), this is the lowest.
- Across all vertical markets, 47% of U.K. respondents believe that immutable storage is crucial to their organizational cybersecurity plan.
- 54% of respondents from the UK's IT, IT, and telecom industries use immutable storage and believe it is crucial to their company's cybersecurity plan. Out of all the industries examined in the UK, this one had the highest score.
“Widespread deployment of immutable storage reinforces an increased awareness of the critical role secure backup plays as an active defense against cyberattacks, specifically coupled with immutable backup data,” said Dave Russell, Vice President of Enterprise Strategy at Veeam Software. “Veeam believes that achieving Zero Trust Data Resilience with immutable storage implementations - that are indeed truly immutable - is a great opportunity for IT leaders to reduce the risk of growing data security threats and improve their overall cyber resilience.”
Scality specializes in object and file storage systems that can handle and store enormous volumes of data in both cloud-native and hybrid cloud settings. The firm, which was established in 2009, has made a name for itself with its main product, RING, which would provide performance, scalability, and endurance. The technology of Scality is designed to satisfy the needs of applications that need a lot of data. It would offer companies scalable and effective storage solutions that guarantee the availability and security of their data.
