Anita Joseph caught up with Darren Thomson, VP and Field CTO, EMEAI at Commvault, to discuss how the company is leading the way in cyber resilience and helping businesses stay ahead of complicated cyber threats.
Commvault has been a leader in data protection and information management for many years. How do you define cyber resilience, and what key elements differentiate it from traditional data protection strategies?
Cyber resilience is defined as an organization’s ability to prepare for, withstand, recover, and rebuild from cyberattacks. It encompasses having a comprehensive strategy that goes beyond just protecting data. Traditional data protection strategies focus on backing up data so it can be restored in case of a disaster.
However, cyber resilience acknowledges the evolving threat landscape and focuses on proactively mitigating risks and ensuring business continuity even during an attack. Key elements that differentiate cyber resilience from traditional data protection strategies include understanding digital risks, where organizations need to identify and assess the potential threats they face and recognize the critical data that needs protection.
Integrated cybersecurity is essential, embedding cybersecurity into all aspects of business operations rather than treating it as a separate IT function. Regular testing of incident response plans and having a clean room environment for isolated data recovery are crucial for ensuring a swift and effective response to cyberattacks.
Awareness of AI’s potential dangers, such as its use in reconnaissance and fraudulent activities, while also leveraging its benefits for threat detection, is vital. Strong executive leadership is necessary to build a culture of cybersecurity awareness and allocate resources for cyber resilience initiatives.
* https://www.commvault.com/blogs/unveiling-the-secrets-of-cyber-resilience
Can you share how emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and machine learning are being integrated into Commvault’s cyber resilience and recovery solutions? How do these technologies enhance threat detection and response?
Commvault has integrated Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) through partnerships with industry leaders. These collaborations strengthen Commvault Cloud’s offerings by providing advanced security features, improved data analysis, and advanced threat detection. For instance, the partnership with Avira delivers AI-powered threat protection, while the integration with CyberArk bolsters Zero Trust security by reducing the risk of compromised credentials. Additionally, Commvault’s collaboration with Darktrace offers proactive threat defense through AI-powered insights, and the integration with Databricks allows AI-driven searches for better data governance. These are just a few examples, and Commvault also partners with other security leaders to further enhance its cloud platform’s response times and overall effectiveness.
*https://www.commvault.com/blogs/collaborating-with-top-security-and-ai-companies
What are some best practices that Commvault recommends for organizations to build a comprehensive cyber resilience strategy?
Based on the Commvault 2024 Cyber Recovery Readiness Report, Commvault recommends five key capabilities, or resiliency markers, for organizations to build a comprehensive cyber resilience strategy:
- Security tools that enable early warning about risk, including insider risk.
- A known-clean dark site or secondary system in place.
- An isolated environment to store an immutable copy of the data.
- Defined runbooks, roles, and processes for incident response.
- Specific measures to show cyber recovery readiness and risk.
*https://www.commvault.com/news/new-commvault-cyber-recovery-readiness-report
Looking ahead, what are the major trends and innovations in cyber resilience and recovery?
Here are the major trends and innovations in cyber resilience and recovery according to the Commvault report “Overcoming Data Protection Fragmentation for Cyber-Resiliency”:
Increased Collaboration Between ITOps and Security Teams: The report highlights a breakdown of silos between IT operations (ITops) and security teams. This fosters collaboration for a more holistic approach to cyber resilience, considering both security and recovery practices.
AI-powered Security: Artificial Intelligence (AI) is seen as a major innovation with 68% of respondents expecting it to improve security efforts. AI can automate tasks, enhance user authentication, and expedite threat detection and response.
Overcoming Data Fragmentation: Fragmented data protection solutions using various tools create management complexities and hinder cyber resilience. The report suggests adopting modern platforms that consolidate data protection and streamline recovery processes.
*https://www.commvault.com/news/battle-against-sophisticated-cyberthreats
How do you see the role of Commvault evolving to help organizations stay ahead of future cyber threats?
Commvault’s role is evolving beyond just data protection and disaster recovery. It is transforming into a comprehensive cyber resilience provider for organizations. This shift is driven by the need for a layered approach to security, where organizations implement more than just a few basic measures. Commvault can offer solutions and guidance to help support this.
Additionally, disaster recovery planning is no longer sufficient on its own. Commvault recognizes the importance of frequent testing specifically designed for cyber recovery scenarios, suggesting they may be developing improved testing tools or incorporating them into their existing platform.
In addition, the findings from our recent study with GigaOm show a gap between perceived preparedness and cyber threats. We are constantly innovating and working on new ways to bridge this gap and ensure organizations have a realistic understanding of their cyber resilience.
*https://www.commvault.com/news/battle-against-sophisticated-cyberthreats
