Category: DPX

“Don’t Put All Your Eggs in One Basket” – The 3-2-1 Backup Strategy Explained

Imagine if Luke Skywalker had only one copy of the Death Star plans. That would be a recipe for a galactic disaster. In our less interstellar, but no less important, digital world, protecting your data is as crucial as safeguarding the galaxy. If you haven’t heard of it yet, the 3-2-1 backup strategy can be your shield against the dark side of data loss. This article covers everything from the basics of the 3-2-1 backup rule to advanced strategies. 

This is what you will learn in the next few minutes:

  1. What is the 3-2-1 backup strategy?
  2. Why is the 3-2-1 rule essential for data protection? 
  3. How to implement the 3-2-1 backup method effectively? 
  4. The role of off-site backup in the 3-2-1 strategy 
  5. Understanding the 3-2-1 Backup Strategy 

The 3-2-1 strategy is like having your own interstellar rescue team. It’s about keeping three copies of your data (because two is too few and four, well, that’s just overkill for most earthlings). These copies are stored on two different types of media, with one located far enough away to survive an alien invasion (or, more likely, a natural disaster).

Data loss is a universal menace; it shows up uninvited and wreaks havoc. From accidentally deleting your master’s thesis to falling prey to a cyberattack, the ways to lose data are as varied as the creatures in the Mos Eisley Cantina. That’s why the 3-2-1 rule is not just a suggestion; it’s a must-have in your rebel arsenal. 

Painting A Sobering Picture Of Today’s Digital Landscape 

“2023 has unveiled a stark reality in the digital realm: a surge of hacking groups exploiting vulnerabilities to launch attacks across numerous industries. Cybercrime, in all of its many forms, is here to stay. Too many organizations are making too much money for them to ever die. As we all know, ransomware and vulnerability incidents exemplify the daily threats that organizations face, leading to significant operational and financial repercussions,” said Ken Barth, CEO of Catalogic Software. 

“These developments have made it clear that a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy is no longer optional but essential. As the market evolves, we are seeing more and more creativity as the attackers gain experience on how best to penetrate their targets,” he added. 

Piecing Together Your 3-2-1 Backup Strategy Team 

Creating a 3-2-1 backup plan is like assembling your backup team. You need different professionals (or backup solutions) with unique powers (like cloud storage, external hard drives, and network-attached storage). Each plays a crucial role in defending your digital universe. 

Keeping one of your backups off-site is like having a secret base in another galaxy. It’s your last line of defense against local threats, whether it’s a flood, fire, or a rampaging T-Rex (you never know!). Cloud storage is a popular choice here, offering a haven far from earthly dangers. 

Choosing the right tools for your backup strategy is like picking the perfect wand in Ollivanders. It’s not about the fanciest, most expensive option; it’s about what suits your needs. Consider factors like storage capacity, security features, and ease of use before making your choice. 

The Evolution of Backups 

To prevent a catastrophe where half your data universe disappears with a snap, you need to adopt best practices. This includes regular testing of your backups, keeping your software updated to ward off cyber threats, and staying vigilant against the ever-present danger of human error. 

The journey from floppy disks to cloud storage is like moving from horse-drawn carriages to hyper-speed spacecraft. Today’s backup solutions are more accessible, reliable, and user-friendly, offering peace of mind that was once the stuff of science fiction. 

Introducing Catalogic Software: A Vanguard in Data Protection 

Catalogic Software stands as a bastion in the realm of data protection and bare metal restoration. Functioning as a crucial layer in the cybersecurity ecosystem of their customers, Catalogic supplements existing endpoint solutions and feeds data into their SIEM systems.  

They recognize that data protection, including bare metal restoration capabilities, is a customer’s last line of defense against various causes of outages. 

With three decades of expertise in data protection, Catalogic is incessantly working to counteract escalating cyber threats. Their DPX’s threat detection feature, GuardMode, and flexible 3-2-1 storage capabilities form the cornerstone of their approach.  

By scanning files for malicious actors before backing them up and ensuring multiple layers of data immutability protection through read-only techniques, cloud object lock, or tape backups, Catalogic empowers customers with confidence in the safety of their backups. 

Closing Thoughts: The Force is Strong with the 3-2-1 Backup Strategy 

In a world where data is as precious as the rarest kyber crystals, the 3-2-1 backup strategy is your lightsaber in the fight against data loss. Whether facing the dark side of cyberattacks, natural disasters, or human error, this strategy ensures that your data remains safe and recoverable.

May the backups be with you always!

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12/06/2023 0 Comments

Backup Upgrade: The Frequently Overlooked Must-Do in Software

A regular backup upgrade is crucial for cybersecurity. Yet, many overlook the importance of updating backup software. It’s a critical step. Why is it so vital? Backup software acts as your final safeguard against data loss and corruption. If cyber threats compromise your systems, robust backup software is key. It enables swift recovery. This minimizes the damage. Make sure to prioritize your backup software upgrade. It’s an essential defense in your digital environment.

8 Reasons to Prioritize Your Backup Software Upgrade

Upgrading backup software is paramount for organizations striving to enhance their cyber resilience. Upgrading backup software is of utmost importance for organizations aiming to improve their cyber resilience. This is because backup software plays a critical role in the overall data protection and recovery strategy of an organization. By upgrading their backup software, organizations can benefit from several key advantages:

1. Advanced Security Features.

Newer versions of backup software often come with improved security features, such as enhanced encryption algorithms, stronger authentication mechanisms, and better access controls. These features help protect backup data from unauthorized access and ensure its integrity.

For DPX users, features like GuardMode, vStor, and revamped user interfaces can bolster an organization’s ability to protect and recover data in the face of evolving cyber threats.  

2. Better Compatibility.

As technology evolves, older backup software may become incompatible with newer operating systems, hardware, and applications. Upgrading to the latest version ensures compatibility with the latest IT infrastructure, allowing organizations to seamlessly protect and recover their data.

3. Increased Performance.

Upgraded backup software often includes performance improvements like faster backup and recovery speeds, optimized resource utilization, and better handling of large data sets. These enhancements reduce downtime and improve overall operational efficiency.

4. Enhanced Automation and Integration.

Modern backup software offers increased automation capabilities and integration with other IT systems, enabling organizations to streamline their backup processes. Automation reduces the chances of human error, ensures regular backups, and simplifies disaster recovery workflows.

5. Advanced Recovery Options.

Upgraded backup software may introduce new recovery options, such as instant VM recovery, granular item-level recovery, and cross-platform recovery. These options grant organizations more flexibility and efficiency when restoring data after a cyber incident.

6. Better Data Management:

Upgraded backup software often includes advanced data management features like deduplication, compression, and tiered storage. These features help optimize storage utilization and reduce costs, making backup operations more efficient and cost-effective.

7. Compliance and Regulation

Many industries have specific data protection regulations that organizations must adhere to. Up-to-date backup software often includes features that help organizations meet these regulatory requirements, such as data retention policies, audit logs, and reporting capabilities.

8. Pro-Bono Upgrade Services

The availability of pro-bono upgrade services from software providers can be a game-changer. This offering not only ensures that organizations stay current with the latest security enhancements but also demonstrates a commitment to cybersecurity from the software vendor’s side, forging a stronger partnership in the battle against data breaches and cyberattacks. 

In conclusion, upgrading backup software ensures the security, compatibility, performance, automation, recovery options, data management, and compliance necessary to effectively protect data and withstand cyber threats.  Several key factors drive the urgency of this endeavor.  

Checking Compatibility Before Backup Upgrades

Assessing the compatibility of the latest backup software version with an organization’s existing infrastructure is a critical step in the decision-making process for upgrades. To ensure a seamless transition, several considerations come into play.  

The assurance of two-version backward compatibility provides peace of mind by ensuring that the new software can work with data from the current and previous two versions, safeguarding data integrity during the upgrade process.  

The choice between agent-based and agentless backups must align with the specific requirements and constraints of the infrastructure.  

Additionally, the availability of a compatibility matrix published by the software provider simplifies the evaluation process, offering a clear roadmap for compatibility checks.  

Furthermore, the ability to upgrade the master server independently, taking advantage of the latest feature sets, while scheduling upgrades for agent nodes at a later time, allows for a phased approach that minimizes disruptions.  

Lastly, the inclusion of an inventory and version report directly within the user interface streamlines the assessment, providing a real-time snapshot of compatibility and ensuring informed decisions that bolster the organization’s cyber resilience. 

Simplified Backup Management in New DPX Update

Usability Enhancements in DPX’s Latest Release

The latest version of DPX has brought several significant improvements from a usability standpoint, greatly enhancing day-to-day backup administration tasks.

One of the most noticeable enhancements has been the transition to a more user-friendly WebUI and simplified management interface. The latest DPX has made it much more intuitive and accessible, allowing administrators to efficiently manage their backup infrastructure with ease. 

GuardMode: Advancing Event Monitoring in DPX

Event monitoring has also seen remarkable improvements, particularly with the introduction of features like GuardMode. This cyber-resilient approach ensures that critical data remains vigilant even in the face of potential threats. The ability to monitor events in real-time and proactively respond to potential security breaches has become an integral part of backup administration, bolstering cybersecurity efforts. 

Transparent Reporting: SLA and Chargeback in DPX

SLA-based reporting and chargeback mechanisms have made tracking storage usage and data growth more transparent and actionable. Administrators can now generate reports that provide valuable insights into storage consumption trends, enabling better resource allocation and cost management. This level of visibility into the backup environment empowers organizations to optimize their backup strategies. 

Improved Security with DPX’s Role-Based Access Control

Furthermore, the latest DPX version has introduced improved role-based access control, allowing for more granular control over who can access and modify backup configurations. This feature enhances security and ensures that only authorized personnel can make critical changes, reducing the risk of accidental data loss or configuration errors. 

vStor Management: User Interface Improvements in DPX

The management of vStor, a key component of the backup infrastructure, has also seen notable enhancements in terms of its user interface (UI). The improved UI simplifies the process of managing storage resources, making it more efficient and user-friendly.

For DPX users, you can watch this YouTube video to check out “How to Migrate Your DPX Windows Master Server Seamlessly”.

Takeaway: Why Upgrading Your Backup Software is Essential

Upgrading your backup software should be a non-negotiable part of your cybersecurity strategy. It’s not just about staying current; it’s about ensuring your organization’s survival in the face of cyber threats. Here’s why:

  • Minimize Disruption: VM software-based solutions offer an easy upgrade path, often with little to no downtime, so you can continue to protect your data seamlessly.
  • Leverage New Features: With DPX’s GuardMode, vStor, and improved interfaces, you’re better equipped to fend off and recover from cyber incidents.
  • Benefit from Free Services: Many providers, like those of DPX, offer pro-bono upgrades, highlighting their commitment to your cybersecurity and offering a partnership in defense against data breaches.
  • Ensure Compatibility: Always check that new backup software aligns with your existing systems to guarantee a smooth transition and maintain data integrity.
  • Enhanced Usability: The new DPX version’s user-friendly interface and management features simplify backup administration, allowing you to manage backups more effectively and securely.

Remember, neglecting your backup software upgrades is a risk you can’t afford. Stay ahead of the curve and ensure your last line of defense is as strong as it can be.

Need help with your backup upgrade?
Reach out: info@catalogicsoftware.com

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11/07/2023 0 Comments

Elevating SAP HANA Data Protection: Safeguarding Your Business’s Backbone

Introduction

In the ever-evolving realm of business, SAP HANA stands as an indispensable cornerstone for myriad organizations, delivering potent database and data management capabilities. Ensuring the impregnability of your SAP HANA data through a regime of unwavering backups transcends mere good practice—it is a calculated strategic imperative.

The Necessity of Backing Up SAP HANA Data

Whether orchestrating On Premise SAP HANA systems or harnessing the dynamic potential of SAP HANA Cloud, the rationale behind data backup resonates profoundly:
1. Data Fortification and Rapid Recovery: The practice of regular backups provides a resilient safety net, ensuring the swiftest recovery from the depths of data loss, system glitches, or unexpected calamities. SAP HANA Cloud’s automated backups, attaining a Recovery Point Objective (RPO) as brisk as 15 minutes, adds an indispensable layer of data resilience.
2. Mitigation of Inherent Risks: Backups stand as the vanguard against potential menaces—ranging from data corruption and hardware hiccups to inadvertent deletions.
3. Conformance to Stringent Regulations: In a realm of stringent industry mandates, where data retention and shielded preservation are pivotal, regular backups stand as the sentinel ensuring compliance.
4. Adaptive Recovery Possibilities: SAP HANA backups offer a spectrum of adaptable data restoration timelines, aligning seamlessly with varying recovery requisites.
5. Sustaining Consistency and Wholeness: For denizens of the SAP HANA Cloud, automated backups perpetuate the most recent database integrity, guaranteeing data’s untarnished sanctity.
6. Mitigating Downtime Significantly: An adeptly executed backup strategy truncates downtime during system maintenance and unforeseen operational disruptions.
7. Synergy Across Hybrid Environments: Solutions synonymous with uniform data guardianship, spanning on-premises locales and cloud expanse, etch the epitome of uninterrupted operations.
8. Augmented Cloud Synthesis: Selective backup solutions offer the avant-garde capability of directly funneling backups to cloud terrains, elevating disaster recovery prospects.
9. Intrinsic Log and Data Backups: The SAP HANA Cloud landscape is marked by daily comprehensive data backups coupled with log data backups conducted at 15-minute intervals—a harmonious synergy for curbing data loss.
10. Economical and Uninterrupted Availability: SAP HANA Cloud’s inclusions encompass backup storage sans supplementary overheads, ensconcing data protection with an uninterrupted cadence.

Catalogic DPX: Your Solution for SAP HANA Data Backup

Catalogic DPX integrates with the SAP backint interfaces of SAP HANA to provide complete protection of the SAP HANA Data and Databases using native SAP HANA applications and tools.

Native Integration

SAP HANA administrators use SAP Tools every day to manage the databases and data protection as a critical part of these activities. Therefore, DPX has tightly integrated with the SAP native tools like SAP HANA Cockpit and Studio that Database administrators can easily start and schedule DPX SAP HANA Backups without having to access the DPX Management Console.

Point in time Recovery

DPX delivers point in time recovery of databases by levering the database andlog backups. By rolling forward logs on top of the backup data, DPX allows administrators to easily pick a specific point in time to recover the databases to. This allows our customers to pick up from where they left before the disaster struck.

Choose your destination – Disk, Tape, or Cloud

Disk, Tape or Cloud: DPX provides the ability to write SAP HANA backups to the destination of your choice: vStor (next generation storage agnostic backup repository built using modern open-source components and micro-services), Tape or the Cloud.

Highlights of Catalogic DPX for SAP HANA Backup:

  • Seamless Integration: Catalogic DPX allows for a smooth integration with SAP HANA, letting you maintain existing backup strategies through SAP HANA Studio. DPX is also one of the “backint for SAP HANA”
  • Optimal Performance: The use of Catalogic DPX minimizes impacts on performance, ensuring efficient backups without hindering system operations.
  • Monitoring and Management: The Catalogic DPX Master Server UI serves as a centralized hub for monitoring backup or restoration endeavors, providing users with real-time insights.
  • Hybrid Landscape Support: Catalogic DPX ensures uniform data protection across both on-premise and cloud setups, making it a versatile solution for varied organizational needs.
  • Ease of Installation: The Catalogic DPX Plug-in for SAP HANA can be effortlessly installed and configured, ensuring a hassle-free setup process.

Emboldening SAP HANA Data Security

Securing your SAP HANA data is a top priority. Regularly backing up your data not only keeps it safe but also helps you meet regulatory requirements and ensures that your business operations can continue without data loss. Catalogic DPX provides seamless integration, vigilant monitoring, and unwavering support for your SAP HANA data protection. With SAP HANA at the forefront, Catalogic DPX steps up as your safeguard, keeping your precious data secure.

Ready to embark on the journey of reinforcing your SAP HANA data? Click here to request a Catalogic DPX demo or reach out to us with any questions. Your secure data’s protection is just a step away.

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08/25/2023 0 Comments

Pros and Cons of Backup vs. High Availability for Secure Data Protection

Introduction 

In today’s digital landscape, secure data protection is paramount for businesses. When considering data protection strategies, two key solutions come to the forefront: backup and High Availability (HA). While both play critical roles, understanding their pros and cons is essential for making informed decisions. In this article, we will explore the benefits of backup and HA, as well as their limitations, to help businesses prioritize their data protection needs effectively. 

Backup and HA are both crucial components of a comprehensive secure data protection strategy, although they serve different purposes and cater to different Recovery Point Objectives (RPO) and Recovery Time Objectives (RTO). 

Backup plays a vital role in secure data protection by creating copies of data and storing them separately from the primary system. It acts as a safety net, allowing businesses to restore data in the event of data loss, corruption, or system failures. Backups are typically performed at regular intervals, capturing the state of the data at a specific point in time. This makes them particularly useful for recovering from incidents that occurred in the past, such as accidental deletions or data corruption that may go unnoticed for some time. Backup solutions often offer features like data deduplication, encryption, and retention policies, ensuring data integrity and long-term storage.

Pros of Backup 

  1. Data Recovery: Backup solutions provide a reliable means to recover data in case of loss or corruption caused by hardware failure, accidental deletion, or malicious attacks. This ensures critical data can be restored, ensuring smooth business operations. 
  2. Historical Data: Backups often retain multiple versions of data, enabling businesses to access previous states and restore specific versions when needed. This feature is valuable for recovering from errors, retrieving older data, or meeting compliance requirements. 
  3. Cost-effectiveness: Implementing backup solutions is generally more cost-effective compared to high availability systems, as they do not require redundant hardware. Businesses have the flexibility to choose backup strategies that align with their budget while ensuring data protection. 
  4. Ransomware Detection and Warning (DPX-specific): DPX offers advanced features like GuardMode, providing real-time detection and warnings for ransomware attacks. This proactive defense mechanism adds an extra layer of security to backups, safeguarding against evolving cyber threats. 
  5. Data Archiving: Backup solutions often include data archiving capabilities, allowing organizations to retain data for long-term storage or regulatory compliance purposes. Archiving ensures data integrity and accessibility over extended periods. 

Cons of Backup 

  1. Recovery Time: Restoring data from backups can take time, especially for large datasets. The recovery process may involve retrieving data from off-site locations or transferring it over a network, potentially leading to system downtime during the recovery period. 
  2. Storage Space: Backups require significant storage space, especially when multiple versions of data are retained. Managing and scaling storage infrastructure to accommodate growing backup needs can be challenging and costly. 

High Availability, on the other hand, focuses on minimizing system downtime and ensuring continuous access to critical services. It involves deploying redundant systems, such as failover clusters or load-balanced servers, which are capable of taking over seamlessly in case of a primary system failure. High Availability solutions are designed to achieve near-zero downtime, allowing businesses to maintain continuous operations and minimize the impact of disruptions. They are typically built with redundancy, fault-tolerance, and failover mechanisms, ensuring that any system failure or maintenance activities can be handled without significant interruptions. 

Pros of High Availability 

  1. Minimized Downtime: High availability systems are designed to minimize or eliminate downtime by quickly switching to a redundant system in case of primary system failure. This ensures continuous availability of critical services, reducing the impact of disruptions. 
  2. Business Resilience: High availability systems contribute to overall business resilience by enabling seamless continuity of operations, even in the face of failures or disruptions. This resilience helps maintain customer satisfaction, brand reputation, and revenue streams. 
  3. Scalability and Performance: High availability systems are often built on scalable architectures that can handle increasing workloads and user demands. They provide robust performance capabilities to support business growth and handle peak loads effectively. 

Cons of High Availability 

  1. Cost: High availability systems can be costly to implement and maintain due to the requirement for redundant hardware and complex configurations. Investment in hardware, licensing, and specialized expertise may pose budgetary challenges for some businesses. 
  2. Complexity: Setting up and managing high availability systems can be complex, requiring specialized knowledge and skills. Proper configuration, continuous monitoring, and proactive maintenance are necessary to ensure optimal system performance. 
  3. Not a Substitute for Backup: While high availability systems protect against downtime, they do not replace the need for backup solutions. Data loss due to accidental deletion, corruption, or cyber-attacks can still occur, necessitating a comprehensive backup strategy. 
  4. Limited Data Copies: High availability systems typically maintain a limited number of redundant data copies. If all the copies are compromised or subject to the same failure, there is still a risk of data loss. Backup solutions with multiple copies and off-site storage provide an additional layer of protection. 
  5. Resource Utilization: High availability systems require additional hardware and resources to maintain redundancy, which can impact overall system performance. Organizations must carefully consider resource allocation and capacity planning to ensure smooth operations. 

The choice between backup and High Availability depends on the specific RPO and RTO requirements of a business. RPO refers to the acceptable amount of data loss, while RTO represents the desired time it takes to recover from an incident. If a business has stringent RPO and RTO objectives, requiring minimal data loss and near-instantaneous recovery, a HA solution would be more suitable. HA systems offer rapid failover and continuous operations, ensuring minimal downtime and immediate access to services. 

However, for organizations with more flexible RPO and RTO requirements, backup solutions provide a cost-effective approach. Backups allow for more granular recovery options and the ability to restore data from various points in time, enabling businesses to recover from different types of incidents. Backup solutions are also advantageous for long-term data retention, compliance purposes, and safeguarding against scenarios where system-wide failures or simultaneous data corruption occur. 

Conclusion 

When it comes to secure data protection, businesses must evaluate the advantages and limitations of backup and HA solutions. Backup solutions offer data recovery, historical data retention, cost-effectiveness, ransomware detection (like DPX GuardMode), and data archiving. However, they may involve recovery time and require significant storage space. On the other hand, HA minimizes downtime, ensures business resilience, offers scalability and performance benefits. However, it can be costly, complex to manage, not a substitute for backups, maintain limited data copies, and require careful resource utilization. 

To create a comprehensive data protection strategy, businesses should consider integrating both backup and HA solutions, tailoring them to their specific needs and priorities. This approach ensures a multi-layered defense against both system failures and data loss, enabling business continuity, mitigating risks, and safeguarding valuable data assets. 

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07/14/2023 0 Comments

DPX Extends Support for Micro Focus Open Enterprise Server 2023

In the ever-evolving landscape of data protection and enterprise server management, Catalogic DPX continues to pave the way with its advanced features and broad compatibility. With the recent release of Open Enterprise Server (OES) 2023, DPX takes it a step further by integrating seamlessly with this cutting-edge platform. In this blog, we explore how Catalogic DPX provides Micro Focus OES backups, granular OES file restore capabilities and OES ransomware protection while also highlighting its newfound compatibility with OES 2023.

Granular File Restore for Micro Focus OES Backups

Unlike many other backup providers, like Unitrends, who have distanced themselves from OES by removing support for granular OES backups, Catalogic DPX offers an advanced solution for organizations utilizing Micro Focus OES by providing granular file restore capabilities. With this feature, users can easily recover individual files and folders from their backups, eliminating the need for a full system restore. Whether it’s a critical document or a lost file, DPX empowers users with the ability to swiftly restore specific items, ensuring minimal downtime and maximum productivity.

Ransomware Protection with Catalogic DPX

This should come as no surprise to anyone, but ransomware attacks continue to pose a significant threat to organizations’ data integrity and operational continuity. To combat this menace, DPX incorporates robust ransomware protection measures including snapshot immutability, air-gapped backup destinations, and most recently, proactive ransomware scanning through GuardMode. Through these measures, DPX ensures that not only are backups protected from malicious encryption attempts, but also that data in production is not compromised before the data is snapshotted and moved to vStor. This way, in the event of a ransomware incident, organizations can confidently rely on DPX to restore clean, uninfected copies of their data, effectively thwarting the attackers’ objectives.

Integration with OES 2023

In addition to its existing capabilities, Catalogic DPX now extends its support to OES 2023. This integration opens up new avenues for organizations to leverage Catalogic’s advanced features while enjoying the benefits of the latest Micro Focus platform. With DPX seamlessly integrated with OES 2023, organizations can confidently protect their data, restore files at a granular level, and fortify their backups against ransomware threats.

Efficient Backup and Recovery Workflow

Catalogic DPX simplifies the backup and recovery process for Micro Focus OES environments. Administrators can easily configure backup policies, automate backup schedules, and monitor job statuses through a user-friendly interface. Catalogic DPX optimizes the backup workflow, minimizing the impact on system resources and ensuring efficient data protection.

By utilizing DPX’s support for OES 2023 backups, organizations can also enhance data availability and strengthen their business continuity strategies. The seamless integration ensures that critical data on Micro Focus OES is effectively protected and readily recoverable, minimizing potential downtime and enabling uninterrupted operations.

Catalogic DPX for OES 2023

Catalogic DPX brings granular file restore capabilities and ransomware protection to Micro Focus OES backups, empowering organizations to safeguard their data effectively. With the recent integration of DPX with OES 2023, organizations can further leverage its advanced features and extend their data protection capabilities. Whether it’s recovering individual files or fortifying backups against ransomware threats, Catalogic DPX offers a comprehensive solution for Micro Focus OES environments, now enhanced by its compatibility with OES 2023.

Additional Information

If you would like to learn more, please contact us or request a demo.  For additional reading on DPX support of OES, please see:

 

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05/11/2023 0 Comments

How To Use Wasabi Hot Cloud Storage for DPX vPlus Backup Storage

DPX vPlus is an enterprise-ready, agentless backup and snapshot management solution for Microsoft 365 and virtual environments. It allows you to reliably improve and automate backup performance, automate recovery tests, and significantly save resources, time, and money. Microsoft 365 backups and virtual machines backups can be stored on-premises, on a local file system or share, or can be stored in the cloud using cloud storage. Wasabi backup storage delivers fast to write, low cost, and reliable cloud object storage, that also provides faster speeds than Amazon S3. Wasabi backup storage charges no egress fees, and provides 100% data immutability, so you can be confident that your backup data is tamper-proof. 

This article provides the steps to use Wasabi cloud storage as DPX vPlus backup storage.  

Configuration Pre-Requisites 

  • DPX vPlus version 5.0 or higher 
  • Active Wasabi account with access to Wasabi console

Reference Architecture Diagram 

Wasabi Configuration 

1. Login to Wasabi console and Click on “Create Bucket” to create a new standard bucket. Please refer to Creating a Wasabi bucket for information to create a bucket. 

2. Create an Access key and Secret key for the root user. Make sure to download the key file in order to retrieve your secret key again. 

DPX vPlus Configuration

Follow the below steps to configure DPX vPlus to use Wasabi backup storage: 

1. Log in to the DPX vPlus web UI 

2. Navigate to the Backup Destinations Tab -> Object Storage. Then click on “Create Backup Destination” and select “Amazon S3 / S3-compatible.”

3. In the Create Backup Destination window, input the name for your backup destination and choose the node configurations as needed.

4. In Amazon S3 / S3-Compatible Settings, provide the information about your bucket 

Make sure the flags “Path style access enabled” and “Parallel Download enabled” are enabled. 

5. Input the Access key and Secret key and then click “Save” to save the configuration. 

6. Test the connectivity by selecting the Wasabi destination and clicking “Test Connectivity.

7. The results can be viewed in the Task Console.

8. Click on Virtual Environments and then Backup SLA’s to create a Backup SLA and protect your Virtual Environments, Containers, Microsoft 365 and Applications using Wasabi backup storage. Configure the settings under “General” tab.  

9. Configure Settings under the Rule tab. Select the Wasabi cloud storage as the destination, define the retention settings, and assign the policy to a schedule. If you have not yet created a schedule, you can assign this policy to a schedule at a later time.

10. If you do not assign the policy to Virtual Machines during creation or want to assign new VMs to an existing Backup Policy, you can do so by clicking on “Virtual Environments” and then “instances.” Select the instance and click “Assign policy” and then select the policy created in step 4.8 above. Click “Save” to save the policy assignment. 

11. Start a backup by selecting the instance and clicking the backup icon.

12. The progress of the backup can be viewed on the task console. 

For any support or setup questions, please get in touch with Catalogic Technical Support at dpsupport@catalogicsoftware.com.

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04/28/2023 0 Comments

How GuardMode Ransomware Detection Secures Your Backup Solution

Introduction

A backup strategy in place is essential for protecting your data against a ransomware attack. However, relying solely on backups is not enough to ensure complete protection from continuously more sophisticated risks. 

The thing to remember is that backups can be an effective defense against ransomware only if they are done regularly and stored securely. Regular backups ensure that you have the most recent versions of your data available in case of an attack. Storing backups securely, such as on an offline or off-site location, can prevent the ransomware from accessing and encrypting them. Remember the 3-2-1 rule!

However, there are still some scenarios where backups may not be enough to protect against ransomware. For example:

  • If the ransomware can infect and encrypt the backed-up files before you notice the attack. 
  • If the backups are not set up correctly or not being tested regularly, which may lead to data loss or the inability to restore the data.  
  • If the backup process or systems are themselves compromised.

This is why we’ve decided to enhance the protection against data loss due to ransomware attacks by adding GuardMode, a ransomware detection module specifically designed to further protect your data and backup solution against ransomware.

GuardMode Detection Strategies 

Three fundamental types of ransomware detection allow for a precise and early detection of suspicious activity for your backup and storage admins: 

  • Threshold-based ransomware detection is a method of identifying ransomware attacks by monitoring file access patterns and setting predefined thresholds. It works by identifying when ransomware is attempting to encrypt a large number of files quickly or change file extensions 
  • Honeypot file-based ransomware detection involves creates fake files that look like real data but are designed to trigger an alert when accessed or modified.
  • Blocklist-based ransomware detection is a method of identifying ransomware by comparing file name patterns against a known list of ransomware-specific patterns.

A combination of these three mechanisms provides an effective way for early detection of ransomware, and in combination with a data protection solution like DPX, they significantly enhance the security posture of your team to be more proactive.

Benefits of Ransomware Detection for Backup Solutions 

Avoid Paying Ransom Demands 

First, taking a proactive security posture can help your organization avoid paying ransom demands. If ransomware infects your system and your backups are encrypted, you may have no other option but to pay the ransom to get your data back. However, with GuardMode, you can prevent the attack from encrypting your backups, and you can restore your data from a clean backup copy. 

Minimize Downtime and Decrease Recovery Time 

Another advantage of ransomware detection in backup solutions is that it can minimize downtime. Ransomware attacks can cause significant downtime, which can result in lost revenue and productivity. With GuardMode ransomware detection, you can quickly identify and isolate infected systems, preventing the malware from spreading to other systems and minimizing the time it takes to recover from a ransomware attack. This is because you can get early notification to take action quickly to isolate the affected systems and restore data from backups. 

Improve Overall Cybersecurity 

The early detection mechanisms of GuardMode in combination with REST APIs and syslog integration helps your backup and storage teams improve your overall cybersecurity posture. By implementing measures to detect ransomware and ransomware-like attacks, you can enhance your existing security posture and you’re well equipped for automating actions to take upon detection like: 

  • Making shares read-only instantaneously 
  • Blocking suspiciously behaving accounts 
  • Invoking immediate snapshot/backup on the affected system

It also important to take additional steps to protect against ransomware, such as implementing strong cybersecurity measures and training employees on how to recognize and avoid ransomware using antivirus and anti-malware software. 

Why You Need to Add GuardMode Today

Ransomware attacks can cause significant damage to your business. Having a reliable backup solution is crucial to be able to recover data and systems, but backup solution are not immune to ransomware attacks. Ransomware can encrypt files on source systems before they are backed up, and if unnoticed, making them useless for recovery in the event of a data loss. This is where ransomware detection offered by GuardMode comes in handy. Providing early detection of ransomware attacks allows you to take immediate action to limit the spread and prevent the attack from encrypting your files unnoticed before they are backed up.

Contact us to learn more about GuardMode and how it can seamlessly integrate with your existing  infrastructure and enhance your security posture. We can demonstrate GuardMode in action, and help you integrate and fine-tune GuardMode to fully utilize its potential using your existing infrastructure.

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03/22/2023 0 Comments

Real-Life Ransomware Attacks and How GuardMode Helps to Mitigate the Damage

According to Statista reports, total enterprise data volume was estimated to increase significantly, rising from approximately 1 petabyte to 2.02 petabytes, which represents an average annual growth of 42.2% ( ). It’s important to note that the majority of this data will be stored in internally managed data centers.

This is a lot of enterprise data. With the fast pace of cloud storage adoption, that is in some cases entirely transparent to the end user, we don’t even realize how much data we collect … and how much we have to protect.

Unfortunately, with the growing amount of data, and its importance, ransomware attacks continue to be a growing concern for businesses of all sizes. In recent years, the number of ransomware attacks has skyrocketed, causing significant damage to businesses and individuals alike. While traditional antivirus and anti-malware software can provide some level of protection, these solutions are often limited in their ability to detect early and track these types of attacks.

GuardMode is a solution that provides an additional layer of protection to a backup and recovery solution, specifically for ransomware and ransomware-like threat detection. GuardMode helps detect and alert administrators about suspicious activity in real-time, minimize the impact of an attack on the user’s data and systems, and help roll back just the affected data, without having to revert to a full point-in-time snapshot. In this blog post, we’ll explore two real-life examples of ransomware attacks and how GuardMode detects their abnormal behavior and then helps to mitigate and recovery from the damage.

WannaCry Ransomware

WannaCry is one of the most famous ransomware attacks of all time. This strain of ransomware was discovered in May of 2017, and it quickly spread across the globe, infecting hundreds of thousands of computers in over 150 countries. The WannaCry attack used a vulnerability in Microsoft Windows to spread rapidly and infect systems. Reporter Connor Jones of ITPro points out in a recent article that many fail to realize that after 5 years, WannaCry’s ghost, still actively lurks on the ransomware landscape.

GuardMode, with its real-time monitoring’ and behavior-based detection techniques, as well as built-in decoy files deployment, is able to detect the abnormal file access patterns and unusual process execution associated with WannaCry. The software would then alert the backup admin and IT operations team immediately, allowing them to take action before the ransomware had the chance to encrypt their files.

With support for both Windows and Linux machines, GuardMode can detect suspicious patterns and ransomware-specific extensions on file shares. Repeated alerts trigger an automation that would lock down file-shares to read-only and would alert the IT and Security teams to take action immediately.

Furthermore, by integrating GuardMode with a backup and recovery solution such as Catalogic DPX, the orginazation gains an additional layer of recovery.  Through the usage of a REST API and syslog, administrators get an option to automate on-demand snapshots or backups, and gain the ability to roll back just the affected data, given GuardMode is tracking all the encrypted files on the system.

Ryuk Ransomware

Ryuk is another well-known strain of ransomware that has been responsible for significant damage in recent years. Ryuk is typically used in targeted attacks against large organizations, and it is known for its ability to cause substantial damage in a short amount of time. It’s important to remember that typically during a malware attack, the attackers map the network, identify critical systems and gather information about the target’s infrastructure, so later they can use techniques such as Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) or Server Message Block (SMB) to move from one compromised system to another, escalating privileges and expanding their control over the network. Once the attackers have control over the target network, they run the Ryuk ransomware and encrypt files on the file shares, workstations, and servers. The ransomware will typically also delete shadow or backup copies of files and stop certain critical services.

With GuardMode in place, the software is able detect the abnormal behavior associated with Ryuk. With the ability to track file activity, GuardMode could be configured to detect new binaries being installed on systems where no installations should be performed. This allows IT admins to take action before the ransomware had the chance to encrypt their data. Additionally, as Ryuk is a rapid encryption ransomware, GuardMode can quickly detect typical thresholds being surpassed and send an alert allowing Administrators to take immediate action. Ryuk is known to place a RyukReadMe.txt file that contains detailed information about ransom payment – that is yet another thing that GuardMode is looking for to warn users as soon as possible. Furthermore, by integrating with a backup solution, GuardMode can make a copy of backup data available for recovery through a guided recovery mechanism, even if the ransomware was successful in encrypting files.

Conclusion

Ransomware attacks are a growing concern for businesses of all sizes, and traditional antivirus and anti-malware software can only do so much. Recent research from IBM () found that the average breach lifecycle takes 287 days, with organizations taking 212 days to initially detect a breach and 75 days to contain it. The same study revealed there was a 94.34% reduction in the average duration of ransomware attacks between 2019 and 2021, from over two months to just a little more than three days. Taking the above into account, it’s clear that with the advanced and more sophisticated ways of avoiding heuristic-based detection mechanisms, it’s more challenging to detect and block malicious software. GuardMode, with its real-time monitoring and behavior-based detection techniques, provides an additional layer of data protection that can do early detection and alert the administrator or other systems of these types of malware attacks.

By integrating GuardMode with a backup and recovery solution like Catalogic DPX, businesses can minimize the impact of a ransomware attack and ensure the rapid and precise recovery of their data. DPX offers an integrated web-based management console for GuardMode, allowing for easier configuration, maintenance, and alerting.

Contact us to learn more about GuardMode and how it can enhance your security posture and how can it seamlessly integrate with your existing infrastructure. We will demonstrate GuardMode in action, and help you integrate and fine-tune GuardMode to fully utilize its potential using your existing infrastructure.

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02/13/2023 0 Comments

Ensuring the Data Integrity of your Backups with GuardMode

The Case for Ensuring Data Integrity 

While writing a long term paper, I accidentally overwrote and replaced a long passage with a single character – the unintended consequence of a Select All and an accidental keyboard press.  I didn’t realize that a good portion of my paper was gone until I went back to proofread it, and I had to go back through multiple versions only to discover that the error had been saved in those versions as well.  While it took me another couple of hours to rewrite the section, it taught a valuable of lesson in that just because you have a saved copy, the data contained within it may not be the data you expect or want.  

Such is true in today’s environment where unscrupulous actors encrypt data for ransom and even your backup copies may not spare you from the fallout when those copies were affected with ransomware as well. Data protection has always been multi-faceted by concerns regarding recovery point objective (how often to backup, how long to retain the backup) and recovery time objective (how quick to recover in the event of data loss). There are very few solutions that look at the data integrity and data validity −  is the data that is being restored the data that I want?  

GuardMode is an add-on feature set to DPX that was built to address this concern and help ensure the data integrity of your backups.  

What does GuardMode do?  

DPX GuardMode actively monitors filesystem activity on the backup clients that you are protecting within DPX and identifies data that may have been compromised.  From an architectural perspective, there is a GuardMode agent that needs to be installed on the client server that will be monitored.   

As users interact with the filesystem on the server, the GuardMode agent will detect this activity and alert administrators on violations to configurable rulesets defined by the system administrator.  

Early Detection Strategies 

In addition to default behaviors that alert based on file properties like file entropy, the value associated with randomness of a file where higher entropy values could signify encrypted data. Backup admins are able to customize what they classify as violations via:  

Blocklist– The blocklist  is a list of file types/extensions that a user does not want on their filesystem.  It can be automatically updated and populated directly from the Catalogic support webserver and exceptions can defined within the DPX user interface.  By using a blocklist, administrators can receive alerts when these files (most of them are known ransomware file types) land on the filesystem. 

Honey Pots – A honey pot is like a booby trap, put in place to alert an administrator when users are making modifications to a folder location that has been designated as a honey pot.  When a file modification occurs to a honey pot, the trap is sprung and an administrator is notified that someone is making changes to files that should not change.

GuardMode Proactive Detection Strategies 

Threshold Monitoring

Threshold violations occur when I/O operations exceed a limit. Users can configure these limits based on frequency, interval scanning, and other parameters that sum to a weighted value. For example, a server which typically doesn’t have much activity in terms of filesystem changes suddenly has over 100K file writes in 30 secs should raise an alarm that something outside of the ordinary is occurring. This type of monitoring can raise a flag and allow an administrator to investigate more deeply and follow-up with the appropriate user making those changes.

Restoring the Data You Need 

Data protection is more than just backup and restore. It needs to be multi-faceted to address the many ways in which data can be backed up and how quickly that data can be restored and reused.  DPX addressed these concerns by providing a block level incremental backup and a disk to disk to tape/cloud (3-2-1) backup strategy as well as multiple options for restoring data like Instant Access, Bare Metal Recovery, and Instant Virtualization.  Now with GuardMode, DPX can help ensure the integrity of the data that is being protected so that the data you restore is the data you want.  

Come check out some videos on the YouTube page for an overview and demonstration of GuardMode. 

GuardMode is continually evolving and becoming even more tightly integrated with DPX. In the future, we will tie early detection and recovery capabilities even further by using analytics and metadata from GuardMode to help with guided restore capabilities in DPX.  Then you too can hopefully avoid having to put on another pot of coffee at 2AM trying to finish a project due the next morning. 

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02/01/2023 0 Comments

DPX 4.9 Adds Proactive Ransomware Shield for Linux and Improves Quality of Alerts for Backup Admins

We are pleased to announce the release of Catalogic DPX 4.9, where we continue to build upon our commitment to providing one of the most cyber resilient data protection and backup coverage matrices for private, public, and hybrid-cloud environments. This release adds to our industry leading ransomware recovery and cyber resilience features by building on the DPX GuardMode for Windows capability made available in DPX 4.8.1.

GuardMode provides proactive monitoring for early detection and notification of suspicious activity along with identifying and enabling the recovery of any affected data. Before DPX 4.9, this feature was limited to Windows, but DPX 4.9 now offers GuardMode for Linux servers and Samba shares.  In addition, backup administrators can now benefit from increased quality of alerts, where GuardMode measures the level of file entropy and compares known magic signatures on files suspected to be impacted. GuardMode uses active, live forensic techniques instead of analyzing backup data that lags security incidents by several hours, days, and even weeks.

DPX 4.9 also delivered improvements to the web-based HTML UI, including support for Block Backup, Restore, and support for archival of those block-based backups. We also added several improvements to different DPX services, including reporting and event service monitoring.

We have also added several improvements to the use of DPX vStor in this release. This includes the ability to archive backup copies from a replicated vStor, multi-factor authentication, and an easier way to install vStor on a physical server.

And finally, DPX 4.9 includes many general improvements to existing DPX features. All new features of our DPX 4.9 product are listed below:

DPX Cyber Resilience

  • GuardMode for Linux

Adds a Linux ransomware detection agent with the ability to detect and notify an administrator of possible suspicious activity on the host. This is an upgrade to the already present Windows agent that adds a layer of ransomware detection and alerting to the DPX enterprise.

  • Encrypted Files Detection and Encryption Tracking

Adds an agent feature that detects encrypted files and tracks the encryption process to provide a list of affected files through a REST API. This allows administrators to improve their understanding of the infection scope as well as provides a list of affected files to restore.

  • Syslog Support

Adds syslog as a notification target for notifications.  This allows administrators to plug in GuardMode agent notifications into their existing security event collection workflows (for example, into a SIEM solution.)

DPX Services

  • Support for Block Backup and Restore in HTML UI

Adds the option of scheduling Block Backups and all corresponding restore options (File Restore, Instant Access Mapping, Backup Virtualization, Application) to HTML UI.  Now, the user can run block backup and restore workloads without relying on the Java GUI by using the HTML UI or REST API, which is faster and opens up new automation or integrations possibility.

  • Support for Double Protection for Block Backup

Adds option of Double Protection in the HTML UI. The Administrator can now configure Double Protection (Archiving) via the HTML UI more responsively and intuitively. REST APIs are available for this feature as well.

  • Reporting Improvements

Adds the ability to generate PDF versions of the reports, scheduling of reports, and the option to send them via email. Also introduces a new report for 24-hour job status overview.

  • Event Service Improvements

Adds more Master Server events to be received by the DPX event service. This allows an administrator to configure granular email notifications for more types of events from DPX services, including backup jobs, status changes and more.

  • Appliance Operating System Update to Alma Linux 8.7

Migrated the appliance operating system to a downstream Linux distribution from Red Hat and upgraded to a current release.

DPX Core 

  • Archive from Alternate/Replicated DPX vStor

Adds the ability to archive from a replicated vStor.  This allows the Administrator the flexibility to configure backup to a primary DPX vStor at a branch office then replicate to a central site vStor, and to also archive data from the secondary vStor to Cloud/Tape/DiskDirectory, and then restore to any location.

  • Microsoft Azure Blob and Alibaba Object Storage support

Adds Microsoft Azure Blob and Alibaba Object Storage support as Archive/NDMP cloud targets.

  • Catalog Condense Improvements

Catalog Condense now cleans up Cloud and DiskDirectory storage.

  • Integrating DPX Core Services to Linux systemd Service Manager

Uses systemd to manage cmagent/nibbler services on RedHat/CentOS 7.6+ and SUSE 12+.

  • Adding New Platforms for Agentless VMware Backup Proxies

Support RHEL, CentOS, OEL, and AlmaLinux 8.0~8.3 as proxy nodes for Agentless VMware backup.

  • New BMR ISO for Linux kernel v4.18

New Linux BMR ISO to support Linux kernel v4.18.

DPX vStor – Software-Defined Backup Appliance

  • Addition of MFA

Adds a Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) to both UI and console access.

  • Password Reset Improvements

Adds the ability to reset password on HTML UI.

  • Physical Installation ISO

Creates ISO installation image that can be used to install vStor on physical appliances.

Summary

For further information on DPX 4.9, see the What’s New in DPX 4.9 document and other resources on the DPX products page. Customers with support can access more detailed information in the release notes on the Support page.  For more information on Microsoft 365 and Open VM backups, please see DPX vPlus.

Whether it is ransomware attacks, human error or IT outages, every business needs an affordable and reliable data protection solution like Catalogic DPX to backup and instantly recover data to ensure business continuity. Have a question or want a live demo? Contact us today!

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12/14/2022 0 Comments

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