Starting with Cohesity’s Acquisition of Veritas, Should You Consider Changing a Backup Software?

The Landscape Shift: Cohesity’s Acquisition of Veritas

Veritas’ NetBackup is among the most renowned backup software in the industry, and just a few weeks ago, SoftBank-backed Cohesity Inc. boldly announced its intention to acquire Veritas Technologies LLC’s data protection business for $3 billion.

Netbackup’s Turbulent History

As one of the most successful backup software, NetBackup’s journey has seen many changes. Originally developed by Control Data Corporation, it was acquired and renamed by Tolerant Systems in 1989. In 1993, OpenVision Technologies acquired the software, which was then bought by Veritas Software Corporation in 1997. The 2005 merger of Symantec Corporation and Veritas brought NetBackup under Symantec’s umbrella. In 2014, Symantec announced its spin-off, leading to the establishment of Veritas Technologies LLC in 2015, which has managed NetBackup ever since.

My Experience of Acquisitions

Having experienced two corporate mergers and acquisitions in the infrastructure industry throughout my career, I’ve witnessed numerous backup software companies being acquired by others with similar offerings. Often, one of the duplicate products gets abandoned, or its roadmap drastically reduced.

For this reason, many users start considering alternative products for their software upon mergers and acquisitions, also taking migration issues into account. Catalogic DPX empowered customers for 25+ years, click here to learn more backup integrations.

Why Backup Software Migration is More Relevant Than Ever

Migrating software, from ERP, CRM, OA, and other applications closely integrated with business operations, to databases, virtualization, containers, software-defined solutions, and onto websites, various apps including webinars, chat tools to Teams, is no small feat for enterprises. Backup software, a data storage software within the infrastructure, differs significantly. If you aim for all applications and platforms to have a secure backup, backup software touches on almost everything mentioned above, whether it involves backup client plugins or the often-discussed agentless backup.

For someone like me, who has spent years in the backup software industry, seeing clients switch backup software is initially surprising, then admirable. It’s not just a long-term project or a massive undertaking; it also faces huge challenges from front-end business, legal regulations, and more.

Why People Change Their Backup Solution?

From my experience, the main reasons clients switch backup software include:

New projects, new data centers—iif the current backup software doesn’t support or requires costly expansion or upgrade licenses for these new projects, then clients might consider starting anew with a different backup software.

New project

Losing confidence in the current software — for example, if it can’t keep pace with the progress of applications and platforms in terms of compatibility, ease of use, service level, and roadmap.
The company being sold or acquired — this means the product’s roadmap and the future of its star products are uncertain. You can’t know if the path ahead will open up and bring joy to everyone or lead to crisis or even a bottomless abyss. Especially in the case of industry mergers, like HP and Compaq where Compaq no longer exists, Lenovo’s acquisition of IBM’s ThinkPad and servers making IBM no longer represent hardware, Walmart’s acquisition of Jet.com, with Jet.com disappearing in 2020.

Then, what should be considered when migrating backup software?

Blueprint for Success: Planning Your Backup Software Migration

Here are the prerequisites for migrating backup software from my personal opinion, distilled into key points from our discussion:

Assess Current Backup Solution and Infrastructure: Evaluate the capabilities, limitations, and integration of your current backup solution with your IT infrastructure.
Data Audit and Classification: Understand all data storage locations and classify them based on importance and sensitivity. This helps prioritize data migration efforts.
Documentation of Existing Backup Processes: Document current backup and recovery processes in detail. This is crucial for ensuring a smooth transition and training.
Technical Requirements Assessment: Ensure that current hardware, bandwidth, and storage infrastructure can support the new backup solution, or identify necessary upgrades.
Compliance and Data Retention Policy Review: Review data retention policies to ensure the new backup solution meets regulatory requirements and data retention needs.
Migration Strategy Selection: Decide whether a “big bang” or phased migration approach better suits your organization’s needs, considering acceptable downtime and resource availability.
Data Cleanup: Clean up data to eliminate redundancy, correct errors, and delete outdated information before migration, ensuring only relevant data is migrated.
Stakeholder Engagement and Training Plan: Develop a plan to engage stakeholders(like server admin or database admin) and train your IT staff to ensure they are prepared for the transition.
Testing and Validation Strategy: Establish a comprehensive testing and validation strategy to ensure the new backup solution meets all technical and operational requirements before going live.

Differences Between Backup Software Migration and General Software Migrations

Backup software migration differs from other types of software migration due to the critical nature of data protection, the technical complexity involved in the backup process, and the need to ensure data integrity and recoverability throughout the migration. Here are the differences between backup software migration and other software migrations:

Critical Data Protection Needs: Backup software directly involves protecting organizational data, making its migration sensitive and critical. Ensuring no data loss or compromise during migration is vital, whereas, in other software migrations, data integrity may not be as crucial.
Complex Data Transfers: The process involves migrating vast amounts of data, often stored in various formats and locations. This complexity requires specialized tools and strategies to ensure accurate and efficient data transfer to the new system.
Downtime Considerations: Given the critical role of backup systems in disaster recovery, minimizing downtime during migration is essential for maintaining business continuity. This is a key consideration, which might be less critical in migrations of other less critical software systems.
Compatibility and Integration: Ensuring the new backup solution is compatible with the existing IT infrastructure and can seamlessly integrate with other systems (e.g., databases, applications) is crucial. Integration capabilities may need stricter requirements than other software migrations due to the need for immediate data access and recovery.
Testing and Validation: Thorough testing, including disaster recovery drills and data integrity checks, must be conducted before fully transitioning to the new backup software. This level of testing ensures the new system meets the organization’s Recovery Time Objectives (RTO) and Recovery Point Objectives (RPO), representing a more extensive validation process compared to other software migrations.
Compliance and Security: Backup data often contains sensitive information subject to regulatory compliance. Therefore, the migration process must ensure data handling, storage, and protection comply with required compliance standards, emphasizing security more than some other software migrations.

These differences show the need for careful planning, expertise, and meticulous execution in backup software migration to achieve data protection goals without compromising data security or compliance requirements.

Navigating the Migration Process: Step-by-Step Guide to Backup Software Transition

At last, I would like to advice you some step by step guide for migrating backup software

1. Plan and Assess

Define Objectives: Understand the reasons behind the migration (e.g., functional limitations, scalability issues) and define your goals.
Audit Existing Data and Infrastructure: Review your current backup solution, data storage locations, and capacities.
Compliance and Policy Review: Ensure the new solution meets legal and regulatory compliance requirements.

2. Select a New Backup Solution

Evaluate Options: Research and compare backup solutions that meet your identified needs and objectives.
Vendor Evaluation: Consider the vendor’s support, reliability, and reputation.
Technical Compatibility Check: Ensure the new solution is compatible with your existing IT environment.

3. Pre-migration Preparation

Data Cleanup: Clean up redundant, outdated, or unnecessary data to simplify the migration process.
Infrastructure Upgrade (If Necessary): Upgrade any hardware or network components to meet the new solution’s requirements.
Documentation: Record current backup processes and configurations for reference.

4. Develop a Migration Strategy

Choose a Migration Method: Decide on a full migration at once or a phased (incremental) approach.
Risk Assessment: Identify potential risks and develop mitigation strategies.
Test Plan: Outline how to test the migration in a controlled environment.

5. Implement and Execute

Data Backup: Perform a comprehensive backup of existing data before starting the migration.
Execute Migration: Proceed with the migration, whether all at once or in phases.
Monitor Progress: Closely monitor for any errors or issues during the migration process.

6. Testing and Validation

Functional Testing: Verify that all functionalities of the new backup solution work as expected.
Data Integrity Checks: Ensure all migrated data is accurate and intact.
Recovery Testing: Test the recovery process to ensure it meets the required RTO and RPO.

7. Training and Documentation

Staff Training: Train relevant personnel on how to operate and manage the new system.
Update Documentation: Modify or create documents reflecting the new backup system’s processes and configurations.

8. Transition to Production

Go Live: Officially switch to the new backup solution for daily operations.
Phased Rollout (If Applicable): Gradually increase the new system’s load according to the phased approach.

9. Post-migration Review

Performance Monitoring: Observe the system’s performance and adjust configurations as needed.
Feedback Loop: Collect feedback from users and IT staff to determine if further training or adjustments are needed.
Finalize Documentation: Ensure all operational documents are up to date with the new system.

10. Ongoing Maintenance and Optimization

Regular Reviews: Periodically review the backup solution to ensure it continues to meet organizational needs.
Updates and Upgrades: Update the software and its documentation according to vendor recommendations and evolving business needs.

The Future of Data Protection Post Cohesity Acquire Veritas Deal

As we look to the future, the Cohesity-Veritas acquisition is not just an endpoint but a beginning. It represents an evolving dialogue about how we protect our most valuable digital assets in an increasingly complex and threat-prone digital landscape.

Staying Ahead: Why Continuous Adaptation is Key in Backup Software Migration

In the realm of data protection now, stagnation is not an option. Continuous adaptation, informed by strategic foresight and robust planning, is essential to navigate the challenges and opportunities ahead.

Ready for a seamless migration? Our team of data protection experts is here to guide you through every step of your backup software migration journey.

Contact us today to ensure your data remains protected, resilient, and ready for the future.

02/21/2024 0 Comments

DPXGuardMode

Ransomware Threats in 2024: SMB Cybersecurity

As we navigate through 2024, small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are defending against an increasingly intricate and technical ransomware threat landscape. Gone are the days when human error was the primary vulnerability. Today, ransomware attacks have morphed into a sophisticated arsenal of tools that exploit technical vulnerabilities, shifting the cybersecurity battleground for SMBs.

Ransomware in 2024: The Evolution of Cyberattacks

Historically, human error was often the weakest link in cybersecurity, with social engineering tactics like phishing being the primary vector for ransomware attacks. Today, the cyber threat landscape has transformed.

Ransomware has evolved from a blunt instrument of data lockdown to a multifaceted threat that employs data theft, extortion, and Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) models to maximize its impact. The democratization of cybercrime through the RaaS model has led to a surge in ransomware attacks, particularly against small businesses.

These businesses, often lacking the robust security measures of larger enterprises, have become prime targets for ransomware gangs. With 66% of SMBs reporting that they had experienced ransomware attacks, the statistics from 2023 paint a somber picture. The consequences of such cyberattacks are severe, with many SMBs unable to operate during an attack and a significant number facing closure within months of an incident.

Supply Chain Attacks: A Growing Cybersecurity Concern

Supply chain attacks have become one of the most lucrative targets for cybercriminals, with attackers compromising third-party vendors to infiltrate multiple organizations simultaneously. These attacks target a trusted third-party vendor who offers services or software vital to the supply chain.

Software supply chains are particularly vulnerable because modern software involves many off-the-shelf components, such as third-party APIs, open source code, and proprietary code from software vendors. In 2023, 45% of organizations experienced at least one software supply chain attack.

The Shift from Human Error to Technical Exploits

While tactics such as phishing and social engineering continue to pose threats, the cybersecurity landscape has seen a significant shift towards exploiting software vulnerabilities and insecure remote desktop protocols. Attackers are now harnessing zero-day vulnerabilities to orchestrate multi-extortion ransomware campaigns, compromising data from multiple organizations simultaneously. This transition from human error to technical exploits marks a new phase in cybersecurity, characterized by heightened attack sophistication and an increased need for robust technical defenses.

Ransomware-as-a-Service: Ransomware Attack for Hire

The RaaS model has revolutionized the cybercrime landscape, enabling even those with limited technical skills to launch ransomware attacks. This trend is expected to persist, escalating the volume and complexity of attacks that SMBs must defend against. With the rise of remote work and the use of mobile devices, new attack vectors have emerged.

Cybercriminals are likely to increasingly target mobile endpoints, exploiting the sensitive data they contain. This shift in the cybercrime landscape underscores the need for SMBs to adapt their cybersecurity strategies to counter these evolving threats.

Mitigation and Defense Strategies for SMBs

To counter these advanced threats, SMBs must adopt robust defense and mitigation strategies that go beyond basic cybersecurity hygiene:

Enterprise Asset and Software Inventory: Maintain a comprehensive inventory to manage and protect assets effectively.
Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Implement MFA to add layers of security, particularly for remote access points.
Regular Plan Review and Auditing: Continuously review and improve cybersecurity plans and policies, and conduct regular audits against industry baseline standards.
Advanced Monitoring: Implement sophisticated monitoring systems to detect suspicious activities and potential breaches early.
Data Backups and Restoration Testing: Regularly back up data and test restoration processes to ensure business continuity in the event of a ransomware attack.
Investment in Advanced Protection Tools: Deploy tools like ransomware canaries, DNS filtering, and updated anti-malware software to detect and prevent ransomware activities.

Looking Ahead: The Role of AI and Cloud Infrastructure

As we progress through 2024, the role of generative AI in phishing campaigns and the exploitation of cloud and VPN infrastructures are predicted to be key areas of concern. Advanced web protection, vulnerability scanning, patch management, and sophisticated endpoint detection are essential.

As we consider these strategies, it’s worth introducing a powerful tool in the fight against ransomware: DPX GuardMode. This feature, part of Catalogic Software’s DPX suite, enhances ransomware protection by proactively monitoring file behavior, detecting encryption processes, and providing early alerts and guided recovery.

GuardMode lets you shift the cybersecurity approach from reactive to proactive, offering backup administrators a crucial layer of defense to minimize damage and ensure business continuity.

02/02/2024 0 Comments