Uncertainty over ransomware recovery

The Dell Technologies 2021 Global Data Protection Index (GDPI) findings reveal organisations are facing several data protection challenges driven by the constant threat of ransomware and the consumption of emerging technologies such as cloud-native applications, Kubernetes containers and artificial intelligence. Over half (UK: 55%) of companies are concerned that their existing data protection measures may not cope with the prevalence of malware and ransomware. Seventy-five per cent of UK companies cite the growth of employees working from home as a critical factor in increased organisational exposure to data loss.

The research found that, on average, the cost of data loss in the last 12 months is four times greater for organisations using multiple data protection vendors instead of a single-vendor approach.

According to a recent IDC survey, more than one-third (UK: 21%) of organisations worldwide have experienced a ransomware attack or breach that blocked access to systems or data in the previous 12 months[i].

"Ransomware attacks are a scourge for individuals and businesses, going far beyond simply disrupting day-to-day operations," said Dayne Turbitt, senior vice president and general manager at Dell Technologies UK.

“In the face of the pandemic, British businesses achieved digital transformation projects in weeks that had previously taken years. They must act with the same intent and urgency to avoid the damage to business and operations that ransomware and other cyberattacks can cause.

“Cyberattacks impact organisations' bottom line and cause reputational damage. The low level of confidence that many organisations have in their data security is at odds with the exacerbated threat level created by the en-masse move to remote working.

“It’s critical for companies to have a holistic plan to cover their entire ecosystems. We've designed our portfolio to help businesses to address cybersecurity and data protection strategy that can help them to identify, protect, detect, respond and recover from ransomware and other cyberattacks." 

"New GDPI findings reveal increased state of complexity around data protection

The 2021 Dell Technologies GDPI survey of 1,000 global IT decision-makers shows organisations are combatting continued data growth and increased data protection complexities. The study found that organisations manage more than 10 times the amount of data they did five years ago – from 1.45 petabytes in 2016 to 14.6 petabytes in 2021. Additionally, 82% (UK: 89%) of respondents are concerned their organisation's existing data protection solutions won't meet all future business challenges. These concerns are well-founded, with more than 30% (UK: 17%) reporting data loss in the last year and nearly half (45%) (UK: 52%) experiencing unplanned system downtime.

Rob Tomlin, vice president for channel UK&I, Dell Technologies:

"It's no surprise that data protection is at the top of IT executives' minds. However, cyber security concerns are not the new kid on the block; end-users have been grappling with the security consequences of an increased digital landscape for the past decade. It's clear from the research that current data protection solutions will not meet all future business challenges, and here's where our channel partners are critical to success.

Channel partners can help customers proactively adapt to cybersecurity challenges by investing in secure, scalable and agile technologies. Combining the channel's expertise with our latest suite of data protection innovations will ensure customers have a robust defence, allowing partners to continue to educate their customers on how to be on the front foot of the cyber battlefield".

GDPI findings include:

•       Sixty-two per cent (UK: 55%) are concerned their existing data protection measures may not be sufficient to cope with malware and ransomware threats. In contrast, 74% (UK: 73%) agree they have increased exposure to data loss from cyber threats with the growth of employees working from home.

•       Over two-thirds (67%) (UK: 72%) lack confidence that all their business-critical data can be recovered in the event of a destructive cyberattack or data loss.

•       Sixty-three per cent (UK: 70%) believe emerging technologies—such as cloud-native applications, Kubernetes containers, artificial intelligence and machine learning pose a risk to data protection, and the lack of data protection solutions for newer technologies was one of the top three data protection challenges for organisations.

•       On average, the cost of data loss in the last 12 months is approaching four times higher for organisations using multiple data protection vendors than those using a single-vendor approach.

Delivering comprehensive data protection and trusted cyber resiliency

To help address these rising – and seemingly inevitable – issues, Dell Technologies is introducing new software and services to accelerate virtual machine (VM) backup data availability, simplify management of large data sets, and maintain business continuity while alleviating dependencies on day-to-day cyber recovery operations.

As a leader in multi-cloud data protection, Dell protects about seven exabytes of data across all major public cloud providers.ii Through constant innovation, agile engineering and tight integration with VMware and other industry leaders, Dell continues to be the leading provider of data protection appliances and software globally.iii Dell offers one of the industry's most comprehensive portfolios for cyber resilience at the edge, core data centres and multi-cloud environments, delivered with solutions such as Dell EMC PowerProtect Cyber Recovery and Dell EMC PowerScale with Superna Eyeglass Ransomware Defender.

"We are pleased to see Dell Technologies deliver the Transparent Snapshots innovation in PowerProtect Data Manager to help our mutual customers simplify and speed data protection," said Lee Caswell, vice president, marketing, Cloud Platform Business Unit, VMware.

"As ransomware and other cyberattacks continue to evolve so does the need to outpace these threats with innovation," said Phil Goodwin, research vice president, IDC. "Dell Technologies' new advancements in software and services are designed to help organisations increase their ability to recover business-critical data from a cyberattack with the least amount of disruption."