Companies need a solution for backup, disaster recovery, archiving and also for their cold data. Six questions, six answers from Hannes Heckel, Head of Marketing at FAST LTA, about solutions and how managed storage can help, especially in terms of capacity, performance, function and long-term costs.
B2B-CS: Mr. Heckel, do you have anything against tape when it comes to backup and recovery?
Hannes Heckel, FAST LTA: No, in principle not at all, because the sensitive issue must be considered on a case-by-case basis.
The situation with tape is like this: Many of our customers still rely on tape simply because the systems are still in place. However, our solutions can also ensure physical air gap and immutability, as well as certified GDPR-certified archiving. The advantage of our Active Archive is that data can be accessed more quickly. For our clientele, the middle class, tape is simply unnecessary.
B2B-CS: And what about cloud or as-a-service approaches?
Hannes Heckel, FAST LTA: With cloud and as-a-service (aaS) it is often a question of philosophy. Of course, outsourcing and with it the supposed relief of manpower and budget is tempting. Often a fallacy. Most of the “only cloud” approaches are returning. We then talk about “unclouding”.
They are taking this supposed step backwards because, on the one hand, of the lack of local data sovereignty, then because of the speed of data access to an active archive or even any emergency recoveries and, last but not least, because of the costs compared to an on-premises investment. If you consider that our systems can grow modularly and are actually in use for between six and ten years, sometimes longer, the investment quickly pays for itself. Here too, for the most part we see little advantage in the cloud, at least in absolute terms.
Contrary to many assumptions, aaS offers add up to considerable sums, which, especially for long-term solutions such as storage space for data backup and archiving, is relatively predictably more expensive than investing in your own solutions. AAS offers can only demonstrate their flexibility when data volumes fluctuate strongly or grow unpredictably.
For most customers, Storage-as-a-Service is not necessarily about outsourcing data (i.e. the physical component), but rather about flexible billing models, i.e. “pay per use”. It is often desirable if the actual storage of the data still takes place on systems that can also be accessed outside of a public infrastructure. This is also managed storage: the offer of alternative billing models.
But we get along very well in hybrid environments. Last but not least, we also offer interfaces for externally connecting other “worlds”, such as S3. For the user, it ultimately depends on the security requirements, the mass and the importance of the data, i.e. on its classification.
B2B-CS: Keyword classification: You differentiate between backup, archive and cold storage. Can you explain that?
Hannes Heckel, FAST LTA: The backup is a continuous backup with a relatively short retention time. This is primarily about the speed of temporary copies and seamless recovery, whether it is a matter of failures or malware attacks. Of course, we also need to protect against this.
Cold storage is the long-term archive that is best never accessed. The price factor is increasingly added there. However, if it is the case that this cold data is needed, for example for a tax audit, quick processing is also desirable.
As we understand it, the Active Archive stands in between, because there is data there that is needed rarely but possibly quickly. For example in healthcare or research. This is also where the strongest data growth lies.
B2B-CS: So what does “managed storage” mean? FAST LTA to understand?
Hannes Heckel, FAST LTA: In our view, backup is the parachute for company data and company operations. “Managed storage” here means a comprehensive sales for different requirements in terms of capacity, performance, function and long-term costs.
First of all, we think we can cover all backup, recovery and archiving needs. In reality, however, we will increasingly have to deal with hybrid solutions. In the best case scenario, these combine the advantages of the availability of local storage (on-premises) with flexibility in billing and outsourcing the operating costs of hosted storage solutions.
For the majority of data, reliable disk storage with high security (preferably several immutability options) is the right choice. High flexibility in configuration and scalability are essential. It's also worth taking a closer look when choosing a local storage system. Many solutions are not specifically designed to securely store sensitive data.
In view of cyber threats, the topic of data backup must also be increasingly considered from a recovery perspective:
Which part of the data is absolutely necessary for immediate business operations and therefore requires local, high-performance backup?
Which part is essential for the survival of the company, but does not always have to be immediately available?
Which part needs special protection and must not fall into the wrong hands under any circumstances?
Only after the data has been precisely qualified can we search for the right technology. Many solutions are not specifically designed to securely store sensitive data. They also hardly offer any integrated options for protecting data against manipulation, deletion or theft. Unfortunately, critical security vulnerabilities will be punished dearly today and tomorrow.
B2B-CS: Cyber attacks have fundamentally changed data security, what does that mean exactly? How do you see the situation here?
Hannes Heckel, Head of Marketing at FAST LTA (Image: FAST-LTA).
Hannes Heckel, FAST LTA: By now, most of those responsible are probably aware of this: cyber attacks have shifted the focus from “a backup just in case” to “bomb-proof recovery”. Cyber attacks are a real danger for all companies and institutions - and you need to be prepared and secured accordingly. All sources that deal with the topic also say: There will probably be more. There is also now consensus that a completely secure defense is basically impossible. This makes it all the more important to have well-thought-out data backup strategies in order to avoid downtime and high costs should an attack occur.
B2B-CS: Is everyone aware of this yet? What should IT departments and management think about and, above all, work on? Where do you see potential for improvement?
Hannes Heckel, FAST LTA: I'm afraid it's a bit like climate protection: with a few exceptions, everyone is already aware that the threat is real. As long as it doesn't affect you personally and only causes costs and effort, you are happy to put off changes and complex restructuring. That's just how people are.
What I find shocking is that studies show that almost 50 percent of German companies do not have an emergency plan for such scenarios. In many companies and institutions, the ability to respond correctly and quickly to an attack may depend on one or a few IT specialists. Raising awareness and training employees is certainly the most effective measure against attempted attacks - just as sensible data backup is the most effective means of mitigating the consequences.
About FAST LTA the
FAST LTA is the specialist for secure secondary and long-term storage systems. The combination of durable and low-maintenance hardware, integrated software for data backup and on-site maintenance contracts with a term of up to 10 years ensure long-term, cost-effective storage of data from archive and backup applications. In-house developments such as local erasure coding, sealing using hardware WORM and efficient energy management help medium-sized customers to protect themselves against data loss through ransomware attacks and misconfiguration and to meet regulatory and legal requirements (GDPR). The Munich provider's solutions have proven themselves in thousands of installations in healthcare, public administration, film/TV/video and industry.
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