Clumio Launches Ransomware Protection Service
New SaaS offering for cloud environments comes as frequency and intensity of attacks increase
Cloud-based enterprise backup vendor Clumio is introducing a new service offering aimed at protecting data in private and public clouds and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) scenarios against ransomware.
The Lowdown: The 3-year-old Santa Clara, California-based company on Thursday unveiled Clumio RansomProtect, an SaaS offering designed to give enterprises air-gapped protection, meaning the data on a network is physically isolated from potentially unsecured systems.
The Details: Clumio’s new service is aimed at protecting data from the growing threat of ransomware while lowering the costs for enterprises by eliminating the need for them to locate a second air-gap site, buy more hardware, manage separate backup networks, or manage air-gap network security. It offers 30-day retention for data from VMware, VMware Cloud on AWS (Amazon Web Services), AWS, and Microsoft365, and rapid granular recovery.
The protection can be set up in less than 15 minutes and includes such security features as immutable storage, end-to-end encryption, multi-factor authentication, and a bring-your-own-key option. It also meets the requirements of such regulations and standards as ISO 27001, PCI, AICPA SOC, and HIPAA.
RansomProtect is available now in North America through a free trial.
The Impact: Ransomware has been a scourge for many organizations since the WannaCry and NotPetya malware in 2017 and has been on the rise during the COVID-19 pandemic. In recent months, bad actors have targeted hospitals and other healthcare facilities, but they haven’t been the only targets. Check Point Software found that in the third quarter, the daily average of ransomware attacks increased 50% over the first half of the year, growing in both frequency and intensity. Ransomware claimed a new victim every 10 seconds. The United States saw a 98% increase the third quarter.
The Buzz: “Traditional approaches to ransomware protection are way too complex, requiring additional hardware on-premises or the need to replicate snapshots in the public cloud,” said Chadd Kenney, vice president and chief technologist at Clumio. “The end result is weeks or months of implementation, high costs, and heavy management, all while ultimately not providing the level of protection organizations require. Enterprises demand a greater level of protection. Clumio RansomProtect delivers the fastest time to protection, even if you have an existing backup solution, and no matter where your data resides.”
“Our research shows that there has been an increase in ransomware issues amidst COVID-19. It should be a call to action for businesses in all sectors to examine vulnerable endpoints within enterprise networks. Proactive prevention and planning are key,” said Christophe Bertrand, senior analyst at Enterprise Strategy Group. “Companies should evaluate SaaS-based solutions like Clumio RansomProtect that help protect the data in their private and public cloud infrastructures and SaaS applications. ‘True’ air-gapped protection accounts for all data locations and sources, including data in transit. Bad actors are not going to stop, meaning enterprises must take action now to resolve vulnerabilities created by these gaps. It’s a matter of business survival.”
“As ransomware evolved and hackers began targeting not only businesses’ primary storage but also backups, I found myself having sleepless nights,” said Tom Hood, director of technology operations at The Cleveland Museum of Art. “Clumio RansomProtect provides CMA with a secure way to protect our growing hybrid cloud infrastructure. The fact that we can unify our backup and retention policies across all of the various technologies that we use is a good solution.”
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