Building a Cyber Resilient Infrastructure for the Data-Driven World

One webinar, three experts, hundreds of attendees — a recipe for webinar success. Titled “Navigating the Edge: Building a Cyber Resilient Infrastructure for the Data-Driven World,” we hosted an online session featuring Aron Brand, Chief Technology Officer at CTERA; Douglas Wilson, Content Portfolio File Product Manager at Hitachi Vantara; and Greg van der Gaast, Chief Technologist of Security at CDW to explore the must-haves every business needs to fight back against bad actors.

Cyber Resilience in Storage and Data Protection

The webinar started with Brand sharing insights from his 15-year tenure at CTERA, such as the importance of applying cyber resilience principles to storage solutions. Wilson covered the challenges and solutions in protecting data at the storage level, noting the importance of understanding one’s infrastructure, especially as outdated systems can pose significant security risks. As for van der Gaast, he brought a unique perspective, drawing from his extensive background in cybersecurity, influenced by early experiences hacking into a nuclear weapons facility. His journey from causing mischief to helping organizations build proactive security programs underscores a shift from reactive to proactive security measures.

Addressing the Root Causes of Security Breaches

Willis Lam, CC BY-SA 2.0
via Wikimedia Commons

Van der Gaast criticized the common “whack-a-mole” approach to cybersecurity, which focuses on treating symptoms rather than addressing root causes. He advocated for a holistic approach, emphasizing quality management over mere risk management. This approach resonates with the need for a better understanding of business operations and data usage to craft more effective security programs.

Innovations in Ransomware Protection and Recovery

Brand then detailed CTERA’s approach to ransomware protection, highlighting four key pillars to provide robust defenses against both external and internal threats:

1. Immutable data copies
2. Behavioral threat detection
3. Rapid remediation
4. Efficient recovery

“Having an immutable copy of the data that you can always trust is crucial. You know you will be able to recover your data, no matter what,” he explained.

Wilson shared insights into Hitachi Vantara’s innovations at the storage layer, which help mitigate damage from internal threats and ensure rapid recovery for maintaining business continuity in the face of cyber attacks.

The Role of Recovery in Security Strategy

Van der Gaast continued with a discussion on the strategic importance of recovery in security programs, suggesting that a robust recovery capability not only mitigates risks but also allows businesses to take calculated risks in other areas. He emphasized the business value of rapid, effective recovery strategies that prioritize essential data and operations. In his own words, “The more time I spend looking at how we handle data and storage, the more I realize there’s a huge cost-benefit in focusing on recovery and storage technologies for reducing risk.”

The webinar concluded with a discussion on the comprehensive strategies necessary to build cyber resilience. The experts agreed on the need for a paradigm shift in how businesses approach cybersecurity, focusing on proactive defenses and integrated recovery strategies.

The session underscored the importance of understanding the interplay between technology and business operations to forge a path toward a secure, resilient future. As cyber threats evolve, so must our strategies to protect and recover critical data, ensuring the resilience of infrastructure in our increasingly data-driven world.

Watch the full webinar here: