Industry executives and experts share their predictions for 2023. Read them in this 15th annual VMblog.com series exclusive.
The Future Landscape of Cloud and Data Protection
By Rick
Vanover, Senior Director Product Strategy and Dave Russell, Vice President
Enterprise Strategy, Veeam
The number of organizations moving to the cloud is consistently growing,
but in 2023 we'll see a shift in the reasoning behind this transition. In
previous years, the cloud was chosen due to digital transformation goals,
particularly following the pandemic - ultimately, it was the right platform for
the circumstances. But now, moving to the cloud will be important for
organizations as a way to save costs and protect data. As we enter the new year,
we will see a consistent growth in the number of companies switching over to the
cloud and more companies will focus on updating data protection strategies
while investing in new technology, like AI and machine learning.
When
moving workloads to the cloud, there are costs companies should
factor into the budget, like Infrastructure Outsourcing, before switching over
to cloud
systems as there will be a greater need in 2023 to double-down on cloud
economic models. In addition to the
steady adoption of cloud, organizations will experience above average growth in
their tech investments through the purchase of new infrastructure and additional
services. In a recent Veeam survey,
57% of respondents said they are very likely to shake things up with their
current data backup providers and make a change, but they plan on keeping data
centers around as another form of security. Organizations are looking for backup
providers that offer better reliability in security and in uploading workloads.
At least one quarter of production workloads will be in virtualization, while
50-52% will be running in a cloud-based model.
The
increase in cloud adoption does not mean leaders will look to get rid of data
centers. In fact, many organizations are sticking to the 3-2-1 model - 3 copies
of data, 2 different media, and 1 offsite copy. With the rise
in ransomware attacks, it is beneficial to keep data centers and equip them
with the necessary tools to combat cyberattacks.
Additionally,
as ransomware attacks continue to evolve and worsen, cybersecurity prevention
and detection continues to grow more complex in order to meet the demand. Ransomware,
phishing attacks, and data breaches have become all too familiar among
organizations, and while these attacks are not new concerns, they have and will
consistently take a toll on industries. What's more, bad actors certainly show
no sign of stopping and grow in numbers. The amount
of data loss reported this past year alone is becoming increasingly higher. Organizations
that initially said they hadn't been attacked by ransomware, have since been
targeted, leaving more organizations looking to adopt AI and machine learning to
combat potential attacks. When implemented, AI can protect
individual projects and core ecosystem services while identifying deployed
open-source programs and applying an automated security analysis. AI and machine learning will continue to be
beneficial to organizations navigating another hyperactive cyberthreat landscape in
2023.
A
cyberattack isn't like a hurricane - leaders can't wait until the rain and wind
stops to take action, they need to act preventatively, and in real-time as it's
happening. By integrating AI/ML to detect anomalies, they can work quickly to
shut out bad actors and restore data and workflows with minimal disruption to
the business. Utilizing AI allows companies to detect abnormal patterns better,
faster, and sooner - allowing these same organizations the opportunity to
capture highly accurate responses and quickly resolve the cybersecurity problem
at hand.
As we look to the new
year, investing in the right technology can and will strengthen an organization's
overall operations and defense, but it is important to do the research, assess
the costs, and know how data will be protected. Cyberattacks will only continue
to increase and companies don't want to be the next in line for an attack. Whether
through phishing attacks or malware, bad actors are always looking for new,
creative ways to breach a company's secure data. Leveraging AI and ML tools
empower companies to combat ransomware while educating employees on different
threats and the systems in place to mitigate risk.
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ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Rick Vanover is an expert
in intelligent data management and backup. In his role at Veeam, Rick sits at
the crossroads of many types of storage. Whether it is storage systems, critical
application data, data in the cloud or data anywhere in between; Rick has
experience in the data management practice as IT practices change with new
technologies. Follow Rick on Twitter @RickVanover.
A 30-year veteran in the
storage industry, Russell is Vice President of Enterprise Strategy, responsible
for driving strategic product and go-to-market programs, spearheading industry
engagement and evangelizing Veeam's vision for Modern Data Protection at key
events across the globe and working with the Executive Leadership team in
accelerating the company's growth in the enterprise. Prior to Veeam, Russell
held the role of Vice President and Distinguished Analyst at Gartner.