Dell Technologies has announced expansions to its data protection portfolio, including advanced appliances, software, and as-a-service offerings.
This strategic enhancement aims to bolster cyber resilience across diverse environments—from on-premises to public clouds and the edge.
With cyberattacks growing in frequency and sophistication, organizations find their existing data protection measures insufficient against modern threats such as ransomware.
According to the 2024 Dell Global Data Protection Index survey, 75% of organizations feel unprepared for such attacks.
Dell Data Protection are designed not only to mitigate these vulnerabilities but also to empower organizations to maintain robust security measures in an increasingly uncertain cyber landscape.
Dell Data Protection
As organizations adapt to evolving technologies and working environments, including the widespread adoption of public clouds and hybrid models, the need for robust, scalable, and advanced cybersecurity measures has become paramount.
Dell’s updated data protection solutions are designed to secure data on-premises, in public clouds, and at the edge.
This comprehensive coverage is crucial as data becomes more dispersed across various environments in today’s digital ecosystem.
Dell is integrating advanced AI capabilities to ensure that data protection measures are reactive and proactive.
These AI-driven tools can predict potential threats and automate responses, significantly reducing the risk of data breaches and enhancing the recovery speed after an incident.
The new updates boast significant performance improvements, with faster backup and restore capabilities that ensure data availability and business continuity even under threat.
Efficiency enhancements also mean reduced power consumption and better utilization of resources, which is critical for large-scale operations.
By focusing on scalable and real-time solutions, Dell ensures its data protection infrastructure can adapt to future threats and technological advancements.
This future-proofing is vital for organizations investing in sustainable and long-term cybersecurity defenses.
The advancements are partially in response to insights gathered from the 2024 Dell Global Data Protection Index survey, which highlighted significant concerns among organizations about their ability to cope with ransomware and recover from cyberattacks reliably.
Features and Benefits
Dell Technologies has introduced two new models in its PowerProtect Data Domain series—the DD9410 and DD9910, specifically designed for large enterprises seeking robust data protection solutions.
These appliances are engineered to meet the demands of both traditional and modern digital workloads, providing enhancements that are critical in today’s heightened threat landscape.
The new appliances offer significant improvements in speed, providing up to 38% faster backups and up to 44% faster restores.
This enhancement ensures minimal downtime and quicker access to data, crucial for maintaining business continuity in the face of disruptions.
Dell has prioritized cyber resilience, equipping the DD9410 and DD9910 with advanced security features that help protect against and respond to cyber threats more effectively.
This is particularly important as organizations face increasing risks from sophisticated cyberattacks.
With up to 11% less power consumption, these new models are not only more environmentally friendly but also cost-effective in terms of operational expenses.
The industry-leading 65x deduplication rate significantly reduces storage needs, further enhancing efficiency.
The appliances offer substantial scalability options, with up to 1.5 petabytes of usable capacity in a single appliance.
This feature allows businesses to scale their data protection solutions in line with data growth, without compromising on performance or security.
Phil Goodwin, Research Vice President at IDC, has emphasized the importance of trusted, high-performance data protection systems.
The latest enhancements in the PowerProtect Data Domain appliances are expected to maintain their status as a critical element of any serious data protection and cyber recovery strategy.
Rich Jackson, a data protection architect with the State of Michigan, shared that their reliance on PowerProtect Data Domain appliances for over fifteen years has consistently enhanced the protection and security of their data.
Ecosystem
The network includes collaborations with leading data protection software vendors, which not only expands the reach and efficacy of Dell’s offerings but also strengthens the overall resiliency for customer data across diverse industries.
A notable example of Dell’s partnerships is its collaboration with Commvault, a leader in data protection and information management.
Together, Dell and Commvault deliver industry-leading cybersecurity, performance, and efficiency.
This partnership is built on a foundation of deep API integration between the Commvault Cloud platform and Dell’s latest PowerProtect Data Domain appliances, enabling a powerful synergy that enhances cyber resilience, data security, and rapid recovery capabilities.
Both Dell and Commvault share a commitment to providing foundational resilience in the face of AI-driven cyber threats.
This shared vision is crucial as businesses increasingly require dependable solutions that can anticipate and counteract sophisticated cyberattacks.
Through these partnerships, Dell is able to leverage the specialized capabilities of software vendors to enhance its hardware solutions, thereby providing a more comprehensive data protection strategy.
This collaboration ensures that customers benefit from the latest innovations in data protection technology and methodologies, tailored to meet specific industry needs and challenges.
Dell’s partner ecosystem also helps data protection software vendors to grow their business by providing them with the necessary infrastructure to develop and enhance their own solutions.
Beyond software vendors, Dell’s ecosystem includes a variety of partners across different sectors, including storage, cloud services, and cybersecurity. This expansive network ensures that Dell’s data protection solutions are versatile and adaptable to various environments and customer requirements.
The partnership strategy is customer-centric, aiming to provide end-users with seamless and integrated solutions that reduce complexity and enhance usability.
Integration of GenAI
Dell Technologies is looking forward to the integration of Generative AI within its data protection solutions, specifically through the Dell APEX Backup Services AI.
This innovative approach aims to significantly enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of data backup and recovery processes, addressing modern data environments’ growing complexities and demands.
Dell APEX Backup Services AI integrates a GenAI assistant that facilitates streamlined backup and recovery operations.
This AI assistant can generate real-time custom reports, respond to follow-up questions to refine report variables, and provide AI-driven suggestions to remediate backup failures, substantially reducing manual effort and increasing operational efficiency.
The GenAI capabilities also assist in understanding and improving backup and security postures. It aids in troubleshooting with simple written prompts, analyzing logs, and identifying errors quickly and accurately.
This feature is crucial for maintaining high data integrity and security standards in dynamic and potentially vulnerable digital environments.
The AI assistant delivers intelligent responses, offering recommendations and best practices customized to specific environments.
This guidance helps organizations optimize their data protection strategies and ensures that their backup operations are aligned with their unique operational and security requirements.
With GenAI, administrative tasks related to data protection become more manageable.
Organizations can use the AI assistant to create new backup policies, trigger backups of specific workloads, and streamline many other routine tasks that traditionally require significant time and expertise.
Integrating GenAI in Dell APEX Backup Services allows for more proactive data protection management.
It enables organizations to anticipate potential issues and address them before they escalate, ensuring swift and successful data recovery and minimizing potential downtime or data loss.
According to the 2024 Dell Global Data Protection Index survey, 52% of respondents believe that GenAI will improve their organization’s cybersecurity posture.
Dell’s incorporation of GenAI into its backup services directly responds to these market demands, positioning the company as a forward-thinking leader in data protection technology.
Storage Direct Protection
Storage Direct Protection enables high-speed backup and recovery processes. For instance, it can handle multiple storage arrays with backup speeds up to 46TB/hr and recovery speeds up to 21TB/hr.
This rapid performance is critical for enterprises that require immediate data availability to maintain operational continuity and minimize downtime during recovery scenarios.
The integration with Dell PowerMax speeds up the backup and recovery and ensures efficient use of storage resources.
It provides full restore capabilities to the original or an alternate PowerMax system, optimizing resource utilization and reducing the overall footprint of backup data within the enterprise storage environment.
Storage Direct Protection incorporates robust security features that safeguard data integrity during backup and recovery operations.
Optional cyber vault integration offers an additional layer of security, protecting data from cyber threats and ensuring that backups are uncompromised and readily available for recovery.
This feature simplifies the complexities of managing data protection operations across multiple environments.
Centralized management and orchestration make it easier for IT administrators to handle backup tasks, monitor system health, and ensure compliance with data protection policies.
Recognizing the importance of multi-cloud environments, Storage Direct Protection supports PowerProtect Data Domain replication and cloud tiering.
Availability
The global availability of its latest innovations underscores this commitment, allowing businesses across different regions to enhance their cybersecurity measures and data resiliency.
The newly introduced Dell PowerProtect Data Domain DD9410 and DD9910 systems are now available globally.
These systems are designed for large enterprises requiring robust, scalable, and efficient data protection solutions that can handle traditional and modern workloads.
Dell APEX Backup Services AI is also available globally alongside the hardware innovations.
This service integrates GenAI capabilities to streamline backup and recovery operations, making sophisticated data protection technology accessible to a broader audience.
Scheduled to be available globally in the third quarter of 2024, Storage Direct Protection for Dell PowerMax will offer native integration with Dell’s enterprise storage solutions.
This feature enhances the efficiency and security of data backups and recoveries, supporting multi-cloud environments and simplifying data management.
By making these technologies available worldwide, Dell helps ensure that organizations, regardless of location, can meet local and international data security and compliance standards.
This is especially crucial for multinational corporations that must navigate varying regulatory environments.
Global availability means that industries from finance to healthcare and government, with stringent data protection and privacy requirements, can access state-of-the-art tools to secure their data.
Final Thoughts
These innovations respond directly to the pressing challenges highlighted in the 2024 Dell Global Data Protection Index survey, where many organizations expressed concerns about their ability to handle modern cyber threats, particularly ransomware.
By providing advanced, real-time, and scalable solutions, Dell empowers businesses to defend against these threats and prepare for future challenges in an ever-evolving digital landscape.
Dell’s commitment to investing in these technologies and ensuring their availability on a global scale demonstrates a proactive approach to data security, which is essential in today’s interconnected world.
Organizations, regardless of size or industry, now have access to tools that can significantly enhance their data protection strategies, ensuring that robust security measures are within reach.
As cyber threats continue to grow in sophistication and impact, the importance of such advancements cannot be overstated.
