Blocks & Files – VAST Data boosts security for customers with Superna alliance

Written by Anthony Savvas and originally published on Blocks & Files, May 17, 2024

VAST Data has sealed a deal with data security business Superna to boost protection of on-premises, hybrid, and multi-cloud storage environments.

An integration with Superna technology will provide VAST customers with immutable data protection, real-time suspicious behavior detection, automated cyber threat response, and “near-instant” recovery from ransomware and other disasters, said VAST, bolstering cyber resilience for enterprise data.

VAST is in good company. This partner announcement comes after Superna recently struck a deal with Dell Technologies to provide cyber protection and orchestration for Isilon/PowerScale systems. Scale-out file system supplier Qumulo has also struck an integration deal with Superna.

As AI adoption grows, so does the challenge of managing ever-larger amounts of unstructured data. “This new world, with new workloads using various data types, needs a new level of protection for cyber resilience,” VAST said. It has therefore integrated Superna Data Security Edition capabilities into the VAST Data Platform, enabling it to mitigate the risks of ransomware and other threats to AI models and application datasets.

John Mao, VP technology alliances at VAST Data, said customers were now getting “robust, federated cyber defense and resilience at the data layer.”

Superna, which has 3,000-plus customers worldwide, provides proprietary algorithms and multi-layer defenses that analyze data and user behavior in real time, providing proactive threat detection against emerging ransomware threats before they breach data networks. In the event of a ransomware attack, the setup orchestrates near-instant recovery by immediately protecting data with immutable snapshots upon detecting suspicious activity.

Organizations can thus reduce the risk of data breaches while capturing immutable snapshots for immediate, automatic recovery of the last known clean dataset. Customers can replicate entire systems, jobs, and policies to another cluster with “tenant-aware replication” and “intelligent configuration replication” feature sets under every protected path.

Additionally, as many organizations undertake initiatives like moving to a preferred cloud, data repatriation, and diversification of storage, the ability to provide a consistent approach everywhere is essential. Superna facilitates flexible data migration from supported storage platforms to VAST, allowing customers to “easily re-platform” their data and services.

The VAST Data Platform intelligently integrates the Superna Data Security Edition into existing security tools, enhancing defense posture without disrupting workflows or processes, the company claimed. “By keeping security and operations teams on high alert with comprehensive reports on the scope of an attack, VAST and Superna are empowering these teams to mitigate threats and accelerate recoveries,” it added.

Matthew McCormick, VP product management at Superna, said: “In partnering with VAST, we’re delivering robust cyber storage capabilities on top of one of the most powerful data platforms designed for AI workloads, enabling businesses to unleash the full power of their data.” Superna bundled with VAST is available to partners via global distributor Arrow. Download a solution brief doc here.

Earlier this year, VAST Data ported its Data Platform software to Google’s cloud, enabling users to spin up clusters there.