Cloudian signs new ANZ partners as data backup demand rises

Object storage vendor Cloudian has signed up a range of new partners across Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) to serve surging demand for object storage and immutable data backup.

The company said the increased demand follows a rise in ransomware attacks and data breaches.

New partners include Brisbane-based Baidam, Canberra-based Qirx, and Sydney firms Elysium, Nueva, Secure Agility and Vectec.

Cloudian has also expanded its existing partnership with Sydney-based Communications Design & Management.

The partners cover a range of regions across ANZ as well as IT disciplines such as cloud, cyber security and government-specific ICT services.

“In the aftermath of a very difficult period for cyber-attacks for the region, government agencies and enterprises are looking at what they need beyond perimeter defences to be protected and resilient,” Cloudian's senior director for Asia-Pacific and Japan James Wright said.

“Immutable data backup really is a no brainer in that conversation. No amount of cyber security measures can make an organisation untouchable from ransomware. But they can have an untouchable, clean copy of critical, operational."

"That is the insurance policy, the lifeline we need when the worst happens and it’s great to see that message resonating with our partner community and customers.”

A recent report from Veeam highlighted that, on average, organisations were only able to recover 69 per cent of their data in the event of a data breach.

Wright said time is a major factor when it comes to injecting data back into the organisation post breach.

“Ransomware attacks can cost thousands of dollars a minute or more," he said.

"If you’re waiting to retrieve data from old legacy systems, or worse, from the attackers, you’re looking at days or weeks to get a likely incomplete dataset back."

"The combination of Cloudian’s technology and our partners’ expertise means organisations can get back online with their key data within a few hours.”

The chief executive of NEXTGEN Group John Walters said the expansion of Cloudian's ANZ partner community demonstrates the market opportunity for partners. 

“Cloudian has been a part of our cyber and data resilience portfolio for many years and expanding its partner ecosystem with these quality relationships is testament to its technology and the opportunity in the market," he said.

"Data resilience is a key part of a holistic approach to managing cyber risk and we view Cloudian as an excellent choice for Australian critical infrastructure, companies that deal with sensitive personal information, and – more broadly – any organisation that needs data surety to function.”

Wright added that in Australia, a renewed push to achieve and move up the maturity levels in the Essential Eight (E8) maturity model has added to the emphasis on immutability.

“Data immutability addresses a number of requirements for E8, particularly as you move up the levels,” he said.

“We’re seeing more and more agencies, critical infrastructure providers, and enterprises align with E8, which is rightfully shining a greater light on data immutability.”