Greater cyber resilience through all-flash, software updates and deep integration

Backups used to be a kind of insurance policy: you hoped you would never need them, and if you did, patience was required. Today, the situation is different. In the face of ransomware, zero-day exploits and ever-changing attack scenarios, data recovery is considered the core of modern cyber resilience. Companies not only want to back up their data, they also want to be up and running again in the shortest possible time. This is exactly where Dell Technologies comes in with the latest additions to its PowerProtect portfolio – most notably the new PowerProtect Data Domain All-Flash DD9910F appliance.

The DD9910F is not simply a refresh of the existing offering, but brings several leaps forward in terms of performance, energy efficiency and security. At the same time, Dell has also further developed the software components of its PowerProtect suite, with improvements to PowerProtect Data Manager, PowerProtect Cyber Recovery and PowerProtect Backup Services. Taken together, this represents a significant upgrade for companies that want to consistently strengthen their cyber resilience.

All-flash for speed and resilience: the new DD9910F

At the heart of the announcement is the Data Domain All-Flash DD9910F appliance. Built on the well-known Data Domain platform, it addresses companies that place the highest demands on recovery times, replication and data security.

• Performance leap: According to Dell, the DD9910F delivers up to four times faster restores and up to twice as fast replication compared to the classic DD9910. In concrete terms, this means that productive data is available again much faster after an attack or system failure. Data integrity checks in a Cyber Recovery Vault are also 2.8 times faster – a detail that can make the difference between hours in an emergency.
• Save space and energy: While performance and security increase, the footprint decreases. The new appliance requires around 40 per cent less rack space and reduces energy consumption by up to 80 per cent, according to internal tests. This results in an interesting combination: higher performance, lower operating costs, less CO₂ emissions.
• Security by design: With immutable snapshots, encryption and a hardware root of trust, tamper resistance is an integral part of the platform. This makes attacks on backup data – for example, by encryption Trojans – considerably more difficult.
• Integration and flexibility: Particularly relevant in practice is the native connection to Dell PowerStore and Dell PowerMax, which allows backups and restores to be closely integrated into existing storage infrastructures. The solution also remains compatible with a wide range of popular backup software via the DD Boost ecosystem.

PowerProtect Data Manager: Broader base, stronger virtualisation

On the software side, Dell is stepping up its game with PowerProtect Data Manager. The platform, which protects data from physical, virtual and multi-cloud environments, has been enhanced in several areas:

• Larger ecosystem: New features include support for Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) and a SUSE deployment option for Dell PowerMax. This makes the solution even more flexible for heterogeneous environments.
• Object storage integration: Archive-to-object proxies and support for Wasabi with Dell ObjectScale open up new options for long-term, cost-effective data storage.
• More security: With new features for hardening the environment and managing compliance requirements, Dell is addressing the current concerns of many IT departments.

For businesses, this means fewer isolated solutions, more standardisation and less operational effort.

PowerProtect Cyber Recovery: Greater protection against ransomware

The PowerProtect Cyber Recovery solution is coming into focus, particularly in the context of growing ransomware attacks. It isolates critical data and enables fast, clean recovery after an attack. New features include:

• Compatibility with the all-flash appliance: Cyber Recovery now supports the DD9910F, enabling fast recovery and isolation to be combined.
• CyberSense Analytics: The analytics component can now also check backups of Oracle databases created in Commvault’s client-direct mode. This expands the range of applications for companies with complex databases.
• Efficiency gains: Improved automation is designed to reduce the workload on IT teams and shorten recovery times.

The message is clear: Cyber Recovery is becoming the central tool for not only having backups in case of an emergency, but also for ensuring that they can be used.

PowerProtect Backup Services: Focus on Microsoft

In addition to hardware and traditional software, Dell is also upgrading its PowerProtect Backup Services. The focus here is clearly on cloud and SaaS data:

• New cloud targets: In addition to AWS, Microsoft Azure Storage is now also available as a backup target.
• Microsoft Dynamics 365: Data from Dynamics 365 can now be seamlessly backed up and granularly restored – for example, individual items such as emails or calendar entries.
• Unified platform: As the services also cover Microsoft 365, Azure VMs and Entra ID, companies can bundle their entire Microsoft data management centrally on one platform.

For IT teams, this means less complexity; for companies, it means greater data security across the entire Microsoft world.

Cyber resilience as an ongoing task

The tenor of the announcements: traditional security measures are no longer sufficient. Firewalls, endpoint security and patch management remain important, but without robust backup and recovery strategies, every company remains vulnerable. Dell is therefore clearly positioning its PowerProtect portfolio as an enabler of cyber resilience:

• Protection of critical data against manipulation or loss
• Rapid recovery so that business processes are not at a standstill for days on end
• Flexibility for hybrid and multi-cloud environments

The new DD9910F and software upgrades are pieces of a larger puzzle. They provide companies with tools to not only defend themselves against attacks, but also to get back on track quickly after an incident.

Conclusion: speed, efficiency and integration

With the PowerProtect Data Domain All-Flash DD9910F, Dell is sending a clear message: speed and energy efficiency do not have to be mutually exclusive, and security must be firmly integrated into the infrastructure. The software enhancements presented in parallel underline the approach of thinking about cyber resilience holistically – from physical appliances and cloud services to integration into existing IT landscapes.

For businesses, this adds up to a consistent story: less downtime, lower operating costs, higher security. And above all, the certainty that data is not only backed up, but also usable in an emergency – a difference that can be crucial in the age of ransomware.

Source & further information: Dell Blog – Achieving Cyber Resilience with Dell PowerProtect