By Phil Wandrei
Product Marketing Manager, Spectra Logic
With the alarming increase in cyberattacks, comprehensive cyber resilience has become a top priority. Ransomware, malicious software that encrypts data and demands a ransom for its release, and data exfiltration, a tactic where sensitive information is stolen, are among the top threats.
According to Sophos’ State of Ransomware 2024, 59% of organizations were hit by ransomware last year, with 70% of attacks resulting in data encryption. Additionally, Coveware reports that data exfiltration is a common tactic in cyberattacks, involving 76% of cases. In this challenging landscape, adopting an air gap strategy is proven and essential. It is the leading defense to combat these threats, putting you in control of your data security.
What is an Air Gap?
An air gap is a security measure that creates a physical separation between critical data and the network. This ensures that sensitive information is isolated from potential cyberattacks. While always-connected storage, like cloud, flash, and disk, is vulnerable, tape-based air gaps offer extremely robust protection.
The Benefits of an Air Gap
1. Protection from Ransomware and Malware
Air gapped data cannot be encrypted or deleted by ransomware because it is not electronically accessible. This makes it the ultimate safeguard for backups and archives. While disk, flash, and cloud storage are continuously connected and potentially vulnerable, tape-based air gap solutions provide an offline safety net.
2. Defense Against Data Exfiltration
Data exfiltration involves stealing sensitive data before launching encryption or extortion. An air gap disrupts this tactic by isolating your data copy, ensuring attackers cannot access it during a breach.
3. Compliance and Disaster Recovery
Leading security organizations, such as the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), recommend maintaining offline, encrypted backups as part of a comprehensive ransomware defense strategy. By incorporating air gap into a 3-2-1-1-0 backup strategy — three copies of data, two media types, one offsite, one offline, and zero errors — organizations ensure compliance and readiness for recovery scenarios.
Why Tape is the Leading Air Gap Solution
Tape storage is uniquely suited to air gap strategies. Tape inherently operates offline, creating a physical barrier between critical data and potential cyber threats. Tape media is only online when mounted in a drive, meaning it is entirely inaccessible to hackers when stored in robotic libraries or offline racks.
Compared to always-online HDDs and SSDs, tape storage provides a cost-effective, secure, and scalable solution for long-term data preservation. Additionally, tape’s offline nature eliminates the risk of tampering with retention settings — a vulnerability in many immutability-only solutions.
A Comprehensive Defense On-Premises or As-a-Service
Spectra Logic provides organizations air gap protection through its on-premises tape libraries and as-a-service with the Tape Archive Platform As-a-Service (TAPAS) solution. On-premises, Spectra tape libraries physically isolate data to prevent cyber threats. TAPAS, offered via Geyser Data, combines Spectra hardware with a cloud-like model, delivering secure, scalable, and cost-effective archival storage with air gap.
How Spectra Logic Solves Air Gap for On-Premises Environments
Spectra Logic offers innovative solutions for air gap protection in on-premises, hybrid, and cloud environments. Spectra tape libraries provide a reliable, scalable option for securely storing critical data offline. By ensuring tape media is only online when mounted in a drive, Spectra creates an actual air gap that prevents unauthorized electronic access. Additionally, Spectra’s advanced tape systems integrate seamlessly with existing archive and backup infrastructures, enabling organizations to adopt the 3-2-1-1-0 strategy efficiently.
Spectra Logic solutions also feature built-in encryption and automated workflows for customers seeking added flexibility, ensuring that offline backups are secure and easily accessible when needed. By combining robust hardware with intelligent software, Spectra Logic delivers peace of mind to organizations seeking to safeguard their data in a dynamic threat landscape.
How Spectra Logic Delivers Air Gap in the Public Cloud
For organizations seeking data storage with air gap in a cloud-based, as-a-service model, Spectra Logic and Geyser Data co-developed Tape Archive Platform as-a-Service (TAPAS). TAPAS delivers advanced data security by using dedicated tapes, physically segregating data and providing true air gap protection. Stored in global data centers, organizations control their encryption keys and access permissions, offering robust defense against ransomware and unauthorized access.
Strengthen your Data Security Strategy
As cyberattacks grow more advanced, traditional defenses are often inadequate.
Incorporating an air gap into your cybersecurity strategy provides a critical layer of protection that ensures your data remains safe, even in the face of advanced attacks. Whether through Spectra Logic on-premises tape or tape-as-a-service solutions, an air gap is a must-have for organizations seeking to safeguard their most valuable asset — their data.
Don’t leave your data vulnerable. Discover how Spectra Logic air gap solutions can shield your business from cyber threats. Contact Spectra Logic to take the first step toward unbeatable data protection.
