For CISOs, the pressure to safeguard enterprise assets, such as their data - the crown jewels of many enterprises - continues to increase.
The focus has traditionally been on networks, endpoints, and applications. However, what about where enterprise data is stored? For organizations and enterprises, the security discussion has focused on perimeter defenses, endpoint protection, and application hardening. Yet more than 90% of an enterprise's data resides on their storage platforms. If threat actors bypass front-line defenses, storage becomes the last and most vital line of protection.
Cyber-Resilient Storage
When cybersecurity and storage are discussed together, it usually revolves around backup and recovery. However, this limited view fails to take in account the broader potential of primary storage to support next generation data protection objectives.
Modern threats demand a model that prioritizes cyber-resilient storage. This begins with the premise that cyberattacks are inevitable. The question is no longer “if” but “when” and “how often”. Therefore, the assumption must shift from perimeter-only protection to an architecture that includes built-in cyber resilience mechanisms within the storage infrastructure itself.
This means using capabilities such as immutable snapshots, logical separation between control and data operations, and integrated scanning to verify data integrity before restoration. Together, these elements help prevent reinfection during cyber recovery efforts and provide a faster path to operational continuity.
3 Steps CISOs Should Lead to Integrate Storage into Enterprise Security
To fully integrate storage into a comprehensive enterprise security strategy, CISOs should lead these three key steps:
- Position Storage as a Cyber Defense and Resiliency Asset
This means treating storage not as infrastructure managed elsewhere, but as a frontline participant in incident response. Cyber-resilient storage platforms can seamlessly interface directly with data center-wide cyber security tools to help detect, contain, and recover from attacks. This turns a traditional IT function into a strategic security control.
- Establish and Test a Cyber Recovery Strategy
Disaster recovery plans are no longer enough. A ransomware playbook must now include validated, clean data sources, forensic isolation zones, and defined recovery timeframes. CISOs should lead cross-functional testing of cyber recovery procedures—particularly for high-value and regulated data environments.
- Integrate Storage Signals into Security Operations
Security teams need visibility into what is happening at the data layer. Leading storage solutions now generate security-relevant telemetry and can respond automatically when threats are detected by platforms like SIEM or XDR. CISOs should push for full integration to shorten detection and response timelines.
Key Capabilities of Storage-based Cyber Resilience
At Infinidat, we define storage-based cyber resilience around six key capabilities that together enable a robust defense posture:
- Immutable Snapshots: These create point-in-time versions of data that cannot be changed or deleted. Originally designed for compliance, they are now essential in preserving data integrity during and after cyber events.
- Logical Separation of Management and Data Planes: By isolating control functions from data access, organizations reduce the risk of full compromise in the event of credential theft or privileged access abuse.
- Fenced Forensic Environments: These allow teams to safely inspect compromised data in a contained setting, avoiding the risk of reintroducing malicious code during the recovery process.
- Integrated Cyber Detection: Storage systems should not wait passively for direction. With embedded intelligence, they can scan for anomalies and contribute to identifying the last clean snapshot for rapid recovery.
- Guaranteed Recovery Times: Cyber incidents are chaotic. Time matters. Enterprise storage vendors should offer clear recovery time objectives (RTO) and stand behind them contractually. For instance, some platforms can restore petabytes of data within minutes.
- Cross-System Coordination: Cyber resilience must extend across infrastructure layers. Storage should trigger automated responses when security tools such as Sentinel or Splunk detect threats, helping to contain incidents and reduce the threat window.
The Board Will Ask: “How Quickly Can We Recover?”
The question facing every CISO is no longer limited to “Can we prevent attacks?” It is “How fast can we recover, and how confident are we that our data is clean?”
This question is not theoretical. Boards, regulators, and insurers are demanding answers. A cyber-resilient storage platform provides the technical foundation to deliver those answers with confidence and hard metrics.
