Summary
SafeMode offers robust protection through immutable snapshots that cannot be deleted without a multi-step verification process. These snapshots also enable organizations to quickly restore data.
This blog was co-authored with Jayven Meredo, Nirav Sheth, and Colin Mead.
In today’s digital ecosystem, data isn’t just valuable: It’s the backbone of business innovation and growth. However, as the digital landscape evolves, so do the threats against this critical asset. Businesses must maintain cyber resilience in the face of attacks like ransomware. This is where Pure Storage® SafeMode™ comes into play, offering secure and operationally flexible protection.
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How Does Pure Storage SafeMode Work?
SafeMode acts as a digital sentry for your data, employing immutable, indelible snapshots to safeguard against unauthorized changes or deletions. These snapshots serve as a reliable foundation for data recovery, ensuring that even in the event of a ransomware attack, the integrity of your data remains uncompromised.
Figure 1: Benefits of SafeMode Snapshots.
How SafeMode Operates
SafeMode distinguishes itself through simplicity in design and robustness in protection, catering to the needs of businesses by:
- Automatically generating data snapshots: These are scheduled at intervals that suit your operational requirements, ensuring that you always have an up-to-date, unaltered version of your data. Snapshots are always immutable.
- Ensuring data immutability and indelibility: Once created, these snapshots cannot be deleted without undergoing a stringent, multi-step verification process. This includes interaction with Pure Storage’s dedicated support team, adding an extra layer of security.
Figure 2: Multi-step verification process.
The balance between automation and manual verification creates a secure environment that safeguards against ransomware threats while accommodating necessary administrative flexibility.
Real-world Impact: A SafeMode Success Story
In March 2024, a well-known national company faced a severe challenge. A ransomware attack targeted their data infrastructure, impacting two key data arrays and causing a near-complete operational shutdown—95% of the company was offline, and the situation was severe enough to make the news.
During this critical time, the Pure Storage account team coordinated swiftly with Pure Support to address the crisis. Fortunately, one of the affected assets had SafeMode enabled, which was protecting a selected subset of snapshots.
The recovery process began with the NAS array, leveraging the SafeMode-protected snapshots. Within just a couple of days, the NAS array was fully restored, demonstrating the rapid recovery capability of SafeMode. The team then proceeded to restore the SAN array using these secure snapshots.
The result was a complete recovery of both arrays, a testament to the foresight of having SafeMode enabled. The company was not only able to resume normal operations quickly but also avoided the potential long-term consequences of a ransomware attack.
A customer comment highlighted the effectiveness of the response:
“Tier 1 and Tier 2 are fully restored and were done at an amazingly fast speed, thank you!”
The Strategic Value of SafeMode
SafeMode’s approach to cyber resilience offers a dual advantage:
- Backup integrity: By securing snapshots against tampering, SafeMode ensures that your backup remains reliable and accessible—even in the face of a ransomware attack. This not only preserves your data but also maintains operational continuity.
- Rapid recovery: The ability to quickly restore data from immutable snapshots minimizes downtime and operational disruption, enabling businesses to maintain their competitive edge and reputation.
Why SafeMode Is More than a Security Feature
For IT teams navigating the complexities of modern cybersecurity and resilience, SafeMode represents a blend of innovation and pragmatism. It’s a strategic asset, enhancing cyber resilience, ensuring the continuity of operations, and safeguarding the trust placed in your digital infrastructure.
Figure 3: SafeMode enhances cyber resilience.
Protect Your Data Today
In an era where information security threats loom large, safeguarding your data isn’t just a precaution—it’s a necessity for business continuity and growth. Contact Pure Storage Support to request SafeMode today, and fortify your defenses, maintain backup integrity, and ensure rapid recovery in the face of cyber threats. Ransomware will only get more sophisticated—protect your data now.
Watch and Learn More about SafeMode
Additional Resources
- Pure Storage SafeMode Best Practices (login required)
- How to Enable SafeMode (login required)
- Pure1 Enhanced SafeMode Management (login required)
- FlashArray Security Best Practices (login required)
- Ransomware Mitigation with SafeMode Snapshots
- Ransomware Mitigation Solution Brief
- How Pure Storage Secures Your Data From Ransomware
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