File management services vendor CTERA has introduced a number of updates to its software, that will potentially help its growing channel win sales in a competitive market.
First, it has extended its ransomware protection engine Ransom Protect, with active protection against data exfiltration using “honeypot” techniques.
CTERA Ransom Protect is an AI-powered cyber defence engine integrated into the CTERA global file system, providing zero-day protection against widespread ransomware attacks. Now enhanced with honeypots, or decoy files, the software can identify and stop unauthorised access or attempts at data theft, effectively neutralising threats before significant damage can occur.
Advanced machine learning algorithms identify behavioural anomalies that suggest fraudulent file activity, and block offending users “within seconds”, promised CTERA.
There is zero-day protection as the honeypots do not rely on traditional signature update services. An administrator dashboard enables real-time attack monitoring, incident evidence logging and post-attack forensics.
As a whole, Ransom Protect provides “near-instant recovery” of any infected files from snapshots, that are securely stored in an air-gapped, immutable cloud object storage system, thwarting ransom demands.
Commvault added similar honeypot technology to its Metallic offering at the end of 2022.
As part of its product update briefing at last week’s IT Press Tour in Rome, the company also moved to improve protection of a company's main business data stored in the CTERA WORM Vault.
The WORM Vault was originally introduced last year, and an updated version will be introduced this second quarter, promising data "immutability".
New features include Legal Hold, Object Lock, and Chain of Custody. Legal Hold means no one can change accounts according to policies, which is important for legal/litigation files.
Object Lock provides immutability all the way to a data bucket end-to-end, and Chain of Custody retains all metadata end-to-end.
At the briefing, CEO Oded Nagel (pictured) said CTERA had "doubled" new business in 2023, and had seen a 30% increase in its annual recurring revenue (ARR).
The firm launched a new partner programme last year to improve the benefits for system integrators and service providers. Last June, it signed a go-to-market alliance with Hitachi Vantara.
