Modern, data-driven IT is stretching the capabilities of storage to the max. Big data, artificial intelligence, multicloud, breach protection — they all demand a new kind of data strategy. And this strategy needs advanced data-protection software to do what regular storage can’t do.

Companies today must make data protection an integral part of their data strategy, according to Sam Werner (pictured), vice president of offering management and storage and SDI software at IBM Corp. “If it’s not, you have a problem; you’re exposed,” he said. 

The variety of applications companies are trying to manage complicates the matter. Will the data protection that works for refactored cloud apps work for on-premises legacy apps?

“It’s not just your new applications that need to be backed up. It’s your entire enterprise of data. So I think you’ve got to have a full suite of data protection,” Werner said. 

Werner spoke with spoke with Stu Miniman (@stu) and John Walls (@JohnWalls21), co-hosts of theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s mobile livestreaming studio, during the VMworld event in San Francisco. They discussed how to protect data across the spectrum of new and legacy apps (see the full interview with transcript here). (* Disclosure below.)

Tape rolls on while container question looms

One may be surprised at some of the ways today’s companies are securing data against cyberattacks; large stores of big data are prime candidates for tape.

“When you think about the strongest protection against cyberattacks, it’s tape. You can actually air gap your data; you move it offline completely,” Werner said. “Our tape business is growing like crazy.”

On the more modern end of the spectrum, businesses are curious about data protection for containers (a virtualized method for running distributed apps). At least 80% of customers say their biggest concern pertaining to containers is finding the right data protection for them, according to Werner.

Data protection for containers is certainly immature compared to data protection for VMware Inc. virtual machines, Werner added. However, IBM is researching the problem and working on solutions. It’s building special drivers, and it will unveil application-aware data protection for containers over the next quarter. 

Perplexed companies can start by gauging the state of all of the data in their various apps, Werner pointed out. “With [IBM] Spectrum Protect, we’ll actually show you which of your data is exposed and not being protected, giving a holistic view of your environment,” he said. 

Watch the complete video interview below, and be sure to check out more of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s coverage of the VMworld event. (* Disclosure: IBM Corp. sponsored this segment of theCUBE. Neither IBM nor other sponsors have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)

Photo: SiliconANGLE