UPDATED 18:00 EST / MAY 10 2022

SECURITY

Dell, Kyndryl tackle the inevitability of cybersecurity breaches

One of the major structural changes in the technology business during the pandemic was IBM’s spin out of Kyndryl Inc., a world-class technology services provider that lived inside of IBM.

Kyndryl is a large business with trailing 12-month revenues north of $18 billion. It’s got long-term contracts, predictable cash flows, and 90,000 employees worldwide. In April, Kyndryl announced a cybersecurity alliance with Dell Technologies Inc. that features a jointly developed cyberincident recovery solution.

“When it comes to a relationship with Dell, we believe that in the area of security and resilience there is a unique proposition to be had around the services, cross-platform experience, certifications and skills that our teams have, married with the technology advances that Dell has made in the world,” said Kris Lovejoy (pictured, left), global security and resilience practice leader at Kyndryl.

Lovejoy and Michelle Weston (pictured, right), vice president of security and resiliency at Kyndryl, spoke with industry analyst Dave Vellante during the Dell Technologies World 2022 event, an exclusive broadcast on theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s livestreaming studio. They discussed the inevitability of cybersecurity breaches, Kyndryl’s partnership with Dell, and how their solution works. (* Disclosure below.)

Prevention, protection and recovery necessary for smooth sailing

Even before the pandemic, businesses were adopting and introducing new technologies without adequate security control. As the pandemic dragged on, more technology was needed to support the shift to working from home and the increased demands of online ordering and delivery rather than in-person shopping.

The assumption was that bad actors could be kept out of organizations through blocking access, but ransomware attacks have shown that this is not the case. When the “enterprise is outside the enterprise,” with everyone working from home, resiliency and security protocols were at risk.

“Our approach is to help organizations in binding security plus continuity plus disaster recovery and giving them the ability to anticipate, protect, withstand and recover from any adverse condition associated with their cyber real estate,” Lovejoy said.

The companies’ partnership strikes a balance between products and services. Dell’s software solution for cyber recovery covers immutable storage, a scan for anomalies, and the ability to move data securely. Kyndryl provides the service of human touch in a managed service provider. Cyber Vault combines the cyber incident recovery product with a managed service provider — or “phone-a-friend” option.

A key element to successful recovery from any ransomware or other cyberattack is the ability to recover fully and continue to do business as usual. Kyndryl’s solution is fast, a key element in incident recovery. And that service adds additional protection for enterprise customers, according to Weston.

“You can recover the entire hybrid estate in a matter of minutes. You don’t always recover from the brand damage, from the loss of customers. Being down and coming up as quickly as you can with additional data verification, validation and assurance that you’re not propagating [anomalies] is the value prop that both companies are really serving,” she said.

No one likes to think about what to do in case of a catastrophe. But in this case, preparation is prevention — or at least recovery.

“We’re able to bring the solution to them in such a way that they’re able to bring back their environments to serve their clients when the worst does happen,” Lovejoy said.

Here’s the complete video interview, part of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s coverage of the Dell Technologies World 2022 event:

(* Disclosure: TheCUBE is a paid media partner for Dell Technologies World. Neither Dell Technologies Inc., the sponsor for theCUBE’s event coverage, nor other sponsors have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)

Photo: SiliconANGLE

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