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Keeping Your Data Protected During Chaotic Times

CMMA Blog

The world events of the past weeks have given us a clear view of what not having a plan looks like. We are learning that current infrastructures cannot support a pandemic the likes of what we’re currently living through and we’re managing it in crisis mode. Learning this lesson came at a great cost, but it is challenging us to rethink our preparedness. As I sit here on a stay indoor order from our local leadership and doing my due diligence to protect myself and others, I can’t help but draw parallels (being in the technology space) from these life-altering events to digital cyber-criminal events that are occurring right now as I write this. In my last blog, I wrote about the importance of testing your IT network and pointed out some strategies to use to ensure you are well prepared should ransomware or other cyber-attacks infiltrate your datacenter and cause irreparable damage. In this blog, I want to discuss – no, stress once again the importance of testing your backup strategies and business continuity plans.

Training & Preparedness

With a lot of the workforce working remotely, it is crucial that employees are trained to be alert to activity that targets regular users like you and me – watch out for those coronavirus emails that are being used as bait by phishers! There are sites that are using COVID-19 and Coronavirus as a lure to make victims ‘click the link’. Paul Chichester, Director of Operations at the NCSC, said: “We know that cybercriminals are opportunistic and will look to exploit people’s fears, and this has undoubtedly been the case with the Coronavirus outbreak.

Time and time again we’ve heard that cyber-attacks come in different forms such as data breaches, ransomware, phishing campaigns, and even some advanced hacking attacks. Investing in an excellent cybersecurity software plus employee training will play a major role in averting a disaster. Persistent criminals will take advantage of the opportunity to infiltrate your network via the various forms of cyber-attacks so let’s learn from previous incidents causing millions of dollars in damage (see previous blog – link) and avoid the same fate as best we can. Just last week, a report on the NCSC site stated that a global network of bots was brought down and dismantled. These criminals are believed to have infected more than nine million computers worldwide. https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/report/weekly-threat-report-13th-march-2020

The right mix of technology

Let’s start by asking the right questions. First, asses your cyber risk. Check out the NCSC website for guidance https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/collection/risk-management-collection/essential-topics . Is your organization prepared to weather a cyber-attack? Is your network not only protected but resilient and able to predictably recover stolen, encrypted or lost data? What are the RPO/RTO’s that need to be met, and can they be met with your current data protection technology? If your network backup copies are compromised, do you have a copy offline and air-gapped? These and many more questions need to be asked to ensure that whatever data protection solution you choose, test your Business Continuity (BC) and Disaster Recovery (DR) to understand efficiency resiliency and predictability so you have the peace of mind that your data is protected.

The experts, highly recommended that you apply the time-tested best practice rule of 3-2-1-1 rule to be safe. Have both disk and tape to ensure a reliable copy is available when you need it. Whether you use cloud or hardware on-prem, be it fast performance technology to quickly process your hot data to cold storage technologies for long-term storage – the most cost-effective way to tier-off your data as it shifts in value is to leverage the different technologies that are available.  Here is an example from Quantum with DXi and object storage for enterprise backup where cost-effectiveness, scalability, and management of unstructured data is of extreme importance.

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All these technologies combined will help you meet your RPO/RTO’s but in addition, should you need to call on your backup copy for any reason and your copy on spinning disk is compromised, your insurance will be the copy that is offline and air-gapped.

If we knew when disaster will strike, everyone would prepare. The reality is we never know. Test and practice your response to a cyber-attack. Whether you are small or large organizations, testing your resiliency is critical. Create practice scenarios in a safe environment where you can test your network and backup strategies, there are plenty of online help tools available if you’re organization does not have IT, professionals, to handle this type of exercise. Be prepared to handle a crisis scenario. If you’re in the public sector and funds are tight, leverage organizations like NCSC with their exercise in a box tool to practice your response https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/information/exercise-in-a-box .

These times call on us to provide you, the IT professional with
all the tools and necessary information to help you make the best decision for
your organization. Crisis or no crisis preparedness is key!

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Quantum’s Liz King Named to CRN’s List of Channel Chiefs

CMMA Blog

Quantum’s solutions are delivered to customers across the
globe by skilled, dedicated channel partners. 
Not only do Quantum’s channel partners extend Quantum’s reach to every
continent, Quantum’s channel partners understand our customers’ needs and
architect solutions that combine Quantum and other leading vendors’ offerings to
help our customers create, innovate, and protect their data.

As a channel-focused vendor, Quantum invests heavily in our
channel tools to help empower Quantum’s channel partners. 

In 2019, Elizabeth (Liz) King joined Quantum in the newly created
position of Chief Revenue Officer (CRO). 

From Liz’s first day on the job, Liz set out to meet, listen
to, and support Quantum’s channel partners. 
In her short tenure, Quantum has launched a new deal registration
application for channel partners as well as a number of initiatives, all
designed to help our channel partners deliver Quantum solutions to our
customers across a number of vertical markets who, in turn, make the world
happier, safer and smarter.

It is an honor that CRN ®, a brand of The Channel Company, has named Liz to its 2020 list of Channel Chiefs. This annual list recognizes the top vendor executives who continually demonstrate exemplary leadership, influence, innovation, and growth for the IT channel.

“The IT channel is undergoing constant evolution to meet
customer demands and changing business environments,” said Bob Skelley, CEO of
The Channel Company. “CRN’s Channel Chiefs work tirelessly, leading the
industry forward through superior partner programs and strategies with a focus
on helping solution providers transform and grow. Our team here at The Channel
Company congratulates these outstanding individuals for their dedication to the
channel.”

“I am honored that CRN named me to their 2020 list of
Channel Chiefs,” said Liz.  “In fact, I
feel like I am only getting started.  Estimates
suggest that by 2025, 80% of the world’s data will be video or video-like.  My team’s and my mission at Quantum is to
work closely with our channel partners across the globe to jointly help our
customers from a wide range of industries including scientific research, oil
and gas, video surveillance and media and entertainment, to name just a
few.  What they all have in common is
their need to create, innovate, and protect their data.”

CRN’s 2020 Channel Chiefs list will be featured in the February 2020 issue of CRN Magazine and
online at www.CRN.com/ChannelChiefs .

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Nasdaq: The New Home for QMCO

CMMA Blog

I joined
Quantum nearly two years ago, drawn by the incredible potential of a company
with happy customers, loyal partners, dedicated employees and a world-class
R&D team – terrific assets that unfortunately had been saddled with a weak
executive management team making poor business decisions. This situation came
to a head in January 2018, when the SEC launched an investigation into the
Company’s historical financial reporting practices.  This event triggered an internal
investigation, shareholder litigation, restatement of multiple years of
financial statements, missed bank covenants requiring expensive amendments and
fees and ultimately the company’s delisting from the NYSE.

Over the last two years a new executive management team drove
a business transformation that included settling the legacy issues with the SEC,
settled the shareholder lawsuits, removed $70 million is costs on an annual
basis, restated multiple years of annual financial statements, returned to
innovation and launched six new products and returned to profitability in the
latest quarter. With this transformation complete, the company is now ready to
resume trading on a major national exchange.

When Quantum
was founded in 1980, the choice to list on the New York Stock Exchange was easy.
The NYSE had a rich history dating back to 1792. For nearly 40 years, Quantum
investors traded the company’s shares on NYSE under the ticker symbol QTM.

Now, after careful deliberation, we are
making Nasdaq our new home for trading Quantum shares under QMCO.

Why the change? In short, Nasdaq is the exchange for companies focused on growth. Apple, Microsoft, Facebook, Amazon, and Google are just a few of the premier brands among the 3,800 companies listed on Nasdaq. Technology companies have gravitated to Nasdaq because the exchange is designed with a more modern approach to trading, and is welcoming to smaller, more nimble companies. Nasdaq hosts a larger share of IPOs than NYSE, and has a reputation as the exchange with a more dynamic business community. The change to Nasdaq reflects Quantum’s transformation, as well as our aspiration to stand shoulder to shoulder with the most influential, innovative and vital technology companies of our time. As Quantum prepares to celebrate its 40-year anniversary, we’ll also look forward to ringing the bell on the floor of the Nasdaq exchange and opening a new chapter in our company history .

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Same NVMe Speed, Lower Price

CMMA Blog

Last year at NAB, we introduced the Quantum F2000 – an NVMe storage server designed for the highest-performance workloads with the highest availability requirements.  The F2000 has won multiple industry awards and is in production at some of the world’s largest brands, government agencies, and major studios and post-houses.  It’s been a great year!

But there was also a consistent point of feedback from many customers – they see the benefits of NVMe (accelerate productivity, reduce infrastructure cost and complexity, gain back data center space), but not every workload requires a highly-available server and the expense that comes with that.

Enter the Quantum F1000.  The F1000 uses the same software-defined storage platform as the F2000, and provides ultra-fast streaming performance and response times, with a less expensive server platform and design.

Like the F2000, the F1000 gives users the parallel processing capabilities that are inherent with NVMe and uses RDMA networking technology to deliver SAN speeds over less expensive ethernet network infrastructure.

Also, like the F2000, the F1000 is easy to deploy as part of a StorNext file storage cluster.  And system health can be monitored anytime, anywhere by connecting to Quantum’s cloud-based monitoring software.  StorNext can even move files and folders between NVMe and nearline pools of storage, so you can get the benefits of NVMe for those workloads that require it most without committing to an all-NVMe infrastructure.

In short, if you have been researching NVMe, and thinking about how it could benefit your environment, now is the time to reach out.  We’ll work with you to design an architecture that best fits your needs, for a price point that doesn’t crush your budget.

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Why Video and Image Data is at the “Core” of the Global Datasphere

CMMA Blog

A recently published IDC blog, “How You Contribute to Today’s Growing DataSphere and Its Enterprise Impact,” talks about the global datasphere and the impact on the enterprise. In his blog, IDC’s David Reinsel discusses how the number of connected devices and the growing Internet of Things (IoT) are contributing to massive data growth. He talks about a recent IDC study that analyzes where data is coming from (surveillance cameras are the #1 source of data), and where all this data is going.

Our mission here at Quantum is to
be the leader in video and image data infrastructure, and this IDC DataSphere
study intersects our strategy in a few ways:

First, it reinforces how video
and “video-like” data (such as high-resolution images generated by machines on a
manufacturing floor) make up the largest majority of the global datasphere.
Whether this data is generated by machines like surveillance cameras, movie
cameras, or by consumer devices, like smartphones – the common thread is that most
of the data being generated is video and imagery.

In fact, Reinsel notes how most
of the “edge” data is being generated by consumer devices with most of it being
video and images. Anyone with a smartphone can attest that video and image data
consumes most of the storage on their device.

Second, in terms of where this
data goes, most of it ends up in what IDC calls “the core” – i.e. cloud
datacenters where this data is copied or backed up, and where it needs to be
stored forever. Quantum excels at both the high-speed processing of video and
image data, as well as the long-term storage of video and image data, whether
on-premise or in-the-cloud.

Here at Quantum, we’re helping businesses be prepared in this data-driven world with solutions that help manage, store, and protect the massive amounts of data they create. Visit our Solutions page to learn more about our secure, reliable data management solutions for video and image data.    

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Quantum Rebooted

CMMA Blog

Today marks a new morning for Quantum. With our announcement of first-quarter earnings for the fiscal year 2020, Quantum celebrates the completion of a transformative journey. The result? A lean and nimble company poised for growth.

Any company approaching the 40-year mark is bound to have gone through some evolutionary stages. In our case we needed to face up to some historical missteps, necessitating an arduous process to restate earnings for multiple quarters. It gives me great satisfaction to announce that we have completed the restatement process. The impact of the restatement was almost exclusively related to the timing of revenue recognition.  This is a positive outcome of this process, and it also means the costs we have incurred as part of this restatement process are now largely behind us. This process also served to initiate significant changes in our leadership, in our board of directors, and in our entire corporate structure.

We have committed ourselves to a new strategy and direction, which is vividly captured in our latest video . Quantum customers have long valued our leadership in both the high-speed processing of video and long-term low-cost cold storage of video and unstructured data.   Quantum already provides the video infrastructure for some of the world’s largest studios and post houses, corporate brands, sports networks and franchises, airports, research institutions, and hyperscalers.  Given the massive market across these industries and the strength of our core technology, we are focused on leading this video storage infrastructure market.  Now Quantum is applying our expertise to rapidly growing applications with similar technology requirements such as video surveillance, autonomous vehicles, medical and surgical video, manufacturing video for quality assurance, satellite, and geospatial imagery, military and tactical applications, video search and analytics, and more.

We increased our tempo of innovation to address emerging market opportunities where we could capitalize on our strength in managing storage for video and video-like data. We unleashed a torrent of new product developments, including the F-Series NVMe flash storage arrays, the VS-Series hyperconverged platform for video surveillance, the R-Series line of ruggedized, removable storage systems, and Quantum Cloud-Based Analytics, enabling monitored and configuration through the cloud, essentially connecting all of our product deployments to the Quantum Distributed Cloud.  The pace of product introductions brought revitalized energy to the people who are responsible for creating these offerings and delivering them to our customers.

We have reaffirmed our focus on ethical business practices, and we
have emphasized the importance of margin and profitability, as opposed to top
line revenue growth. This is directly related to designing and selling products
based on our own unique intellectual property. Significantly, we
eliminated $70 million in annual expenses, making the company leaner and more nimble.  

As many of our customers are keenly aware, one challenge we faced was a shortage of LTO media due to a dispute among suppliers. I’m pleased to report that this supply issue has been resolved, with both FujiFilm and Sony agreeing to license LTO-8 technology. With this agreement, customers can be assured that they can continue to take advantage of the unique economy and archive capabilities that only tape can deliver.

You can find all of the details about Quantum’s quarterly performance and structural transformation in our press release . Later this year, it is our intention to return Quantum to public trading on a stock exchange.

Looking forward, I
see substantial opportunity to move to a software-defined architecture across
our product portfolio, to value engineer our products for even greater
performance while reducing costs, and to make our software more searchable,
more accessible, and more intelligent. 

This is all good
news for the people who depend on our products every day. It’s also good news
for the people who come to work here each day, because they can be assured that
their efforts matter. And it is good news for the people who show their
confidence in Quantum’s vision through their ongoing investment. To all of you:
thank-you for your trust. Going forward you will see a new Quantum, resolved to
learn from our history and energized for the promise of tomorrow.

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