The shift to all-digital workflows has increased in momentum and so have malware, ransomware and crypto-locking attacks. So, how do you keep the CIA promise (Confidentiality, Integrity and Accessibility) for content repositories and archives in light of these constant threats? In this episode of Brews & Bytes, Toon Geens, Xenit CEO, Ronny Timmermans, Xenit Managing Director, and Ryan Meek, Caringo Principal Solutions Engineer, join host Adrian Herrera, Caringo VP Marketing, to discuss these questions:
<ul>
<li>How does an organization get started addressing threat prevention and detection?</li>
<li>Are there ways to contain threats and mitigate exposure?</li>
<li>Can repairing and healing from data integrity issues be automated?</li>
</ul>

Learn how you keep the CIA promise (Confidentiality, Integrity & Accessibility) for content repositories/archives in light of constant threats

Zach Gover

Caringo Brews and Bytes talks offer insight into top storage professionals in technology, storage and common questions which exist in the markets.

Brews and Bytes

Data integrity (i.e., maintenance of accurate data) is a critical function of storage systems. Caringo Swarm uses Content-MD5, Integrity Seals & WORM.

Data Integrity

With Caringo Swarm Object Storage, you get continuous, built-in data protection along with exceptional resilience, recovery, and content integrity. 

Data Protection

Caringo revolutionized data storage and changed the economics of storage in 2006 by launching the first Object Storage product in the marketplace. 

Data Storage

Ransomware⏤malicious software or malware⏤is designed to deny access to systems & data until ransom is paid. Object storage can help protect your data.

Ransomware

As you define your storage strategy, what are the required characteristics for each tier of your storage and what variables affect each storage tier?

Security

Using the CIA promise to protect data (…the other CIA)

<img class="alignright" src="https://i2.wp.com/www.caringo.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Ransomware.png?w=300&ssl=1" alt="7 Ways Swarm Object Storage Protects Against Ransomware Attacks" data-recalc-dims="1" />Recent ransomware attacks like WannaCry make it clear that the current data storage deployment strategy of many organizations is antiquated. While some types of companies are more likely to be targeted, for example, the services sector, no business or organization is immune. And, more often than not, it is a lack of resources to keep up with patch updates and human error that open the door to these attacks.
The chart below from <a href="https://www.statista.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Statista</a> provides information about who is affected by ransomware attacks and details the leading causes of ransomware infection.
<a title="Infographic: Ransomware: Who's Affected & Why | Statista" href="https://www.statista.com/chart/9378/distribution-of-global-ransomware-infections-and-leading-causes/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img style="width: 100%; height: auto !important; max-width: 960px; -ms-interpolation-mode: bicubic;" src="https://i2.wp.com/infographic.statista.com/normal/chartoftheday_9378_distribution_of_global_ransomware_infections_and_leading_causes_n.jpg?w=100%25&ssl=1" alt="Infographic: Ransomware: Who's Affected & Why | Statista" height="auto" data-recalc-dims="1" /></a>
Putting aside resource and human elements, what factors in your storage infrastructure increase the risk of ransomware attacks? Storing data on file systems, such as direct-attach storage (DAS) or on network-attached storage (NAS), makes your storage susceptible to viruses that take advantage of a file server’s tightly coupled disks and standard file systems that are tightly integrated into operating systems (OS).
One alternative that offers significant isolation and protection beyond what a traditional file server can offer is software-defined storage (SDS) that is object-based with integrated WORM (Write Once Read Many), versioning and independent access control, like Caringo <a href="https://www.caringo.com/swarm-technology" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Swarm</a>. For years, the deployment architecture of storage has been tightly coupled with the OS, such that anyone with access to the OS can get to the data with ease. The paradigm offered by Caringo Swarm is true object storage and offers multiple avenues of protection:
<ol>
<li>Swarm is a black box software appliance that does not require an installation of an OS or a file system as a precursor. You cannot log into or access Swarm from outside, only interface through its RESTful protocol. There are no “under the cover” paths to the data.</li>
<li>Swarm supports Write Once Read Many (WORM) data. So even if the virus has access to the data via the HTTP interface, it can not overwrite or perform transformations on the data.</li>
<li>Swarm’s native interface is HTTP 1.1, which means that the storage is isolated loosely coupled from the OS and can not be accessed via an infected OS or file system and be compromised.</li>
<li>Swarm supports versioning, which can be used to protect your non-WORM data. Even if a virus could encrypt or corrupt a file, there will always be a pristine version that can be recovered.</li>
<li>Swarm does not sit on a file system. The disks are managed by the system and do not provide a file system or block interface which would open the door to data corruption should the virus have access privileges.</li>
<li>Swarm supports IP address blocking so that only IP addresses of your choice can communicate with the system.</li>
<li>Encryption of data is an option. Even if the virus gets to the data, the user has the ability to encrypt the data at rest so it can’t be read and misused. Further protection from theft.</li>
</ol>
If you have a Windows File Server or NetApp filer, <a href="https://www.caringo.com/windows-server-optimization/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">leveraging</a> the protection of Swarm is seamless with our <a href="https://www.caringo.com/filefly/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">FileFly Secondary Storage Solution</a>. Data transfer from both platforms is automated and leverages versioning so you always have access to content, even if your primary server is compromised. And, features like WORM and versioning are built in, not add-ons.
To learn more, watch our on-demand <a href="https://www.caringo.com/webinars/storage-swiss-windows-file-servers/">webcast</a>, Capacity — Ransomware — Protection: Three Windows File Server Upgrades to Avoid or <a href="https://www.caringo.com/company/contact" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">contact us</a>.
<a href="https://www.caringo.com/webinars/storage-swiss-windows-file-servers/"><img class="alignnone wp-image-7509 size-medium" src="https://i2.wp.com/www.caringo.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Watch-Recording-01.png?resize=300%2C58&ssl=1" alt="Watch the Recording" width="300" height="58" srcset="https://i2.wp.com/www.caringo.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Watch-Recording-01.png?resize=300%2C58&ssl=1 300w, https://i2.wp.com/www.caringo.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Watch-Recording-01.png?resize=768%2C148&ssl=1 768w, https://i2.wp.com/www.caringo.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Watch-Recording-01.png?w=950&ssl=1 950w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" data-recalc-dims="1" /></a>

What factors in your storage infrastructure increase the risk of ransomware attacks? Learn how Swarm Object Storage can reduce your risk.

With a rare understanding of technology, customers and business, Jonathan Ring brings over 33 years of experience to Caringo. Prior to founding Caringo, Jonathan was an active angel investor and VC investing and advising in a broad range of companies. Jonathan has run multinational distributed development groups, small R&amp;D teams and huge divisions at industry giants.

Jonathan Ring

File Server (fileservers) provide a location for shared disk access so that data files can be shared between various end users and devices.

File Servers

Caringo FileFly provides complete, automated lifecycle management for unstructured data—from creation to preservation, on premises and in the cloud.

FileFly

Caringo Swarm Object Storage protects digital assets, keeping them online & accessible for production workflows, active archive & on-demand streaming.

Media &amp; Entertainment

Network attached storage (NAS) is a high-performance file-level data storage device connected to a computer network that provides data access.

Object storage (object-based storage) is computer data storage architecture that manages data as objects, as opposed to file storage & block storage.

Object Storage

Swarm Storage provides a complete S3-compliant platform for data protection, management, organization & search at massive scale for unstructured data.

Swarm Storage

Swarm object versioning extends beyond standard S3-versioning capability with our HTTP interface, so past versions are accessible by version ID. 

Versioning

WORM (write once read many) is used in some data storage solutions (e.g., Caringo Swarm Object Storage) to ensure that information cannot be modified.

WORM

Ransomware attacks

Swarm Object Storage Protects from Ransomware Attacks

Media & Entertainment

<img src="https://i1.wp.com/www.caringo.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Tech-Travel.jpg?resize=300%2C300&ssl=1" alt="Travel and Security" width="300" height="300" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-9082" srcset="https://i1.wp.com/www.caringo.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Tech-Travel.jpg?resize=300%2C300&ssl=1 300w, https://i1.wp.com/www.caringo.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Tech-Travel.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1 150w, https://i1.wp.com/www.caringo.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Tech-Travel.jpg?w=480&ssl=1 480w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" data-recalc-dims="1" />Summer is peak season for travel, and wherever you go, you’ll see the challenges that all governments and industries are facing with storing information and keeping travelers secure. It is an understatement to say that information technology has forever changed the world in which we live and travel. From mapping ancient ruins unearthed in Rome to electronic scanning and use of facial recognition systems to verify passports for international travelers, governments and businesses around the world are becoming more sophisticated in their use of technology and particularly in their data storage and protection strategies. In the private sector, from airlines to hospitality and retail, the focus is on providing travelers with new options to make travel more efficient and pleasurable. In our ever-wired world, I recently experienced first hand just how easy it was to revise travel plans sitting in a London pub with just my smartphone.
From films in museums that capture historical stories to the availability of streaming media on international flights and language translation apps for our phones, technology brings us more and more opportunities to become global citizens in the 21st century. And, technologies like CCTV (Closed Circuit TV) and video surveillance are helping both the <a href="https://www.caringo.com/solutions/public-sector/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">public</a> and private sector protect people and property around the world. With these innovations, comes a tremendous need to store massive amounts of unstructured data, and that is a problem that Caringo technology can solve. One of my favorite examples of this is in Caringo’s hometown of Austin, Texas where our police department <a href="https://www.caringo.com/case-studies/city-of-austin-nabs-a-caringo-object-storage-system-for-business-critical-architecture/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">stores all dashcam video</a> with Caringo Swarm.
As a tech company with a global presence, Caringo has provided many organizations with the means for secure, cost-effective and easy-to-manage software-defined storage (SDS) for over a decade. Caringo entered the technology marketplace with our Swarm Cloud & Object Storage Platform long before many IT professionals understood the need for software-defined storage or recognized just how much data would be generated going forward. While other companies have just entered the marketplace over the past few years, we’ve spent over a decade refining and field-hardening our technology (now at <a href="https://www.caringo.com/webinars/whats-new-swarm-9-2/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">version 9.2</a>) and implemented advanced search capabilities with customizable <a href="https://www.caringo.com/webinars/power-metadata-object-storage/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">metadata</a> that is attached directly to the object—making way for organizations to develop business models to extract ongoing value from long-tail data.
Caringo has over 500 deployments (more than any other object storage vendor) and many of those have been up and running with no interruption longer than our competitors have been in business. Given this fact, I could not help but wonder as I traveled abroad just how many of the systems I came into contact with were powered by Caringo Swarm. From real estate to <a href="https://www.caringo.com/videos/object-storage-content-distribution-social-discovery/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">social discovery</a> to media, some of the world’s largest content producers and user-generated sites have implemented Caringo Swarm to enable origin storage and direct from storage streaming (OTT). And, with Caringo’s support for standard storage protocols like Amazon S3 API and NFS and our ability to plug into Windows File Servers and NetApp filers, Caringo is now also being used to optimize the storage and access process in digital video workflows at production houses, M&E service providers and broadcast organizations like <a href="https://www.caringo.com/case-studies/nep/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">NEP The Netherlands</a>.
Whether it is protecting from <a href="https://www.caringo.com/blog/swarm-protects-from-ransomware/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">ransomware</a>, lowering your storage TCO, or organizing your data at massive scale, Caringo has the solutions behind technology used around the world. Want to learn more about how object storage is being used in today’s most challenging data storage use cases and find out if object storage can help your organization? <a href="https://www.caringo.com/company/contact" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Contact us</a> for a demo.

Technology has forever changed the world in which we live and travel, and object storage is key to solving many of today's toughest data storage challenges.

Sarah Cook is Caringo's Director of Marketing and brings deep expertise in Product Marketing and Technical/Marketing/Corporate Communications. Sarah has worked for some of the biggest names in technology including Dell and Cisco and holds a B.A. in English Composition with a minor in Music from the University of North Texas. She sings with and serves on the Board of Directors for Panoramic Voices, a 501(c)3 choral collaborative in Austin, TX.

Sarah Cook

Metadata is "data about data" and can be descriptive, structural, administrative, reference or statistical metadata that is auto- or user-generated.

Metadata

Caringo Swarm Object Storage powers social discovery technologies that change the way we connect with people and find information in today's world.

Social Discovery

IT for the Win: Travel & Security on European Vacations

<img src="https://i0.wp.com/www.caringo.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Object-Storage-Ransomware.jpg?w=300&ssl=1" alt="Object-Storage-Ransomware" class="size-medium wp-image-9106 alignright" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/www.caringo.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Object-Storage-Ransomware.jpg?resize=300%2C169&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/www.caringo.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Object-Storage-Ransomware.jpg?w=640&ssl=1 640w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" data-recalc-dims="1" />Ransomware attacks continue to occur and to draw attention from the media and law enforcement. From WannaCry to NotPetya, these cyber attacks make protecting data a growing concern for many organizations. Our CEO and Co-Founder Jonathan Ring blogged on how <a href="https://www.caringo.com/blog/swarm-protects-from-ransomware/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Swarm Object Storage Protects from Ransomware Attacks</a> in May.
According to a recent article on <a href="http://money.cnn.com/2017/06/27/technology/ransomware-why-keep-happening/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">CNNtech</a>, ransomware attacks have been around since at least 1989. The standard operating procedure to avoid being a victim of ransomware attacks generally includes installing appropriate software updates, using two-factor authentication for logging into accounts and regularly backing up your systems. However, as data sets increase to petabyte-scale and are kept for longer periods of time, solutions with <a href="https://www.caringo.com/whitepapers/protecting-data-cloud-age-caringo-swarm-object-storage/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">continuous built-in data protection</a> should be considered.
Due to the inherent <a href="https://www.caringo.com/blog/reasons-object-storage-2017/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">benefits</a> of object-based storage technology as well as the proprietary features that Caringo has developed over the past 12 years—including our extensive <a href="https://www.caringo.com/webinars/power-metadata-object-storage/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">metadata</a> search capabilities—use of Caringo solutions is skyrocketing in <a href="https://www.caringo.com/blog/object-storage-vertical-requirements/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">verticals</a> where data protection is paramount. From the boot-from-bare-metal deployment to features such as Integrity Seals, Legal Hold and WORM (write once read many), Swarm is used to protect assets in government organizations, media & entertainment pre- and post-production houses, research and laboratories, and the medical industry.
On July 11 at 10 a.m. PT/1 p.m. ET, I’ll host a <a href="https://www.brighttalk.com/webcast/13173/268863" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">webinar</a> featuring my colleague Ryan Meek, Caringo Product Manager. With deep development expertise, Ryan will explain in depth just how object storage technology works to continuously protect data by using HTTP and what criteria should be used when evaluating object storage solutions. There will be ample opportunity for you to ask questions throughout the webinar. For those of you who have joined Ryan’s previous webinars for developers, you know he loves to get the tough questions!
<a href="https://www.brighttalk.com/webcast/13173/268863" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Register</a> to view the How Object Storage Protects from Ransomware Attacks webinar live or on demand.
<a href="https://www.brighttalk.com/webcast/13173/268863" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img src="https://i1.wp.com/www.caringo.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Register-Now.png?resize=248%2C66&ssl=1" alt="Register Now" width="248" height="66" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1973" data-recalc-dims="1"></a>

How does object storage technology work to continuously protect data from ransomware attacks? Learn more in this week's blog.

Object Storage Protects from Ransomware Attacks

<img src="https://i1.wp.com/www.caringo.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/ME-Caringo.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1" alt="M&E-Caringo" width="300" height="200" class="size-medium wp-image-9160 alignright" srcset="https://i1.wp.com/www.caringo.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/ME-Caringo.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w, https://i1.wp.com/www.caringo.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/ME-Caringo.jpg?resize=768%2C511&ssl=1 768w, https://i1.wp.com/www.caringo.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/ME-Caringo.jpg?w=1000&ssl=1 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" data-recalc-dims="1" />The Media & Entertainment Services Alliance (MESA) is at the forefront of the M&E industry and works to enable the digital transformation of M&E. With a focus on data, IT and security, MESA supports service providers in building efficiencies in the creation, production and distribution of physical and digital media and entertainment. We are excited to become <a href="http://www.mesalliance.org/2017/07/11/caringo-changing-economics-storage-2/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">one of MESA’s newest members</a> and participate with other innovators to help shape the future of digital media storage, production, fulfillment and delivery.
Since our inception, we have focused on developing software that can run on any mix of standard hardware creating a massively scalable pool of storage that is directly and securely accessible over the web. The result is a platform that is ideal for long-term storage of digital assets and that offers instant accessibility from any application or device. We basically bring the benefits of cloud storage to any organization, secure within its own data center.
We have been enabling origin storage and long-tail delivery (now OTT) since our first product release in 2006 working with organizations like <a href="https://www.caringo.com/case-studies/nep/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">NEP the Netherlands</a> (for content delivery and distribution) and <a href="https://www.caringo.com/case-studies/iq-media/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">iQ Media</a> (for petabyte-scale digital video archive and analytics). Recently we have focused on optimizing storage throughout the digital video production process and announced our integration with <a href="https://www.caringo.com/webinars/using-filecatalyst-swarm/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">FileCatalyst</a> for rapid file transfer and integration with Marquis Project Parking for optimization and protection of Avid shared storage (<a href="https://www.caringo.com/videos/bridge-digital-demo/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">view</a> the demo). Our platform also works out of the box with most digital asset management solutions that support the S3 protocol and it is one of the few solutions designed to protect large media libraries <a href="https://www.caringo.com/blog/swarm-protects-from-ransomware/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">against ransomware attacks</a>.
We look forward to bringing what we have learned over the past decade to collaborate with other MESA members in advancing digital transformation in M&E. If you would like more information about Caringo solutions, <a href="https://www.caringo.com/company/contact" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">contact us</a> or explore the many <a href="https://www.caringo.com/resources/index" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">resources</a> provided on Caringo.com.

As a MESA member, we will be working with other innovators to help shape the future of digital media storage, production, fulfillment and delivery.

Adrian "AJ" Herrera has over 20 years of experience bringing innovative storage, cloud and media software and services to market. With an MBA from San Diego State University and a BS in Information Systems from Chapman University, AJ serves as Caringo's VP of Marketing.

Adrian Herrera

MESA

Caringo Joins Media & Entertainment Services Alliance

<img src="https://i0.wp.com/www.caringo.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Best-Of-2017.jpg?resize=395%2C223&ssl=1" alt="" width="395" height="223" class="alignright wp-image-10565" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/www.caringo.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Best-Of-2017.jpg?zoom=2&resize=395%2C223&ssl=1 790w, https://i0.wp.com/www.caringo.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Best-Of-2017.jpg?zoom=3&resize=395%2C223&ssl=1 1185w" sizes="(max-width: 395px) 100vw, 395px" data-recalc-dims="1" />2017 is winding down fast, and we have seen many changes in the object storage landscape over the past year. From conversations we have had with many of you at shows like NAB and SC17, we’ve learned that there is now a much broader understanding of object storage and the many benefits that it brings for organizations across verticals and industries. So, without further ado, here is a list of the object storage educational content that generated the most interest in 2017!
Blogs
Blogs stole the show in 2017. The blog readership reflected the thirst for knowledge about object storage technology, the popularity of cloud and hybrid storage, increased concern about protecting data and a desire to understand what lies ahead for data storage. In order of popularity:
<ul>
<li> <a href="https://www.caringo.com/blog/back-basics-object-storage/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Back to Basics: What is Object Storage?</a></li>
<li> <a href="https://www.caringo.com/blog/swarm-brings-amazon-s3-compatibility-microsoft-azure/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Swarm brings Amazon S3 Compatibility to Microsoft Azure</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.caringo.com/blog/reasons-object-storage-2017/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">7 Reasons You Need Object Storage in 2017</a> (in January, watch for 8 Reasons You Need Object Storage in 2018)</li>
<li><a href="https://www.caringo.com/blog/swarm-protects-from-ransomware/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Swarm Object Storage Protects from Ransomware Attacks</a></li>
<li> <a href="https://www.caringo.com/blog/texas-tech-migrates-caringo-swarm-object-storage/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Texas Tech Migrates to Caringo Swarm Object Storage</a> (make sure to check out the <a href="https://www.caringo.com/case-studies/ttus/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">case study</a> that was the basis for this blog for more detailed insight)</li>
<li><a href="https://www.caringo.com/blog/scaling-your-data-storage-for-the-age-of-zettabytes/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Scaling Your Data Storage for the Age of Zettabytes</a></li>
<li> <a href="https://www.caringo.com/blog/future-data-storage-solutions/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Future of Data Storage Solutions</a></li>
</ul>
Webinars
Webinars continue to be well attended and also watched on demand after the live events. Our most-viewed webinar in 2017 is actually the same as 2016: <a href="https://www.caringo.com/webinars/storage-switzerland-nas-vs-object-storage/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">NAS vs. Object Storage</a> with Storage Switzerland. The NAS vs. Object Storage dilemma is still top of mind, and storage architects are increasingly more inclined to add an object store to their designs to reduce overall storage TCO and enhance data protection. In addition, these new 2017 webinars were popular:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.caringo.com/webinars/secondary-storage-digital-workflows/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Secure Secondary Storage for Digital Video Workflows</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.caringo.com/webinars/elasticsearch-object-storage/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Elasticsearch and Object Storage</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.caringo.com/webinars/object-storage-platform-future/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Cloud and Object Storage Platform of the Future</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.caringo.com/webinars/introducing-filefly-2/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Introducing FileFly 2.0</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.caringo.com/webinars/object-storage-digital-evidence-security/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Object Storage for Digital Evidence & Security</a></li>
</ul>
Top 3 Product Briefs
Straightforward information about products and their benefits resounded with our readers this year as they endeavored to more deeply understand object storage technology and the differences that set Caringo apart from the pack.
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.caringo.com/resources/product-briefs/filefly/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Caringo FileFly for Swarm</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.caringo.com/resources/product-briefs/swarm/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Caringo Swarm Scale-Out Hybrid Storage</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.caringo.com/resources/product-briefs/swarmnfs/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Caringo SwarmNFS</a></li>
</ul>
Last but Not Least
Rounding out the top 17, the <a href="https://www.caringo.com/resources/techgenix-filefly-review/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">TechGenix Review of FileFly 2.0</a> by IT pro Brien Posey who awarded it a TechGenix.com Gold Star (4.9 of 5 stars). Posey noted the simplicity and ease of use that FileFly brings and commended the product for reducing costs by dynamically moving stale data from primary storage to cost-effective object storage.
Thanks for once again counting down the hits with us. Happy holidays from the entire Caringo team!

As we get ready to ring in the new year, check out Caringo's list of the object storage educational content that generated the most interest in 2017.

Caringo uses Amazon S3 protocol for seamless policy-based tiering of data from primary storage to private Swarm cloud to public cloud.

Amazon S3

Elasticsearch is a distributed, multitenant-capable full-text search engine with HTTP web interface; it is fully integrated into Swarm Object Storage.

Elasticsearch

NFS is a distributed network file system protocol. Caringo SwarmNFS lightweight file protocol converter seamlessly integrates files & object storage.

Countdown: 17 Object Storage Hits of 2017

<img src="https://i1.wp.com/www.caringo.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Flickr_DOSdata.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1" alt="" width="300" height="200" class="size-medium wp-image-6108 alignright" srcset="https://i1.wp.com/www.caringo.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Flickr_DOSdata.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w, https://i1.wp.com/www.caringo.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Flickr_DOSdata.jpg?w=400&ssl=1 400w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" data-recalc-dims="1" />Dark data. Sounds a bit sinister, doesn’t it? Let’s unravel the mystery of dark data and talk about the complex issues that must be considered and the ramifications of storing or not storing that data for businesses and organizations.
<h2 style="margin: 1.75em 0 1em;">What is Dark Data and Should You Bother to Store It?</h2>
Wikipedia defines dark data as data “acquired through various computer network operations but not used in any manner to derive insights or for decision making.”
The volume and rate of collecting data can easily exceed the capability of most organizations to properly tag, store and analyse that data. Not surprisingly, given how difficult it can be to identify the wheat from the chaff, it has become a common practice to store all the data that is generated.
With <a href="https://www.domo.com/solution/data-never-sleeps-6">over 2.5 quintillion bytes of data created every single day, and an estimated 1.7MB of data created every second for every person on earth by the next year</a>, this becomes an increasingly pressing issue for storage architects and IT departments.
Storing all that data creates everything from compliance issues to overburdened storage systems and also raises the possibility of ransomware threats, but deleting it has the potential to cause even more problems. What if you accidentally delete something you need or that might prove to be invaluable later on?
So, most organizations continue to add more storage as they accrue data, and much of that data is unstructured data.
<h2 style="margin: 1.75em 0 1em;">What is Unstructured Data?</h2>
You could say that enabling organizations to cost-effectively store unstructured data is our business. After all, we’ve been doing that since our first product release in 2006.
Unstructured data is quite abundant in today’s IT landscape. It can be just about anything, from music recordings to medical imaging to video footage. The defining characteristic of unstructured data is that it is not stored in a structured, predefined format. That makes it challenging not just to store, but also to manage.
<h2 style="margin: 1.75em 0 1em;">How do you Store and Manage Unstructured Data?</h2>
<img src="https://i2.wp.com/www.caringo.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Data-and-metadata-encapsulation-object-storage.png?resize=1200%2C502&ssl=1" alt="" width="1200" height="502" class="aligncenter wp-image-14668 size-large" srcset="https://i2.wp.com/www.caringo.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Data-and-metadata-encapsulation-object-storage.png?resize=1200%2C502&ssl=1 1200w, https://i2.wp.com/www.caringo.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Data-and-metadata-encapsulation-object-storage.png?resize=320%2C134&ssl=1 320w, https://i2.wp.com/www.caringo.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Data-and-metadata-encapsulation-object-storage.png?resize=480%2C201&ssl=1 480w, https://i2.wp.com/www.caringo.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Data-and-metadata-encapsulation-object-storage.png?resize=768%2C321&ssl=1 768w, https://i2.wp.com/www.caringo.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Data-and-metadata-encapsulation-object-storage.png?w=1874&ssl=1 1874w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" data-recalc-dims="1" /> 
Over the years, the Caringo team has helped numerous customers store, organize and access massive amounts of unstructured data with our <a href="https://www.caringo.com/products/swarm">Swarm Object Storage Software</a>. Check out our <a href="https://www.caringo.com/case-studies">case studies</a> for detail about how we helped organizations like the STFC Scientific Computing Department, Texas Tech University and NEP in the Netherlands.When you tier data into Swarm object-based data storage, you benefit from continuous built-in data protection, management, organization and search at massive scale. As the pioneer in object storage technology, Caringo products have some distinct differences in methodology that give our customers a significant advantage. While we cannot cover them all in just one blog, part of the Swarm difference revolves around our integration of Elasticsearch and how we store and use metadata (a.k.a., data about the data).
To learn more, watch our Tech Tuesday webinar about <a href="https://www.caringo.com/webinars/tech-tuesday-using-metadata-object-storage">using metadata with object storage</a> on demand or read the summary that follows the webinar.
<h2 style="margin: 1.75em 0 1em;">How Does Caringo Use Metadata & Elasticsearch to Illuminate Dark Data?</h2>
<img src="https://i0.wp.com/www.caringo.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/search-swarm-object-storage.png?resize=1200%2C619&ssl=1" alt="Object Storage data and Metadata" width="1200" height="619" class="aligncenter wp-image-14669 size-large" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/www.caringo.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/search-swarm-object-storage.png?resize=1200%2C619&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/www.caringo.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/search-swarm-object-storage.png?resize=320%2C165&ssl=1 320w, https://i0.wp.com/www.caringo.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/search-swarm-object-storage.png?resize=480%2C248&ssl=1 480w, https://i0.wp.com/www.caringo.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/search-swarm-object-storage.png?resize=768%2C396&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/www.caringo.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/search-swarm-object-storage.png?w=1888&ssl=1 1888w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" data-recalc-dims="1" /> 
Metadata and Elasticsearch are the key to making data easy to find in Swarm Object Storage. This is a topic we have addressed in a number of blogs and webinars, including our most recent Tech Tuesday webinar (<a href="https://www.caringo.com/webinars/tech-tuesday-using-elasticsearch-object-storage">using elasticsearch with object storage</a>).
Using Swarm’s extensive custom metadata capabilities and Elasticsearch simplifies the task of locating discrete types of data in a large data store. It gives you dynamic organization of content with classification, key words, descriptive content and multiple methods to track content with no separate big data project required.
Once you have data in a Swarm Object Storage cluster, the content of it and the value of it are illuminated, so you can reap insights and potentially realize new ways to monetize your data.
<h2 style="margin: 1.75em 0 1em;">Get a Custom Demo or Ask our Experts</h2>
If you have questions or would like to request a customized demo to explore the use of Swarm Object Storage for your business or organization, <a href="https://www.caringo.com/company/contact">contact us</a>. We are ready to help!
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Extensive custom metadata capabilities and Elasticsearch in Swarm Object Data Storage simplifies the task of locating discrete types of data.

REST is a representational state transfer software architecture. Caringo Swarm uses a RESTful API to facilitate device & Internet interoperability.

RESTful

Caringo Tech Tuesday webinars offer insight into Object Storage technology and how Swarm works, plus gives you access to our storage SMEs.

Tech Tuesday

dark data

Illuminate Your Dark Data with Object Storage

<a href="https://www.caringo.com/webinars/storage-swiss-windows-file-servers/storageswiss-windows-file-server" rel="attachment noopener wp-att-8862" target="_blank"><img src="https://i1.wp.com/www.caringo.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/storageswiss-windows-file-server.jpg?resize=300%2C169&ssl=1" alt="Storage Switzerland Windows File Servers" width="300" height="169" class="alignleft wp-image-8862 size-medium" srcset="https://i1.wp.com/www.caringo.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/storageswiss-windows-file-server.jpg?resize=300%2C169&ssl=1 300w, https://i1.wp.com/www.caringo.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/storageswiss-windows-file-server.jpg?w=445&ssl=1 445w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" data-recalc-dims="1" /></a>Most organizations are looking to improve their Windows file server environment by adding capacity, developing a ransomware strategy and improving overall data protection.
For most enterprises, optimizing your Windows file server means buying a new, bigger server with more capacity and better network connections. Or it means buying a dedicated Network Attached Storage (NAS) system. Then they feel they need to add new ransomware and data protection software. All of these “solutions” are expensive, involve a costly data migration and don’t really increase IT efficiency. In this webinar, experts from Storage Switzerland and Caringo teach you how data management can eliminate the need for additional Windows file servers, capacity and protection.
In this webinar, learn how a data management strategy can:
<ul>
<li>Eliminate Windows file server and capacity upgrades</li>
<li>Protect against ransomware</li>
<li>Reduce or eliminate the need for file server backup</li>
</ul>

Filers are file servers for high-volume data storage, backup and archiving used for data-sharing applications (Internet, SAN & LAN).

Filers

With Caringo FileFly & Swarm Object Storage, get a complete solution to solve issues with Microsoft® Windows® Servers bloated with unstructured data.

Windows

Three Windows File Server Upgrades to Avoid

<a href="https://www.caringo.com/webinars/object-storage-protects-ransomware/object-storage-protects-ransomware-attacks" rel="attachment wp-att-9149"><img src="https://i2.wp.com/www.caringo.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/object-storage-protects-ransomware-attacks.jpg?resize=300%2C169&ssl=1" alt="How Object Storage Protects from Ransomware Attacks" width="300" height="169" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-9149" srcset="https://i2.wp.com/www.caringo.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/object-storage-protects-ransomware-attacks.jpg?resize=300%2C169&ssl=1 300w, https://i2.wp.com/www.caringo.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/object-storage-protects-ransomware-attacks.jpg?w=445&ssl=1 445w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" data-recalc-dims="1" /></a>With the recent ransomware attacks, protecting data is a growing concern for many organizations. Learn from Caringo Product Manager Ryan Meek how object storage continuously protects your data from exploits such as WannaCry and EternalBlue with the use of HTTP.

How Object Storage Protects from Ransomware Attacks

<img src="https://i0.wp.com/www.caringo.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/GDPR-3.jpg?w=300&ssl=1" alt="GDPR Part 3" class="alignright size-full wp-image-10932" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/www.caringo.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/GDPR-3.jpg?w=975&ssl=1 975w, https://i0.wp.com/www.caringo.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/GDPR-3.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1 150w, https://i0.wp.com/www.caringo.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/GDPR-3.jpg?resize=300%2C300&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/www.caringo.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/GDPR-3.jpg?resize=768%2C768&ssl=1 768w" sizes="(max-width: 975px) 100vw, 975px" data-recalc-dims="1" />Two weeks ago, I blogged about the <a href="https://www.caringo.com/blog/eu-gdpr-object-storage/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">challenges of implementing technology to enable General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) compliance</a>, and last week, I explained <a href="https://www.caringo.com/blog/object-storage-enables-gdpr-compliance/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">how object storage enables compliance</a>. In today’s blog, we will take a look at what should be considered the most important aspect of GDPR, which is of course “data protection,” and how best-of-breed object storage can help secure your data. More specifically, we will examine the features of Caringo Swarm Scale-Out Hybrid Storage that provide Data Protection Officers with the information needed to monitor compliance.
<h3>Data Protection Capabilities of Object Storage</h3>
“Data protection” is a key stipulation of GDPR, specifically protecting personal data from theft and unauthorised access. To achieve this, it is imperative that data access control is incorporated within the storage system. Here the challenge lies with traditional block storage, as data security is generally controlled by the file system. This makes it possible for anyone with the know-how to bypass the filesystem driver and access the data directly at the storage, thus bypassing any filesystem security. Caringo Swarm Object Storage was designed so that you can police all data access requests and require a valid login and password or security token. When this is implemented correctly, the possibility of unauthorised data access can be eliminated. Even in a worst case scenario (e.g., a client system is compromised), without valid storage credentials the intruder would remain isolated from all data stored within the Caringo Swarm ecosystem. Caringo Swarm’s inherent data security combined with advanced architecture protects your data from attacks utilising the likes of <a href="https://www.caringo.com/blog/no-meltdown-swarm/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Meltdown and Spectre</a> as well as <a href="https://www.caringo.com/blog/object-storage-protects-from-attacks/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ransomware attacks</a>.
<h3>Data Encryption Brings Peace of Mind</h3>
Data encryption plays an important role in compliance as, over time, physical media such as disks will fail and be replaced. When it does, that failed media becomes a security risk. In the right hands (or worse, in the wrong hands), data can still be recovered from failed media. In fact, there are a number of companies that specialise in just this. Encryption at rest is included as a standard offering with Caringo Swarm. By enabling encryption at rest, you gain peace of mind knowing that even if your old media makes its way into the wrong hands, any data recovered from the media would be encrypted and useless to third parties.
<h3>Monitoring of the Proper Use of Data</h3>
Data Protection Officers overseeing the security of data is only the beginning of GDPR compliance. Data Protection Officers must also make certain that those who have approved access to data are really only accessing what they need to do their job at any point in time. It is well publicised that many of the highest profile data breaches have been inside jobs originating from trusted employees.
How can such inside breaches be avoided? The unfortunate answer is that often they cannot be avoided. Therefore, we must monitor what data is being accessed and by whom, looking for unusual data access patterns. Then, the Data Protection Officer must stop such breaches while they are still in progress and, hopefully, before any data is transferred offsite.
<h3>Monitoring Data Access Activity</h3>
Monitoring unauthorised data access attempts is critical in stopping possible data breaches in their tracks and before they have a chance to take hold. For example, if an unusually high number of failed data attempts are occurring, then its likely that data is being improperly accessed and immediate investigation is warranted so the perpetrator can be stopped. It is for that reason that Swarm Object Storage creates a real-time audit log of all data attempts, no matter if the attempt is successful or not. These logs can be ingested into analytics applications for data access monitoring, both real-time and historical. Such analytics can provide an organisation and Data Protection Officers with a powerful tool to not only monitor GDPR compliance, but also to alert the proper personnel in real-time when compliance is jeopardised.
<a href="https://www.brighttalk.com/webcast/13173/303401" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Register today for our upcoming webinar</a> on February 27, when Alex Oldfield, Solutions Architect, and I will present a webinar on the challenges organisations face and how Caringo Swarm provides a cost-effective solution to meet GDPR requirements and how Data Protection Officers can use Swarm to both monitor and enable compliance.
<a href="https://www.brighttalk.com/webcast/13173/303401" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://i2.wp.com/www.caringo.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/GDPR-2.jpg?w=200&ssl=1" alt="GDPR Blog" class="alignleft wp-image-10821 size-full" data-recalc-dims="1"></a>February 27, 10:30 a.m. GMT 
GDPR’s Dirty Little Secret & How Object Storage Enables Compliance
<a href="https://www.brighttalk.com/webcast/13173/303401" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://i2.wp.com/www.caringo.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Register-Now-04.png?w=175&ssl=1" alt="Register Now" class="alignnone wp-image-6442 size-medium" srcset="https://i2.wp.com/www.caringo.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Register-Now-04.png?resize=300%2C80&ssl=1 300w, https://i2.wp.com/www.caringo.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Register-Now-04.png?w=683&ssl=1 683w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" data-recalc-dims="1" /></a>
In the meantime, if you have any questions, you can always reach us at <a href="mailto:info@caringo.com">info@caringo.com</a>. We will be happy to have one of our object storage experts answer your questions or give you a demo.

Learn about EU GDPR, how object storage can help secure your data, and the features of Caringo Swarm object storage that provide Data Protection Officers with the information needed to monitor compliance.

With over 2 decades of experience, Caringo Product Manager Glen Olsen has a keen focus on architecting data and storage solutions. At Caringo, Glen leads efforts to bridge the gap between traditional storage and our leading-edge scale-out storage solution.

Glen Olsen

Caringo Swarm Object Storage provides policy-driven data management and tiering to help you comply with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). 

GDPR

Scale-out storage allows for expansion of data capacity through addition of devices that can be plugged in and configured as the need arises. 

The Topic