Object First's secure, simple, powerful backup storage solution features Absolute Immutability, meaning Zero Access to destructive actions. No one—not even the most privileged admin or a fully compromised attacker—can modify or delete backup data once written.
96% of organizations hit by ransomware in the past two years had their backup data targeted, making robust data protection more important than ever.
The same research revealed 81% of IT professionals say immutable backup storage built on Zero Trust principles is the best defense against ransomware.
Read on to find out why immutable storage offers the best chance of recovery in the case of a cyber attack or other data loss incident.
The purpose of immutable storage is to prevent data from being modified, deleted, or overwritten for a set period once it has been written. In principle, a file committed to immutable storage stays in its original state for the duration of its lock, and no user command, application, or process can change it during that time.
The concept originates in physical media such as write-once optical discs, where the constraint was a property of the hardware. It is now implemented in software, on-premises and in cloud object storage, which allows it to be applied at scale to backup data.
Unlike production storage, where applications must constantly create, modify, and delete data, immutable storage is designed to preserve data in an unchanged state for protection, recovery, and compliance purposes.
Some solutions marketed as offering ‘immutable backups’ offer only policy-based immutability. As we have seen above, that is insufficient for full backup protection, as any account with enough privilege can simply shorten the retention period or disable it—including an attacker with the right credentials.
Absolute Immutability is different. It enforces Zero Access to destructive actions across the entire storage stack, including firmware, OS, software, and the backups themselves. No one—not even the most privileged admin or a fully compromised attacker—can modify or delete backup data. Absolute Immutability ensures your backups will still be available, unchanged, when you need them - your last line of defense in a system failure or ransomware attack.
To achieve Absolute Immutability requires adherence to three core principles:
1.S3 Object Storage: A fully documented, open standard with native built-in immutability that enables independent penetration testing and verification. Compliance Mode must be enforced at all times to ensure Zero Access to destructive actions.
2.Zero Time to Immutability: Backup data must be immutable the moment it is written.
3.Target Storage Appliance: A dedicated target storage appliance securely segments storage from backup software, and removes the risks associated with DIY self-managed backup storage during operations—particularly during setup, updates and maintenance. It requires little-to-no security expertise from a customer and shifts full responsibility to a vendor.
Immutable storage is an essential pillar of data security for many industries, especially those subject to stringent laws around data protection:
Preserving video and audio surveillance is crucial for legal proceedings. Immutability helps maintain chain of custody by ensuring digital evidence remains unchanged after collection, supporting its integrity and admissibility in court.
Immutable storage safeguards healthcare backups against unauthorized modification or deletion, supporting compliance with HIPAA and other healthcare data protection regulations.
Immutable storage is used to meet the Freedom of Information Act requirements in the US, preserving the accuracy and accessibility of government records for public scrutiny. This practice supports transparency and accountability by preventing unauthorized alterations.
Immutable storage is used to meet the Freedom of Information Act requirements in the US, preserving the accuracy and accessibility of government records for public scrutiny. This practice supports transparency and accountability by preventing unauthorized alterations.
Immutable storage is a cornerstone of modern data management. Not only do immutable backup solutions form part of the 3-2-1-1-0 backup rule, but when implemented properly with Absolute Immutability they provide additional protection against cyberattacks, accidental deletion, and other threats to data integrity:
Robust Defense Against Ransomware
Immutable backups protected by Absolute Immutability provide the best protection against ransomware. Because stored data cannot be altered, encrypted or deleted, organizations can restore data from clean recovery points without paying a ransom.
Protection Against Human Error
Accidental deletions, misconfigurations, and other administrative mistakes cannot compromise protected data, helping preserve business continuity and recovery readiness.
Compliance with Data Regulations
Absolute Immutability helps organizations meet data retention, integrity, and auditability requirements across a wide range of regulatory and industry frameworks.
Long-Term Data Integrity
By preserving data in an unaltered state, immutable storage helps maintain the authenticity and trustworthiness of information over time, supporting auditing, investigations, and informed decision-making.
Protection Against Human Error
Accidental deletions, misconfigurations, and other administrative mistakes cannot compromise protected data, helping preserve business continuity and recovery readiness.
When—not if—ransomware strikes, your future depends on cyber resilience.
Object First is your ultimate defense: it’s purpose-built for Veeam and can be deployed in 15 minutes with no security expertise required.
Your backup data is absolutely immutable leveraging S3-native object storage and Zero Trust best practices. We enforce Zero Access to perform destructive actions so nobody, even with the most privileged credentials, can alter or delete backup data.
An immutable backup is a secure data copy that cannot be changed or deleted, using mechanisms like S3 object lock and WORM to prevent tampering for a set period, thus offering a strong layer of protection for critical data. Backups with Absolute Immutability—meaning that not even the most privileged admin or attacker can modify or delete your backup data—are your best protection against ransomware.
The cost of immutable storage depends on several factors, such as the volume of data, the length of the retention period, and whether you choose cloud-based or on-premises solutions, with prices varying widely based on provider and service specifics. Some on-prem providers offer flexibility and predictable monthly billing in the form of pay-per-use Consumption models.
Immutable storage is ideal for maintaining stringent regulatory compliance requirements with legislation like DORA and NIS2, as immutable storage ensures data cannot be altered once written, thereby upholding industry regulations and legal standards.
Immutable storage is fundamental for robust data recovery strategies, providing reliable, unchanged data backups that can be readily accessed after incidents like cyberattacks or system failures, minimizing operational disruption.
You not only can, but should! For a long time, most backup architecture was based on the “3-2-1" rule: 3 copies of your data (1 production and 2 backup), on at least 2 different types of storage media, with one copy stored offsite.
More recently, the importance of backups as a cyber security defense, and the fact that backups are actively targeted by ransomware attackers in almost all attacks, have led to an expanded rule: 3-2-1-1-0. This adds requirements that one copy is absolutely immutable or air-gapped, and that regular restore testing shows zero errors in the backups.
So based on your RPO and RTO targets for data in your different workloads (the amount of data you can afford to lose and the time it takes to restore your data from backup) you should build a backup strategy using different types of storage that meets the 3-2-1-1-0 rule making the most appropriate and cost-effective use of different types of storage. Using Absolutely Immutable, on-premises backup storage as your primary target for backup storage helps you meet this rule efficiently, and also ensures rapid recovery of your data when needed.
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