Backup Appliances Make It Simple for Bank to Recover From Two Ransomware Infections
Twice we have had our network share infected [with ransomware] and each time it was simple to just instantly restore from Unitrends and replace the infected files. Erik Mattson
Server Analyst
Unitrends Solution for 3Rivers Federal Credit Union
- Nimble Storage arrays
- VMware vSphere
- Microsoft SharePoint
- Microsoft Exchange
- Automated ransomware detection
- Ease of use
- Rapid file recovery
- Expert customer support with fast case resolution
The Challenge
3Rivers Federal Credit Union had been using Backup Exec when the product was part of the Symantec brand. Erik Mattson, the financial institution’s server analyst, says, “The software worked until they released their 2010 version. The product basically became useless and was nothing but a headache after that.” Mattson has been with 3Rivers for over 15 years. He is responsible for the Nimble Storage arrays, Citrix, VMware, all backup and restores as well as SharePoint and Exchange administration.
Based on a recommendation from a coworker that had used Unitrends at a previous company, Mattson guided 3Rivers in the purchase of two Recovery Series backup appliances, each with over 24 TB of raw storage. One is located in the main data center while the other is remotely located at a DR and test site. The local Unitrends backup appliance protects against local outages such as server issues, software errors, and disk and power supply failures. The remote appliance protects against data center-level disasters by storing hot backup copies in a recovery-ready state.
“I open a case, I get an immediate callback and we resolve the issue on the first call — perfect. Your level one engineers aren’t just secretaries pushing calls to level 2.”
Mattson reports that in addition to easy file recoveries, Unitrends really shined in helping 3Rivers recover from two ransomware attacks. “Twice we have had our network share infected and each time it was simple to just instantly restore from Unitrends and replace the infected files.” Unitrends appliances are built on a hardened Linux kernel, securing backups outside of the popular Windows attack surface. Additionally, all Unitrends appliances include automated ransomware detection capabilities with AI software that runs during every backup. This built-in technology analyzes the entropy (randomness) of file changes (not just change rates) along with several other heuristics to identify backups infected by ransomware. Upon detection, email and dashboard alerts are immediately sent to administrators and all suspected files are flagged with an icon to prevent recoveries using infected files. Unitrends catches ransomware sooner, minimizing the potential impact of the infection and enabling fast response and recovery.
Follow Up
For Mattson, the top advantage of Unitrends is service. “I have opened a few cases since we purchased the product and the service is amazing. I can’t stress that enough. I open a case, and get a callback within a few hours on a level 4 issue. That wasn’t expected — I figured it would be days on a level 4. On the other cases I opened, I get an immediate callback and we resolve the issue on the first call — perfect. Your level one engineers aren’t just secretaries pushing calls to level 2,” reported Mattson. “I’ve also noticed how much the community forum is being used. Overall, I just have to say good job. 3Rivers has actually been so impressed with the product and support that we upgraded our appliances, which means you’re stuck with us for another 3 years.”
“Overall, I just have to say good job.”
