The News: Commvault has acquired cloud application resilience provider Appranix to facilitate rapid rebuilds of cloud applications following an outage of cyberattack. Additional details are available in Commvault’s press release.
Commvault Acquires Appranix to Bolster Cyber-Resiliency
Analyst Take: Appranix complements Commvault’s competencies in data resiliency and recovery with the ability to rebuild the entire application stack. Specifically, Appranix supports applications hosted on Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud, as well as Kubernetes applications. This support is important because rebuilding or recovering business-critical applications is a complex process incorporating a large number of dependencies going far beyond strictly the data itself. These dependencies vary based on the underlying infrastructure on which the application was built. They grow increasingly complex in the cloud and in microservices-based containerized architectures, which only continue growing in use for critical applications and business services. For example, microservices architectures introduce additional external dependencies, including on APIs to communicate with each other, and they may still require shared resources such as a common database. Additionally, cloud hosting abstracts platforms, which can introduce complexities in recovery such as limited visibility into the underlying infrastructure itself and components that are distributed across geographical regions and different services.
Appranix addresses this challenge by automating the various tasks required for full-application stack recovery. This includes automatically backing up the entire cloud application environment, including configurations in addition to the data itself, to an environment that is isolated from the production environment (reducing the possibility that they can be infected with ransomware existing on the production side). Cloud accounts are identified and connected and configurations and dependencies are automatically discovered and mapped.
When needed, the various application recovery operations, including rebuilding the environment and deploying applications, are also automated according to the various dependencies. Recoveries can occur to a different cloud region, which is particularly helpful in the event that the production environment still needs to be analyzed for malware. In addition to streamlining operations to reduce downtime, the Appranix solution removes potential human error from the equation. Automated recovery testing is also notable, given the pressure on IT teams by the business and regulatory compliance to prove recoverability.
Also along the vein of complementing Commvault’s data recovery capabilities, The Futurum Group notes potential synergies between Appranix’s cleanroom functionality and Commvault’s Metallic Recovery Reserve, which Commvault positions as its solution for operational air-gapping of data copies.
I believe that the addition of Appranix’s full-application recovery capabilities will enhance Commvault’s ability to compete against the likes of disaster recovery provider Zerto and Kasten, the Kubernetes data protection vendor that was acquired by Veeam in 2020. The move is in line with Commvault’s corporate, strategic shift to embrace cyber-resiliency—that is, the ability to withstand a cyberattack with not only data backup and recovery but also capabilities such as threat detection and the ability to get critical business services back up and running as quickly as possible.
Disclosure: The Futurum Group is a research and advisory firm that engages or has engaged in research, analysis, and advisory services with many technology companies, including those mentioned in this article. The author does not hold any equity positions with any company mentioned in this article.
Analysis and opinions expressed herein are specific to the analyst individually and data and other information that might have been provided for validation, not those of The Futurum Group as a whole.
Other Insights from The Futurum Group:
Commvault Substantially Beats Fiscal 2024 Q3 Earnings Expectations
Commvault Cloud, Powered by Metallic AI, Accelerates Cyber-Resilience
Overcoming Data Protection Fragmentation for Cyber-Resiliency
Author Information
With a focus on data security, protection, and management, Krista has a particular focus on how these strategies play out in multi-cloud environments. She brings approximately 15 years of experience providing research and advisory services and creating thought leadership content. Her vantage point spans technology and vendor portfolio developments; customer buying behavior trends; and vendor ecosystems, go-to-market positioning, and business models. Her work has appeared in major publications including eWeek, TechTarget and The Register.
Prior to joining The Futurum Group, Krista led the data protection practice for Evaluator Group and the data center practice of analyst firm Technology Business Research. She also created articles, product analyses, and blogs on all things storage and data protection and management for analyst firm Storage Switzerland and led market intelligence initiatives for media company TechTarget.
