I recently attended CommvaultSHIFT in NYC to see the announcement of Commvault Cloud powered by Metallic AI. This announcement was not just nearly a repackaging of what Commvault had been doing before, but a new platform that opens up Cyber Resilience to new personas, such as DevOps and Platform Engineering, that may have used hyperscaler-based backup services in silos prior.
Let’s delve into the insights shared during a discussion I had with Sanjay Mirchandani, CEO of Commvault, and Rajeev Kottomtharayil, Chief Product Officer, shortly after the keynote, highlighting the groundbreaking strides the company is making in the realm of cyber resilience.
The Genesis of Commvault Cloud
“Listening to customers and partners, analysts, people that are smart and know where things are going,” has been the driving force behind Commvault’s innovation, as Sanjay articulates. The birth of Commvault Cloud, described as “a unified interface, extensible with APIs, and AI-wired,” represents more than a solution – it’s a platform for transformation. This is not simply a repackaging of Comvault’s Metallic, which has many new components and features from the ground up.
Cyber Resilience and the Ransomware Threat
October, known as Cyber Resilience Month, highlighted the escalating challenges of cyber threats like ransomware. Rajeev, wearing the dual hats of a chief product officer and first customer, discussed the critical need for preparedness against ransomware attacks. He emphasized the necessity for automated, predictable recovery strategies, which is at the heart of Commvault Cloud’s design. Customers see the need to spin up tons of cloud or virtual infrastructure on the fly to recover the organization.
Revolutionizing Recovery and Operations
With a focus on RPO (Recovery Point Objective) and RTO (Recovery Time Objective), the discussion shifted to the intricacies of real-time recovery in business. “Every one of those variations is a point of light the bad actors can exploit,” Sanjay cautioned, underscoring the need for robust, adaptable recovery solutions versus point products. Commvault Cloud aims to break traditional boundaries, offering flexibility and security simultaneously.
Announcing New Features: Clean Room Recovery and AI Integration
Rajeev announced key features like clean room recovery and AI integration. Clean room recovery enables testing and automating recovery plans without the need for additional infrastructure. The integration of AI facilitates operational automation and enhances backup administrators’ efficiency.
Embracing Ecosystem Collaboration
Commvault’s approach to partnerships reflects a deep understanding of the ecosystem’s interdependence. The company’s broad support system and integrations with partners like AWS, Azure, and Google, as Sanjay pointed out, are crucial in offering comprehensive solutions to customers. This was in addition to Commvault’s traditional patterns, such as HPE, Dell, and Channel Partners, who were all in attendance for the announcement.
Our Angle
Commvault is embracing a strategy that started years ago and building upon the success of Commvault Metallic. Cyber resilience and simplifying recovery is a key to all organizations. With skills and budget in short supply, being API-first, using automation and AI will help customers looking to protect traditional databases to modern cloud applications. Commvault Cloud is designed to ensure data integrity and accessibility across various environments. With the movement towards Platform Engineering, having the entire Commvault Cloud platform API-driven will be key to attracting new customers who are used to working with “playbooks” that further automate via APIs. Customers will employ AI for operational automation, identifying critical events amidst noise and aiding in efficient backup management. We believe that based on how the Commvault Cloud powered by Metallic platform has been designed, it will be able to evolve and enhance to solve customers’ Cyber Resilience objectives in the future.
(* Disclosure: Commvault sponsored this segment of theCUBE. Neither Commvault nor other sponsors have editorial control over the content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)
