A Holistic Approach to Ransomware Protection for IBM i Systems – Integrate prevention, detection and recovery

Achieving Operational Resilience on IBM i

Maintaining robust operational resilience has always been a key goal in IT management. But it is no longer optional in a world where a tiny coding error within a commonly used utility app can result in global air traffic disruptions, nation-wide phone service outages, or snarled financial trading operations.

It should not be surprising to see the focus of new regulations shifting noticeably from data privacy and security rules such as GDPR, HIPAA and PCI DSS, toward more directly governing IT operations management. Recent examples include the SACA cyber security incident response and reporting regulation for U.S. infrastructure utilities and DORA, the EU’s Digital Operations Resilience Act. And even more IT Ops-focused requirements are in development globally, many focusing on emerging risks related to AI systems, crypto currencies, and more.

So, what does all of this have to do with maintaining operational resilience on IBM i? With its gold-standard security capabilities and renowned reliability and uptime stats, isn’t it enough to maintain journal logs and CDP backups and have HA/DR systems ready to go?

Sadly, the most honest answer is “No. It is not enough.” Anyone managing an IBM i environment can tell you that the platform is already highly connected to and interdependent with all other IT platforms and infrastructure. And the pace of that assimilation is only increasing. This reality only further confirms and intensifies the mandate to take a more comprehensive, multilayered and highly integrated approach to achieving IBM i operations resilience.