IBM Spectrum Sentinel is a new cyber resiliency solution designed to help businesses enhance ransomware detection and incident recovery.

Every industry is facing the threat of increasing cyber-attacks. Bad actors have been ramping up efforts to steal organizations’ data through elaborate ransomware attacks and other schemes. For some industries, the effects of a cyber-attack are more drastic than others. In the case of healthcare, lives are at risk when systems are frozen or data is exposed. Beyond the financial costs to healthcare organizations, according to a 2021 Independent Research report commissioned by Censinet, a leading healthcare IT risk solutions provider, “nearly one in four healthcare providers reported an increase in mortality rate due to ransomware”.

Cyberthreats are a multifaceted risk that necessitate a comprehensive response. Data protection, threat detection, and rapid recovery all demand a strong foundation of highly responsive data storage and services. In the event of a ransomware attack, it’s essential to have data recovery plans in place, especially in a critical industry like healthcare.  

Introducing IBM Spectrum Sentinel

Today, we’re announcing IBM Spectrum Sentinel, a new cyber resiliency solution designed to help businesses enhance ransomware detection and incident recovery. IBM Spectrum Sentinel is an anomaly detection software solution that also creates and manages copies of data. With real-time data monitoring, IBM Spectrum Sentinel is designed to enable enterprises to identify a data breach, recover data in an isolated environment and restore data in minutes or hours (as opposed to days) after a cyber-attack.

Generally available on June 24, 2022, the first release of IBM Spectrum Sentinel supports EPIC application with InterSystems Cache and IRIS databases. Support for additional applications is planned for future releases of Spectrum Sentinel.

Building cyber resiliency and minimizing downtime

Hospitals and healthcare providers that rely on electronic health record systems particularly have no tolerance for system down time. Any time when systems are unavailable can pose risks to sensitive personal data or delay in critical primary care. With Spectrum Sentinel support for EPIC application, healthcare clients can minimize downtime in the event of a cyber-attack.

As part of the IBM FlashSystem Cyber Vault data security framework, Spectrum Sentinel plays a key role in IBM’s full suite of cyber recovery and resiliency solutions. Using IBM Safeguarded Copy for IBM FlashSystem arrays, Sentinel frequently checks data copies for evidence of data damage caused by malware or ransomware. Sentinel then uses safeguarded copy snapshots to create a secure and isolated backup. Ransomware cannot remove, alter or encrypt safeguarded snapshots, even with administrator capabilities. In the event of a cyber-attack, these authenticated restore points aid in a speedy recovery.

Learn more

The development of IBM Spectrum Sentinel was in a response to specific challenges that our clients are facing across industries and geographies. Organizations both private and public are implementing comprehensive cyber resiliency and recovery strategies in response to rising cyber threats.

To learn more about IBM Spectrum Sentinel visit our webpage or contact your local IBM business partner.

Statements regarding IBM’s future direction and intent are subject to change or withdrawal without notice and represent goals and objectives only.