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Stable Diffusion and Backblaze: Create a Masterpiece from a Bucket of Your Own Images

Post Syndicated from Troy Liljedahl original https://www.backblaze.com/blog/stable-diffusion-and-backblaze-create-a-masterpiece-from-a-bucket-of-your-own-images/

AI is really having a moment. There’s DALL-E, Lensa, ChatGPT. Your social media feed is probably full of new avatars and AI-generated haiku. Naturally, we at Backblaze were intrigued by this brave new world of AI-generated content. The technology has been wildly popular, but is not without controversy, raising questions about intellectual property, copyright law, artist disenfranchisement, possible displacement of jobs, and general fear over the rise of the machines. On the other side of that coin, there’s definitely a place for AI in the future of work and life. So, I wanted to experiment with it.

Let’s start with Stable Diffusion.

Stable Diffusion is one of the new text-to-image technologies popping up all over the internet that allows users to input words and phrases and get back amazing pictures created by its deep learning model. What makes Stable Diffusion so interesting is that it has been open sourced to allow anyone to create their own models for text-to-image generation.

Today, I’ll walk through how you can do just that using Backblaze B2 Cloud Storage.

Kicking the Stable Diffusion Tires

After playing with an online instance of Stable Diffusion, I sought out content on some more ways to use the AI tool. I found several examples of how to use Stable Diffusion with your own images like this one and this one. The most common use case for this was taking advantage of AI to create art from a model based on your own face. Sounds cool, right? But what if I also had a bunch more pictures in Backblaze B2 Cloud Storage? Could I do the same thing to create art, graphics, branded images, and more, from my content in the cloud? The answer is a resounding YES.

Use Cases for Stable Diffusion

For me, this was a fun experiment, but we see a number of different ways this set up could be used both individually and for businesses. I started with about 20 images or so as fodder for Stable Diffusion’s algorithm. But, that’s just the beginning.

Let’s say you’re a marketing team at a small company. You could use Stable Diffusion’s paid version and get access to hundreds of thousands of random images from Google, but you really only care about analyzing and generating photos that are relevant to your business. So, you run Stable Diffusion in a cloud compute instance and have it analyze a Backblaze B2 Bucket where you store your own library of images, which you’ve probably been collecting for years. Set up that way, you have your own customized AI engine that analyzes and generates only images that are pertinent to your needs, rather than a bunch of images you don’t care about.

In this experiment, I used Google Colab, which worked well for my needs. But for a real implementation, you could use a Backblaze cloud compute partner like Vultr. Egress between Backblaze and Vultr is free, so the analysis won’t cost you anything beyond what it costs to use the two services.

This could be hugely useful for marketing teams, but we also see the value for individuals or businesses who want to keep their data private but still take advantage of AI technology. This way, you aren’t serving up images on public sites.

So, how does it all work? Let’s get into it.

Getting Started with Stable Diffusion and Backblaze B2

What you’ll need:

  • A Backblaze B2 account. You can sign up for free here.
  • A Google account.
  • A smartphone to take pictures if you don’t have 20 or so pictures of whatever subject you want to use lying around.
  • Whatever software tool you’d like to use to mount Backblaze B2 as a drive on your computer. I use Rclone in this example but any cloud drive software will work.

The first thing you’ll need to do is create an account at Hugging Face. Hugging Face is the home of the modern AI community and is where Stable Diffusion lives. In your Hugging Face account, navigate to your Account Settings and go to Access Tokens—we’ll need one of these to allow our environment to use the Stable Diffusion engines.

Now as to the environment, this can be on your own computer, in a virtual machine (VM), really wherever. My favorite (and free) method I found was a Google Colab notebook created by GitHub user TheLastBen that makes the process so incredibly simple that anyone can do this. The Colab notebook also takes advantage of DreamBooth, a Google Research project that provides for incredible detail on the art and images created by a diffusion model. In short, this is the easiest way to get really good looking AI art. You can get started with the Colab notebook here.

In the Colab notebook there are a ton of different options and a great step-by-step guide that explains them, but I’ll walk you through the basic settings to get going:

  1. First, hit the Play button next to Dependencies.
  2. Once that’s done, copy your User Access Token from your Hugging Face account.
  3. In the Model Download section, paste that User Access Token into the Huggingface_Token field.
  4. Click the Play button for Model Download.
  5. You’ll see the script run below all the fields here. You can proceed when you see “DONE!”
  6. Finally, in the Dreambooth section, provide a name in the Session_Name field. This will be the name of the session that gets saved in your Google Drive. That name can be reused later to skip these steps next time.

Training the Stable Diffusion Model

Now the pictures: You’ll want at least 20 pictures or so for your AI model to analyze in order to avoid creating a bunch of generic person art or nightmare fuel. So bust out your phone and take some selfies! If you have a friend to throw in two or three full body pictures this will help as well. A few optional tips:

  • Use different expressions and angles.
  • Use different backgrounds if you can.
  • Use a square or 1:1 ratio setting. By default, Stable Diffusion’s default image size is 512 x 512 pixels, so using square images makes your input more similar to your desired output.

If you’re an iPhone user, you will need to take one extra step here to save your files in JPEG format. You can find a guide for that in this article.

As you save your photos, make sure the file names include the name you’re going to use when generating your AI art. For example, my photos were all named troy (1).jpg, troy (2).jpg, troy (3).jpg, etc. This is important so that the AI understands what to call you (or your subject) when generating your images.

Once you have your photos, it’s time to upload them to a Bucket in Backblaze B2 Cloud Storage. You can easily do this in the Backblaze mobile app or on the Backblaze website.

With your selfies safely in Backblaze B2, make sure you make them accessible on your computer using a tool such as Rclone mount. If you don’t have an account yet, you can check out our guide on how to set up and configure Rclone mount.

You might be wondering why you should upload the photos to a Backblaze B2 Bucket and then mount the Bucket so that we can access it locally, rather than just saving the files to a local folder?

The answer is simple. In this example, we’re working with a few images representing a single subject, so you likely won’t have issues working from your local drive. As you further experiment with more subjects and more images of each subject, you’ll likely outgrow your local drive. Backblaze B2 Cloud Storage scales infinitely so you won’t have to worry about running out of space.

Now, back to the Colab notebook, hit the play button on Instance Images and click the button that shows up to Choose Files. In the pop up, choose your mounted instance of your B2 Bucket and select the photos.

Once they are uploaded, skip the Concept Images section and click the play button for Training. If you’ve done everything right, you should see some ASCII art like this:

Depending on how many photos you selected, this can take some time. So grab a coffee, go for a walk, listen to a podcast, or perhaps all three.

Creating Your Own AI-Generated Masterpieces

Once complete, click the Play button under Test the Trained Model. This will launch a temporary instance of Stable Diffusion with your new custom model in Gradio, which is an open-source Python library for running machine learning apps. Click the Gradio link generated and we’re ready to start making some AI art.

Again, there are a ton of options and configurations but all you really need to do at this point is enter some text into the Prompt box and click the big Generate button.

Creating prompts for AI art is quickly becoming its own art form. There are tons of resources out there to inspire you, but here are a few prompts I used along with the resulting art.

Pro Tip: You may need to click the Generate button a few times if something looks off. This is totally normal—your new AI friend is learning over time, and it does this by repeating the generation process.

Prompt: “Photo of troy digital painting”

Prompt: “Photo of troy person digital painting”

Prompt: “Photo of troy person digital painting asymmetrical headshot smiling”

And finally for something fun…

Prompt: ”photo of troy person hand-drawn cartoon”

It even has an artist signature! Although I’m not sure who fRny Y is?

So, there you have it. Your very own AI engine, customized to generate versions of your face (or your library of images).

Good luck to all the budding AI artists out there. If you give this a try, we’d love to see your images on social media. You can find us @backblaze on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. I look forward to seeing what you all create!

The post Stable Diffusion and Backblaze: Create a Masterpiece from a Bucket of Your Own Images appeared first on Backblaze Blog | Cloud Storage & Cloud Backup.

Amazon Sunsets Cloud Drive

Post Syndicated from Stephanie Doyle original https://www.backblaze.com/blog/amazon-sunsets-cloud-drive/

Another one bites the dust. Amazon announced they’re putting Amazon Cloud Drive in the rearview to focus on Amazon Photos in a phased deprecation through December 2023. Today, we’ll dig into what this means for folks with data on Amazon Cloud Drive, especially those with files other than photos and videos.

Dear Amazon Drive User

When Amazon dropped the news, they explained the phased approach they would take to deprecating Amazon Drive. They’re not totally eliminating Drive—yet. Here’s what they’ve done so far, and what they plan to do moving forward:

  • October 31, 2022: Amazon removed the Drive app from iOS and Android app stores. The app doesn’t get bug fixes and security updates anymore.
  • January 31, 2023: Uploading to the Amazon Drive website will be cut off. You will have read-only access to your files.
  • December 31, 2023: Amazon Drive will no longer be supported and access to files will be cut off. Every file stored on Amazon Drive, except photo or video files, needs a new home. Users can access photo and video files on Amazon Photos.

Now, users face two options for what to do with files stored on Amazon Drive:

  1. Follow instructions to download Amazon Photos for iOS and Android devices. And, use the Amazon Drive website to download and store all other files locally or with another service.
  2. Transfer your entire library of photos, videos, and other data to another service.

Looking for an Amazon Cloud Drive Alternative?

Shameless plug: If you used Amazon Cloud Drive to store anything other than photos and you need a new place to keep your data, give Backblaze B2 Cloud Storage a try. The first 10GB are free, and our storage is priced at a flat rate of $5/TB/month ($0.005/GB/month) after that. And if you’re a business customer, we also offer the choice of capacity-based pricing with Backblaze B2 Reserve.

A Quick History of Amazon Cloud Drive

In 2014, Amazon offered free, unlimited photo storage on Amazon Cloud Drive as a loyalty perk for Prime members. The following year, they rolled out a subscription-based offering to store other types of files in addition to photos—video, documents, etc.—on Cloud Drive.

Then, in 2017, they capped the free tier at 5GB. This was just one of many in a string of cloud storage providers ending a free offering and forcing users to pay or move.

All Amazon account holders—regardless of whether they paid for Prime or not—got 5GB for photos and other file types free of charge. If you wanted or needed more storage than that, you had to sign up for the subscription-based offering starting at $11.99 per year for 100GB of storage, and prices went up from there.

You might consider this the beginning of the end for Amazon Cloud Drive.

Why Say Goodbye?

When tech companies deprecate a feature—as Amazon has done with Drive—it’s for any number of reasons:

  1. To combine one feature with another.
  2. To rectify naming inconsistencies.
  3. When a newer version makes supporting the older one impossible or impractical.
  4. To avoid flaws in a necessary feature.
  5. When a better alternative replaced the feature.
  6. To simplify the system as a whole.

Amazon’s reason for deprecating Drive? To provide a dedicated solution for photos and videos. The company stated, “We are taking the opportunity to more fully focus our efforts on Amazon Photos to provide customers a dedicated solution for photos and video storage.” Unfortunately, that leaves folks who store anything else high and dry.

Where Do We Go From Here?

The bottom line: Amazon Drive customers must park emails, documents, spreadsheets, PDFs, and text files somewhere else. If you’re an Amazon Drive customer looking to move your files out before you lose access, we invite you to try Backblaze B2. The first 10GB is on us.

How to Get Started with Backblaze B2

  1. If you’re not a customer, first sign up for B2 Cloud Storage.
  2. If you’re already a customer, enable B2 Cloud Storage in your “My Settings” tab. You can follow our Quick Start Guide for more detailed instructions.

  3. Download your data from Amazon Drive.
  4. Upload your data to Backblaze B2. Many customers choose to do so directly through the web interface, while others prefer to use integrated transfer solutions like Cyberduck, which is free and open-source, or Panic’s Transmit for Macs.
  5. Sit back and relax knowing your data is safely stored in the Backblaze B2 Storage Cloud.

The post Amazon Sunsets Cloud Drive appeared first on Backblaze Blog | Cloud Storage & Cloud Backup.

Backblaze Adds US East Region, Expanding Location Choices and Cloud Replication Options

Post Syndicated from Tonya Comer original https://www.backblaze.com/blog/backblaze-adds-us-east-region-expanding-location-choices-and-cloud-replication-options/

Customers looking for more local availability and data resilience can get both with the opening of the U.S. East data region, now available to current and future Backblaze users. With an expanded data center footprint, customers can easily store replicated datasets to two or more cloud locations for compliance and continuity. Plus, data egress for Cloud Replication is free, so you can copy data at no expense across the Backblaze platform.

Data Regions Deliver Speed, Security, and Scalability

You can now select the U.S. East data region when you’re storing with Backblaze B2 Cloud Storage to:

  • Achieve redundancy in the cloud. Automatically replicate datasets across North America, whether it’s for compliance, protection from cyberattacks, continuity needs, or to keep data closer to users or customers. (We love a redundant backup plan.)
  • Deliver your data faster. Store data closer to end users to improve latency for primary data sets—especially important if you’re an East Coast-based company.
  • Scale sustainably. Increase or decrease your storage requirements as your business expands—no need to invest in additional hardware. And minimize costs associated with managing a data center, including hardware, software, support, and other costs.

To start storing data in U.S. East today, you can choose “Region: US East” when you create a Backblaze account.

Astonishingly Easy Cloud Replication

Backblaze’s multi-region cloud infrastructure allows you to further take advantage of Cloud Replication to improve reliability, accessibility, and overall fault tolerance. Even better: While other cloud providers charge you to replicate your data, there are no egress fees across the Backblaze platform for Cloud Replication.

It’s easy to get started. If you’re an existing customer, all you have to do to implement Cloud Replication is to log in to your B2 Storage Cloud account and click on Cloud Replication in the right-hand column. Go to our website for more information, check out our FAQ, and feel free to contact our Support Team if you have any questions.

New Data Region; Same Data Center Standards

Data stored in U.S. East will reside in Backblaze’s newest data center, IAD 1, located in Reston, Virginia. Backblaze has a high standard for our data centers, and this new facility is best-in-class. All Backblaze data centers are SSAE-18/SOC-2 compliant, use biometric security, and have ID checks and area locks that require badge-level access to keep your data safe. In addition to SOC 2 Type 2, this latest data center is ISO 27001, NIST 800-53, and HIPAA compliant.

Cloud Storage That Meets Evolving Needs

The way businesses use and access cloud storage is changing. Rather than relying on local storage, companies are increasingly turning to the cloud to meet their data storage needs, including data protection and redundancy. Opening our U.S. East data region is the next logical step to better serve our customers, now and in the future, as they increasingly adopt cloud-only infrastructures. And for the many customers who continue to store data on-premises, the new region gives them more choices for their backup needs as well.

Look out for Backblaze Evangelist, Andy Klein, to fill you in all the details of our newest data center in an upcoming blog post, and feel free to comment below if you want to know more.

The post Backblaze Adds US East Region, Expanding Location Choices and Cloud Replication Options appeared first on Backblaze Blog | Cloud Storage & Cloud Backup.

Widening the Channel: Exertis Broadcast Adds Backblaze B2 Reserve

Post Syndicated from Elton Carneiro original https://www.backblaze.com/blog/widening-the-channel-exertis-broadcast-adds-backblaze-b2-reserve/

We launched our Channel Partner program about seven months ago. In the months since, we’ve rapidly onboarded some great strategic resellers, added new benefits, welcomed more staff to our team, and completed our initial launch of Backblaze B2 Reserve, our capacity-based cloud storage offering that includes download fees, premium support, and our Universal Data Migration service, exclusively for Backblaze resellers—but we’re still just getting started.

We’re very excited to announce another partner today.

Exertis Broadcast + Backblaze

Exertis Broadcast now offers resellers the full value and benefits of our Backblaze B2 Reserve program. This new partnership is doubly exciting to us because a number of our alliance partners already work with Exertis Broadcast—including Quantum, Studio Network Solutions (SNS), and SoDA—which means the world class Exertis engineers can package a suite of best-in-breed cloud workflow solutions in one seamless package for teams working in media and entertainment, modern data protection, and/or disaster recovery solutions industries.

If you’re a reseller looking for a distribution partner that can help your customers with their cloud storage needs, here are a few of the benefits Exertis offers:

  • Sales and Support dedicated to customer success.
  • Engineering Team available to consult on the best products and solutions to fit any needs.
  • Tools and Resources ranging from a state-of-the-art demo center to an innovative video solution builder.
  • Video Production to create cutting-edge content.
  • Marketing Professionals to design effective marketing content to keep you abreast of industry news and events.

To get started, resellers can contact us at [email protected] today.

The Backblaze Channel Partner Program

The Channel Partner program exists to provide easy, transparent, predictable cloud storage solutions to accelerate growth for resellers through the value of our Backblaze B2 Reserve offering.

The program provides benefits ranging from deal registration to joint marketing; rewards like seller incentives and market development funds (coming soon); as well as support including a Partner Portal and sales and marketing staff assistance.

Join Us!

We can’t wait to join with our current and future Channel Partners to deliver tomorrow’s solutions to any customer who can use astonishingly easy cloud storage. (We think that’s pretty much everybody.)

If you’re a reseller, we’d love to hear from you. If you’re a customer interested in benefiting from any of the above, we’d love to connect you with the right Channel Partner team to serve your needs. Either way, the doors are open and we look forward to helping out.

The post Widening the Channel: Exertis Broadcast Adds Backblaze B2 Reserve appeared first on Backblaze Blog | Cloud Storage & Cloud Backup.

10 Holiday Security Tips for Your Business

Post Syndicated from Stephanie Doyle original https://www.backblaze.com/blog/10-holiday-security-tips-for-your-business/

A decorative image showing a pig with an eyepatch hacking a computer and displaying the words 10 Business Security Tips to Use This Holiday Season.

’Tis the season—for ransomware attacks that is. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) observed increases in cyber attacks on weekends and holidays. Several of the largest ransomware attacks in 2021 happened over holiday weekends, including Mother’s Day, Memorial Day, and the Fourth of July. This tactic may be attractive because it gives cyber attackers a head start to map networks and propagate ransomware throughout networks when organizations are at limited capacity.  

The reason for this is simple: one of the easiest and most effective ways for bad actors to gain access to secure networks is by targeting the people who use them through phishing attacks and other social engineering techniques. Employees are already behind the eight ball so to speak, as email volume can increase up to 100x during the holiday season. Add to the equation that businesses often have increased workloads with fewer folks in office, or even office closures, and you have an ideal environment for a ransomware attack. 

Phew! Aren’t we supposed to be celebrating this time of year? Absolutely. So, let’s talk about ten things you can do to help protect your business from cyberattacks and organized crime during the holiday season. 

Get the Ransomware Ebook

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10 Security Tips for Your Business This Holiday Season

1. Update Your Tech

Teams should ensure that systems are up to date and that any new patches are tested and applied as soon as they are released, no matter how busy the company is at this time. This is, of course, important for your core applications, but don’t forget cell phones and web browsers. Additionally, personnel should be assigned to monitor alerts remotely when the business is closed or workers are out of the office so that critical patches aren’t delayed.

2. Review Your Company Security Policy With All of Your Employees

All businesses should review company security policies as the holiday season approaches. Ensure that all employees understand the importance of keeping access credentials private, know how to spot cybercrime, and know what to do if a crime happens. Whether your staff is in-office or remote, all employees should be up to date on security policies and special holiday circumstances.

3. Conduct Phishing Simulation Training

Another important step that organizations can take to ensure security over the holidays is to conduct phishing simulation training at the beginning of the season, and ideally on a monthly basis. This kind of training gives employees a chance to practice their ability to identify malicious links and attachments without a real threat looming. It’s a good opportunity to teach workers not to share login information with anyone over email and the importance of verifying emails.

4. Then, Make Sure Recommended Measures Are Set Up, Especially MFA

Multifactor authentication (MFA) fatigue happens when workers get tired of logging in and out with an authenticator app, push notification, or with a text message—but it’s one of the single best tools in your security arsenal. During the holidays, workers might be busier than usual, and therefore, more frustrated by MFA requirements. But, MFA is crucial for keeping your business safe from ransomware and domain denial of service (DDoS) attacks. 

5. Have an Offline Backup

It’s easy to forget, in our ever-more-connected world, that taking business data offline is one of the best protections you can offer. You still need to have a process to make sure those offline backups are regularly updated, so set a cadence. But, particularly with your business-critical data, offline backups represent a last line of defense that can make all the difference.  

6. Adjust Property Access Privileges

You might be surprised to know that physical security is a cybercrime prevention tool as well. Doors and devices should be the most highly protected areas of your space. Before the holidays, be sure to do a thorough review of your business’ access privileges so that no one has more access than is necessary to perform their duties. And, before shutting down for a much-needed break, check all exterior doors, windows, and other entry points to ensure they are fully secured. Don’t forget to update any automated systems to keep everything locked down before your return to work.

7. Don’t Advertise That You Will Be Closed

It’s common practice to alert customers when your business will be closed so that you can avoid any inconvenience. However, this practice could put your business at risk during times of the year when the crime rate is elevated, including the holiday season. Instead of posting signage or on social media declaring that no one will be in the building for a certain period, it’s better to use an automated voice or email response to alert customers of your closing. This way, crime opportunists will be less tempted.

8. Check In on Your Backup Strategy

For years, the industry standard was the 3-2-1 backup strategy. A 3-2-1 strategy means having at least three total copies of your data, two of which are local but on different media, and at least one off-site copy (in the cloud). These days, the 3-2-1 backup strategy is table stakes: still necessary, but there are now even more advanced approaches. Consider a cyber resilience stance for your company. 

9. Consider Cyber Insurance

Cyber insurance adoption rates are hard to track, but all data points to an increase in businesses getting coverage. Cyber insurance can cover everything from forensic post-breach reviews to litigation expenses. It also forces us all to review security policies and bring everything up to industry best practices. 

10. Test Your Disaster Recovery Strategy

If you don’t have a disaster recovery strategy, this is the time to create one. If you do have one, this is also a great time to put it to the test. You should know going into the holidays that you can respond quickly and effectively should your company suffer a security breach.

Protecting Business Data During the Holidays

Here’s the secret eleventh tip: The best thing you can do for your security is, ironically, the same thing that cyber criminals do—to treat your employees as humans. Studies have shown that one the long-term costs of ransomware is actually employee stress. We can’t expect humans to be perfect, and a learning-based (versus punitive) approach will help you in two ways: you’ll be setting up processes with the real world in mind, and your employees won’t feel disincentivized to report incidents early and improve when they make mistakes in training (or even in the real world). 

While it may be impossible to prevent all instances of data theft and cybercrime from happening, there are steps that companies can take to protect themselves. So, train, prepare, back up your data, and then celebrate knowing that you’ve done what you can. 

The post 10 Holiday Security Tips for Your Business appeared first on Backblaze Blog | Cloud Storage & Cloud Backup.

Object Lock 101: Protecting Data From Ransomware

Post Syndicated from Molly Clancy original https://www.backblaze.com/blog/object-lock-101-protecting-data-from-ransomware/

Cybercriminals are good at what they do. It’s an unfortunate reality, but one that you should be prepared for if you are in charge of keeping data safe. A study of penetration testing projects from Positive Technologies found that, “In 93% of cases, an external attacker can breach an organization’s network perimeter and gain access to local network resources.”

With this knowledge, smart companies prepare in advance rather than hoping to avoid being attacked. Recovering from a ransomware attack is much easier when you maintain safe, reliable backups—especially if you implement a 3-2-1 backup strategy. But even with a strong backup strategy in place, you’re not fully protected. Anything that’s connected to a compromised network is vulnerable, including backups. Cybercriminals are savvy, and they’ve shown they can target backups to gain leverage and force companies to pay—something that’s increasingly going to put you on the wrong side of the law.

That doesn’t have to be your story. With advances in backup protection like Object Lock, you can add one more layer of defense between cybercriminals and your valuable, irreplaceable data.

In this post, we’ll explain:

  • What Object Lock is.
  • What Object Lock does.
  • Why you should use it.
  • When you should use it.

More On Protecting Your Business From Ransomware Attacks

This post is a part of our ongoing series on ransomware. Take a look at our other posts for more information on how businesses can defend themselves against a ransomware attack, the latest patterns in ransomware attacks, and more.

➔ Download The Complete Guide to Ransomware

What Is Object Lock?

Object Lock is a powerful backup protection tool that prevents a file from being altered or deleted until a given date. When you set the lock, you can specify the length of time an object should be locked. Any attempts to manipulate, copy, encrypt, change, or delete the file will fail during that time. (NOTE: At Backblaze, the Object Lock feature was previously referred to as “File Lock,” and you may see the term from time to time in documentation. They are one and the same.)

Reminder: What Is an Object?

An object is a unit of data that contains all of the bytes that constitute what you would typically think of as a file. That file could be an image, video, document, audio recording, etc. An object also includes metadata so that it can be easily analyzed.

What Does Object Lock Do?

Object Lock allows you to store objects using a Write Once, Read Many (WORM) model, meaning after it’s written, data cannot be modified or deleted for a defined period of time. The files may be accessed, but no one can change them, including the file owner or whoever set the Object Lock.

What is Object Lock Legal Hold?

Object Lock Legal Hold also prevents a file from being changed or deleted, but the lock does not have a defined retention period—a file is immutable until Object Lock Legal Hold is removed.

What Is an Air Gap, and How Does Object Lock Provide One?

Object Lock creates a virtual air gap for your data. The term comes from the world of LTO tape. When backups are written to tape, the tapes are then physically removed from the network, creating a gap of air between backups and production systems. In the event of a ransomware attack, you can just pull the tapes from the previous day to restore systems.

Object Lock does the same thing, but it all happens in the cloud. Instead of physically isolating data, Object Lock virtually isolates the data.

What Is Immutable Data? Is It the Same as Object Lock?

In object storage, immutability is a characteristic of an object that cannot be modified or changed. It is different from Object Lock in that Object Lock is a function offered by object storage providers that allows you to create immutable or unchangeable objects. Immutability is the characteristic you want to achieve, and Object Lock is the way you achieve it.

How Does Object Lock Work With Veeam Ransomware Protection?

Veeam, a backup software provider, offers immutability as a feature to protect your data. The immutability feature in Veeam works hand-in-hand with the Object Lock functionality offered by cloud providers like Backblaze. If you’re using a cloud storage provider to store backups and they support Object Lock (which we think all should, not that we’re biased), you can configure your backup software to save your immutable backups to a storage bucket with Object Lock enabled. As a certified Veeam Ready-Object and Veeam Ready-Object with Immutability partner, utilizing this feature with Backblaze is as simple as checking a box in your settings.

For a step-by-step video on how to back up Veeam to Backblaze B2 Cloud Storage with Object Lock functionality, check out the video below.

Does Object Lock Work With Other Integrations?

Object Lock works with many Backblaze B2 integrations in addition to Veeam, including MSP360, Commvault, Rubrik, and more. You can also enable Object Lock using the Backblaze S3 Compatible API, the B2 Native API, the Backblaze B2 SDKs, and the CLI.

Why Should You Use Object Lock?

Using Object Lock to protect your data means no one—not cybercriminals, not ransomware viruses, not even you—can edit or delete your files. If your systems are compromised by ransomware, you can trust that your backup data stored with Object Lock hasn’t been deleted or altered. There’s no added cost to use Object Lock with Backblaze B2 beyond what you would pay to store the data anyway (but other cloud providers charge for Object Lock, so you should be sure to check fees when comparing cloud storage providers).

Finally, data security experts strongly recommend using Object Lock to protect your critical backups. Not only is it recommended, but in some industries Object Lock is necessary to maintain data protection standards required by compliance agencies. One other thing to consider: Many companies are adopting cyber insurance, and often those companies require immutable backups for you to be fully covered.

The question really isn’t, “Why should you use Object Lock?” but rather “Why aren’t you?”

When Should You Use Object Lock?

The immutability achieved by Object Lock is useful for protecting against ransomware, but there are some additional use cases that make it valuable to businesses as well.

What Are the Different Use Cases for Object Lock?

Object Lock comes in handy in a few different use cases:

  1. To replace an LTO tape system: Most folks looking to migrate from tape are concerned about maintaining the security of the air gap that tape provides. With Object Lock you can create a backup that’s just as secure as air-gapped tape without the need for expensive physical infrastructure.
  2. To protect and retain sensitive data: If you work in an industry subject to HIPAA regulations or if you need to retain and protect data for legal reasons, Object Lock allows you to easily set appropriate retention periods for regulatory compliance.
  3. As part of a disaster recovery and business continuity plan: The last thing you want to worry about in the event you are attacked by ransomware is whether your backups are safe. Being able to restore systems from backups stored with Object Lock can help you minimize downtime and interruptions, comply with cybersecurity insurance requirements, and achieve recovery time objectives easier.

Protecting Your Data With Object Lock

To summarize, here are a few key points to remember about Object Lock:

  • Object Lock creates a virtual air gap using a WORM model.
  • Data that is protected using Object Lock is immutable, meaning it’s unchangeable.
  • With Object Lock enabled, no one can encrypt, tamper with, or delete your locked data.
  • Object Lock can be used to replace tapes, protect sensitive data, and defend against ransomware.

Ransomware attacks can be disruptive, but your story doesn’t have to end with you feeling forced to pay against your better judgment or facing extended downtime. As cybercriminals become bolder and more advanced, creating immutable, air-gapped backups using Object Lock functionality puts a manageable recovery in closer reach.

Have questions about Object Lock functionality and ransomware? Let us know in the comments.

The post Object Lock 101: Protecting Data From Ransomware appeared first on Backblaze Blog | Cloud Storage & Cloud Backup.

Why Cyberattacks Surge During the Holiday Season

Post Syndicated from Molly Clancy original https://www.backblaze.com/blog/why-cyberattacks-surge-during-the-holiday-season/

The holiday season should be all about spending some much-needed time off with friends and family, not dealing with cyberattacks at work. But the holiday season is the most wonderful time of year for cybercriminals, too. Cyberattacks surge between Thanksgiving and New Year’s. Many businesses and workers may be too busy or distracted to check every security alert or look over every email for suspicious content.

All businesses should be aware of cybersecurity risks during the holiday season, but small and medium sized businesses face different challenges when it comes to cyberattacks compared with large enterprises. Small businesses (with fewer than 500 employees) comprise 99.9% of all businesses in the United States. And microbusinesses, or businesses with four or fewer employees, comprise 91%. Due to their staffing and budget constraints, it is likely they are more vulnerable to cyberattacks than larger organizations.

Let’s take a closer look at why the holidays are so dangerous when it comes to digital security, and how you can prepare your business for a holiday cyberattack and retain your holiday cheer.

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The Most Vulnerable Time of the Year

So, why do cybercriminals choose the holiday season to perform their most damaging attacks? Here are a few reasons:

1. Companies Are Short-Staffed

Many companies find themselves short-staffed during the peak of the holiday season. Between holiday travel, events, and obligations, it’s easier for things to fall through the cracks. No matter how much you plan to have a full staff, there will always be times when you wish you had more personnel. End-of-year planning, increased order volumes, more time spent performing customer service duties, and technology hiccups keep staff more than busy at this time of year. Not to mention that there’s an added burden on IT professionals during the holidays, who are busy trying to keep office networks and remote access safe and secure, responding to help tickets, and keeping an eye on increased anomalous activity.

2. Workers Are Distracted

When employees are spread thin and juggling numerous duties and holiday obligations, office duties often take a back seat. Employees are looking forward to the holidays just as much as you are, so you can imagine that they might be more inattentive than at less festive times of the year. Workers that are distracted from their normal cybersecurity awareness might miss a clue that an email is coming from an illegitimate source.

Cybersecurity activities include scanning for vulnerabilities, mitigating risks, and looking for bad actors moving through systems. Among the hustle and bustle of the holidays, it might seem like there is no time for cybersecurity, or that it can wait till next year. That’s exactly why cybercriminals will be waiting to launch their attack when you least expect it.

Just a little office gift wrapping.

3. Email Activity Increases

With so many “happy holidays” emails from vendors, internal employees, and even outside addresses, there are plenty of opportunities for a fraudster to plant a malicious link that goes unnoticed. If a worker falls for a scam on a company device, the entire company could be at risk for a malware attack.

Cybersecurity Risks During the Holiday Season

Ransomware is one of the most damaging threats to businesses of all kinds. Last year there was a 30% increase in ransomware attacks targeting companies during the holiday season. When a worker unknowingly clicks on a malicious link or accesses a hijacked website on a company device, the business may become infected with ransomware. Attackers can then hold the organization for ransom by threatening to leak information. The advice is generally to refuse to pay.

Whether your company is in finance, retail, logistics, or any other industry, the first step to getting prepared for the holiday season is to reevaluate your cybersecurity. Ensure that you are ready in case one of these cybersecurity risks hits you this year.

Phishing

Phishing is a popular attack vector that cybercriminals use to gain access to a company’s system. Phishing emails can be very convincing when they impersonate another organization or legitimate person to trick the receiver into divulging crucial login information.

While many people think they would be able to recognize a phishing email, they’re the entry point for 90% of data breaches. Plus, busy workers may not have the time to focus on the minute details of every message they receive this holiday season. Attackers will use that to their advantage.

A phishing email recently received by the author that came from a false sender address.

Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) Attacks

Another serious threat to business during the holidays is a DDoS attack. This is an especially popular route for cyberattacks at this time of year. Why? Simply put: Because businesses are busy, and attackers are keen to take advantage of that distraction to launch an attack. Cybercriminals use DDoS attacks to overload business systems with so much traffic that none of your applications can function.

Compromised Passwords

The best way for a cybercriminal to gain access to your business websites, accounts, and other mission-critical apps is to obtain compromised credentials. There are many ways that fraudsters can attempt to steal company login credentials with minimal effort. In fact, there have been several well-publicized password-related breaches that made passwords available to anyone who cares to search for that information—people have even created APIs so that you can easily see if you’re affected by those breaches. We humans are also prone to reusing passwords. According to a 2022 report, employees admitted to reusing passwords across an average of 16 different workplace accounts.

Protect Your Business This Holiday Season

So, what can you do to minimize your risks as cybercriminals ramp up their attacks? Here are some tips to help protect your business this holiday season:

  • Ensure your anti-virus and/or anti-phishing software scans for vulnerabilities regularly.
  • Discuss phishing email best practices with your staff year-round, but especially during the holiday season.
  • Never click on suspicious links or download email attachments from unknown senders.
  • Turn on safe browsing capabilities in your browser.
  • Backup business data locally and to the cloud.
  • Update your software and apply patches when they are released.
  • Use strong passwords, multi-factor authentication, and a secure password manager to generate and store secure passwords.

Even if you’ve done everything right, there is still a chance that you could be outsmarted by a cybercriminal this holiday season. Every business, no matter how big or small, needs to have an incident response plan in place to help staff identify the breach before it’s too late.

Don’t forget to include thorough training on the specific security protocols that workers need to follow in the event that a cyberattack does occur. If your business becomes the victim of a cyberattack, the sooner you can identify the breach, the better.

And just in case the worst happens, it’s smart to invest in a reliable backup solution. A decentralized approach to data security can help protect your business and safeguard your private information from anyone who wants to take advantage of your company. If your systems do go down and a cybercriminal locks you out of your business applications, you will still have your backup data, which means that you can restore your business data and resume business as usual with as little disruption as possible.

The holiday season is a money-maker for businesses and cybercriminals alike. Make sure that your company is protected so you can focus on the joy of the season instead of giving cybercriminals an easy payday.

The post Why Cyberattacks Surge During the Holiday Season appeared first on Backblaze Blog | Cloud Storage & Cloud Backup.

What’s the Diff: Programs, Processes, and Threads

Post Syndicated from Molly Clancy original https://www.backblaze.com/blog/whats-the-diff-programs-processes-and-threads/

A decorative image showing three computers with the words programs, processes, and threads displayed. In the center, there's a circle with the words what's the diff.

Editor’s Note

This post has been updated since it was originally published in 2017.

Programs, processes, and threads are all terms that relate to software execution, but you may not know what they really mean. Whether you’re a seasoned developer, an aspiring enthusiast, or you’re just wondering what you’re looking at when you open Task Manager on a PC or Activity Monitor on a Mac, learning these terms is essential for understanding how a computer works.

This post explains the technical concepts behind computer programs, processes, and threads to give you a better understanding of the functionality of your digital devices. With this knowledge, you can quickly diagnose problems and come up with solutions, like knowing if you need to install more memory for better performance. If you care about having a fast, efficient computer, it is worth taking the time to understand these key terms. 

What Is a Computer Program?

A program is a sequence of coded commands that tells a computer to perform a given task. There are many types of programs, including programs built into the operating system (OS) and ones to complete specific tasks. Generally, task-specific programs are called applications (or apps). For example, you are probably reading this post using a web browser application like Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Apple Safari. Other common applications include email clients, word processors, and games.

The process of creating a computer program involves designing algorithms, writing code in a programming language, and then compiling or interpreting that code to transform it into machine-readable instructions that the computer can execute.

What Are Programming Languages?

Programming languages are the way that humans and computers talk to each other. They are formalized sets of rules and syntax.

A decorative image showing stylized C# code.
C# example of program code.

Compiled vs. Interpreted Programs

Many programs are written in a compiled language and created using programming languages like C, C++, C#. The end result is a text file of code that is compiled into binary form in order to run on the computer (more on binary form in a few paragraphs). The text file speaks directly to your computer. While they’re typically fast, they are also fixed compared to interpreted programs. That has positives and negatives: you have more control over things like memory management, but you’re platform dependent and, if you have to change something in your code, it typically takes longer to build and test.

There is another kind of program called an interpreted program. They require an additional program to take your program instructions and translate that to code for your computer. Compared with compiled languages, these types of programs are platform-independent (you just have to find a different interpreter, instead of writing a whole new program) and they typically take up less space. Some of the most common interpreted programming languages are Python, PHP, JavaScript, and Ruby.

Ultimately, both kinds of programs are run and loaded into memory in binary form. Programs have to run in binary because your computer’s CPU understands only binary instructions.

What Is Binary Code?

Binary is the native language of computers. At their most basic level, computers use only two states of electrical current—on and off. The on state is represented by 1 and the off state is represented by 0. Binary is different from the number system—base 10—that we use in daily life. In base 10, each digit position can be anything from 0 to 9. In the binary system, also known as base 2, each position is either a 0 or a 1.

A chart showing the numerals zero through nine shown rendered in base 10 and base 2 numeral systems.

Perhaps you’ve heard the programmer’s joke, “There are only 10 types of people in the world, those who understand binary, and those who don’t.”

How Are Computer Programs Stored and Run?

Programs are typically stored on a disk or in nonvolatile memory in executable format. Let’s break that down to understand why.

In this context, we’ll talk about your computer having two types of memory: volatile and nonvolatile. Volatile memory is temporary and processes in real time. It’s faster, easily accessible, and increases the efficiency of your computer. However, it’s not permanent. When your computer turns off, this type of memory resets.

Nonvolatile memory, on the other hand, is permanent unless deleted. While it’s slower to access, it can store more information. So, that makes it a better place to store programs. A file in an executable format is simply one that runs a program. It can be run directly by your CPU (that’s your processor). Examples of these file types are .exe in Windows and .app in Mac.

What Resources Does a Program Need to Run?

Once a program has been loaded into memory in binary form, what happens next?

Your executing program needs resources from the OS and memory to run. Without these resources, you can’t use the program. Fortunately, your OS manages the work of allocating resources to your programs automatically. Whether you use Microsoft Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, or something else, your OS is always hard at work directing your computer’s resources needed to turn your program into a running process.

In addition to OS and memory resources, there are a few essential resources that every program needs.

  • Register. Think of a register as a holding pen that contains data that may be needed by a process like instructions, storage addresses, or other data.
  • Program counter. Also known as an instruction pointer, the program counter plays an organizational role. It keeps track of where a computer is in its program sequence.
  • Stack. A stack is a data structure that stores information about the active subroutines of a computer program. It is used as scratch space for the process. It is distinguished from dynamically allocated memory for the process that is known as the “heap.”
The main resources a program needs to run.

What Is a Computer Process?

When a program is loaded into memory along with all the resources it needs to operate, it is called a process. You might have multiple instances of a single program. In that situation, each instance of that running program is a process. 

Each process has a separate memory address space. That separate memory address is helpful because it means that a process runs independently and is isolated from other processes. However, processes cannot directly access shared data in other processes. Switching from one process to another requires some amount of time (relatively speaking) for saving and loading registers, memory maps, and other resources.

Having independent processes matters for users because it means one process won’t corrupt or wreak havoc on other processes. If a single process has a problem, you can close that program and keep using your computer. Practically, that means you can end a malfunctioning program and keep working with minimal disruptions.

What Are Threads?

The final piece of the puzzle is threads. A thread is the unit of execution within a process.

A process can have anywhere from one thread to many.

When a process starts, it receives an assignment of memory and other computing resources. Each thread in the process shares that memory and resources. With single-threaded processes, the process contains one thread.

The difference between single thread and multi-thread processes.

In multi-threaded processes, the process contains more than one thread, and the process is accomplishing a number of things at the same time (to be more accurate, we should say “virtually” the same time—you can read more about that in the section below on concurrency).

Earlier, we talked about the stack and the heap, the two kinds of memory available to a thread or process. Distinguishing between these kinds of memory matters because each thread will have its own stack. However, all the threads in a process will share the heap.

Some people call threads lightweight processes because they have their own stack but can access shared data. Since threads share the same address space as the process and other threads within the process, it is easy to communicate between the threads. The disadvantage is that one malfunctioning thread in a process can impact the viability of the process itself.

How Threads and Processes Work Step By Step

Here’s what happens when you open an application on your computer.

  • The program starts out as a text file of programming code.
  • The program is compiled or interpreted into binary form.
  • The program is loaded into memory.
  • The program becomes one or more running processes. Processes are typically independent of one another.
  • Threads exist as the subset of a process.
  • Threads can communicate with each other more easily than processes can.
  • Threads are more vulnerable to problems caused by other threads in the same process.

Computer Process vs. Threads

Aspect Processes Threads
Definition Independent programs with their own memory space. Lightweight, smaller units of a process, share memory.
Creation Overhead Higher overhead due to separate memory space. Lower overhead as they share the same memory space.
Isolation Processes are isolated from each other. Threads share the same memory space.
Resource Allocation Each process has its own set of system resources. Threads share resources within the same process.
Independence Processes are more independent of each other. Threads are dependent on each other within a process.
Failure Impact A failure in one process does not directly affect others. A failure in one thread can affect others in the same process.
Sychronization Less need from synchronization, as processes are isolated. Requires careful synchronization due to shared resources.
Example Use Cases Running multiple independent applications. Multithreading within a single application for parallelism.
Memory Usage Typically consumes more memory. Consumes less memory compared to processes.

What About Concurrency and Parallelism?

A question you might ask is whether processes or threads can run at the same time. The answer is: it depends. In environments with multiple processors or CPU cores, simultaneous execution of multiple processes or threads is feasible. However, on a single processor system, true simultaneous execution isn’t possible. In these cases, a process scheduling algorithm is employed to share the CPU among running processes or threads, creating the illusion of parallel execution. Each task is allocated a “time slice,” and the swift switching between tasks occurs seamlessly, typically imperceptible to users. The terms “parallelism” (denoting genuine simultaneous execution) and “concurrency” (indicating the interleaving of processes over time to simulate simultaneous execution) distinguish between the two modes of operation, whether truly simultaneous or approximated.

How Google Chrome Uses Processes and Threads

To illustrate the impact of processes and threads, let’s consider a real-world example with a program that many of us use, Google Chrome. 

When Google designed the Chrome browser, they faced several important decisions. For instance, how should Chrome handle the fact that many different tasks often happen at the same time when using a browser? Every browser window (or tab) may communicate with several servers on the internet to download audio, video, text, and other resources. In addition, many users have 10 to 20 browser tabs (or more…) open most of the time, and each of these tabs may perform multiple tasks.

Google had to decide how to handle all of these tasks. They chose to run each browser window in Chrome as a separate process rather than a thread or many threads. That approach brought several benefits.

  • Running each window as a process protects the overall application from bugs and glitches.
  • Isolating a JavaScript program in a process prevents it from using too much CPU time and memory and making the entire browser unresponsive.

That said, there is a trade-off cost to Google’s design decision. Starting a new process for each browser window has a higher fixed cost in memory and resources compared to using threads. They were betting that their approach would end up with less memory bloat overall.

Using processes instead of threads provides better memory usage when memory is low. In practice, an inactive browser window is treated as a lower priority. That means the operating system may swap it to disk when memory is needed for other processes. If the windows were threaded, it would be more difficult to allocate memory efficiently which ultimately leads to lost computer performance.

For more insights on Google’s design decisions for Chrome on Google’s Chromium Blog or on the Chrome Introduction Comic.

The screen capture below shows the Google Chrome processes running on a MacBook Air with many tabs open. You can see that some Chrome processes are using a fair amount of CPU time and resources (e.g., the one at the top is using 44 threads) while others are using fewer.

A screen capture of the Mac Activity Monitor.
Mac Activity Monitor displaying Google Chrome threads.

The Activity Monitor on the Mac (or Task Manager in Windows) on your system can be a valuable ally in fine-tuning your computer or troubleshooting problems. If your computer is running slowly or a program or browser window isn’t responding for a while, you can check its status using the system monitor.

In some cases, you’ll see a process marked as “Not Responding.” Try quitting that process and see if your system runs better. If an application is a memory hog, you might consider choosing a different application that will accomplish the same task.

Made It This Far?

We hope this Tron-like dive into the fascinating world of computer programs, processes, and threads has cleared up some questions.

At the start, we promised clarity on using these terms to improve performance. You can use Activity Monitor on the Mac or Task Manager on Windows to close applications and processes that are malfunctioning. That’s beneficial because it means you can end a malfunctioning program without the hassle of turning off your computer.

Still have questions? We’d love to hear from you in the comments.

FAQ

1. What are computer programs?

Computer programs are sets of coded instructions written in programming languages to direct computers in performing specific tasks or functions. Ranging from simple scripts to complex applications, computer programs enable users to interact with and leverage the capabilities of computing devices.

2. What are computer processes?

Computer processes are instances of executing computer programs. They represent the active state of a running application or task. Each process operates independently, with its own memory space and system resources, ensuring isolation from other processes. Processes are managed by the operating system, and they facilitate multitasking and parallel execution. 

3. What are computer threads?

Computer threads are smaller units within computer processes, enabling parallel execution of tasks. Threads share the same memory space and resources within a process, allowing for more efficient communication and coordination. Unlike processes, threads operate in a cooperative manner, sharing data and context, making them suitable for tasks requiring simultaneous execution.

4. What’s the difference between computer processes and threads?

Computer processes are independent program instances with their own memory space and resources, operating in isolation. In contrast, threads are smaller units within processes that share the same memory, making communication easier but requiring careful synchronization. Processes are more independent, while threads enable concurrent execution and resource sharing within a process. The choice depends on the application’s requirements, balancing isolation with the benefits of parallelism and resource efficiency.

5. What’s the difference between concurrency and parallel processing?

Concurrency involves the execution of multiple tasks during overlapping time periods, enhancing system responsiveness. It doesn’t necessarily imply true simultaneous execution but rather the interleaving of processes to create an appearance of parallelism. Parallel processing, on the other hand, refers to the simultaneous execution of multiple tasks using multiple processors or cores, achieving genuine parallelism. Concurrency emphasizes efficient task management, while parallel processing focuses on concurrent tasks executing simultaneously for improved performance in tasks that can be divided into independent subtasks.

The post What’s the Diff: Programs, Processes, and Threads appeared first on Backblaze Blog | Cloud Storage & Cloud Backup.

Education Unplugged: Google Ends Unlimited Storage for Schools

Post Syndicated from Barry Kaufman original https://www.backblaze.com/blog/education-unplugged-google-ends-unlimited-storage-for-schools/

For schools and universities, data storage is paramount. Staff, administrators, and educators, not to mention students, need a secure place to store files. Add to that the legacy accounts of alumni storing irreplaceable files from their education, and you have a massive need for storage.

For a long time, Google was happy to oblige. In 2006, the company launched Google Apps for Education (later G Suite for Education; now Google Workplace for Education), offering free unlimited storage for qualifying schools and districts. But when they’d reached market penetration—somewhere in the neighborhood of 83% of school districts according to EdWeek Research Center—they ended the unlimited storage policy many schools had come to rely on.

If you already know about Google’s policy change and are looking for a solution to save your data and your budget, getting started with Backblaze B2 is easy. Otherwise, read on to learn more about the change, what it may mean for you in the long-term, and a Backblaze partnership with Carahsoft that eases purchasing through local, state, and federal buying programs.

Office Hours Are Over—Google Ends Unlimited Storage for Educational Institutions

Google’s policy change took effect in July 2022, and many schools and universities had to find alternative storage solutions or change their internal storage policies to stay within the new limits. Under the terms of the new policy, Google offers a baseline of 100TB of pooled storage shared across all users.

The policy shift was spurred, Google says, because “as we’ve grown to serve more schools and universities each year, storage consumption has also rapidly accelerated. Storage is not being consumed equitably across—nor within—institutions, and school leaders often don’t have the tools they need to manage this.”

For some school districts, colleges, and universities, this policy shift meant having to reach out to alumni with the request that they back up all their own data. It also hit some already-strapped IT budgets particularly hard. Estimates vary, but depending on the size of the school and their data needs, they could be looking at anywhere up to an extra $70,000 a year in storage costs.

That’s a non-negligible fee for a service that has become increasingly vital for schools. We’ve written about how important cloud storage is for schools, but it’s worth reiterating here.

School is in Session

Not only will a secure cloud storage solution help protect school districts from threats of ransomware, it can also help maintain predictable operating expenses and create opportunities for collaboration through remote learning. In cases like Kansas’ Pittsburg State University, it helped keep data safe from natural disasters that abound in places like Tornado Alley. Pittsburg State implemented Backblaze B2 as their off-site backup in the event of disaster and used Object Lock functionality to safeguard data from ransomware.

Photo Credit: Pittsburg State University

The academic world is still adjusting to Google’s policy change. Stories have emerged of schools simply dropping Google and being forced to move data out of thousands of alumni accounts. A quick-fix solution to avoid Google’s new fee structure, this strategy is being undertaken without a clear answer to the question of how alumni can access their own data after the move. After all, how up to date are those alumni email lists?

A Google Alternative for Schools

School districts, colleges, and universities need to find a new, budget-friendly way forward. If you’re still struggling to find an alternative storage solution now that the bell has rung and Google has dismissed its free storage, Backblaze can help you find a new home on the cloud.

Backblaze B2 offers schools unlimited, pay-as-you-go storage at a fraction of the price of Google, enabling you to continue offering students and alumni the storage space they’ve come to expect. For colleges, universities, and school districts not buying through government purchasing programs, you can sign up for Backblaze B2 directly. We offer 10TB of storage free so that you can see if it works for you, but if you want to do a larger or customized proof of concept, reach out to our Sales team.

Accessing Backblaze Through Your Local, State, or Federal Buying Program

As we revealed during this year’s Educause conference, Backblaze has recently rolled out a partnership with Carahsoft aimed squarely at budget-conscious educational institutions. The partnership brings Backblaze services to educational institutions with a capacity-based pricing model that’s a fraction of the price of traditional cloud providers like Google. And it can be purchased through local, state, or federal buying programs. If you buy IT services for your district through a distributor, this solution could work for you. Visit the partnership announcement to learn more.

The post Education Unplugged: Google Ends Unlimited Storage for Schools appeared first on Backblaze Blog | Cloud Storage & Cloud Backup.

Querying a Decade of Drive Stats Data

Post Syndicated from Pat Patterson original https://www.backblaze.com/blog/querying-a-decade-of-drive-stats-data/

Last week, we published Backblaze Drive Stats for Q3 2022, sharing the metrics we’ve gathered on our fleet of over 230,000 hard drives. In this blog post, I’ll explain how we’re now using the Trino open source SQL query engine in ensuring the integrity of Drive Stats data, and how we plan to use Trino in future to generate the Drive Stats result set for publication.

Converting Zipped CSV Files into Parquet

In his blog post Storing and Querying Analytical Data in Backblaze B2, my colleague Greg Hamer explained how we started using Trino to analyze Drive Stats data earlier this year. We quickly discovered that formatting the data set as Apache Parquet minimized the amount of data that Trino needed to download from Backblaze B2 Cloud Storage to process queries, resulting in a dramatic improvement in query performance over the original CSV-formatted data.

As Greg mentioned in the earlier post, Drive Stats data is published quarterly to Backblaze B2 as a single .zip file containing a CSV file for each day of the quarter. Each CSV file contains a record for each drive that was operational on that day (see this list of the fields in each record).

When Greg and I started working with the Parquet-formatted Drive Stats data, we took a simple, but somewhat inefficient, approach to converting the data from zipped CSV to Parquet:

  • Download the existing zip files to local storage.
  • Unzip them.
  • Run a Python script to read the CSV files and write Parquet-formatted data back to local storage.
  • Upload the Parquet files to Backblaze B2.

We were keen to automate this process, so we reworked the script to use the Python ZipFile module to read the zipped CSV data directly from its Backblaze B2 Bucket and write Parquet back to another bucket. We’ve shared the script in this GitHub gist.

After running the script, the drivestats table now contains data up until the end of Q3 2022:

trino:ds> SELECT DISTINCT year, month, day 
FROM drivestats ORDER BY year DESC, month DESC, day DESC LIMIT 1;
year | month | day 
------+-------+-----
 2022 |     9 |  30 
(1 row)

In the last article, we were working with data running until the end of Q1 2022. On March 31, 2022, the Drive Stats dataset comprised 296 million records, and there were 211,732 drives in operation. Let’s see what the current situation is:

trino:ds> SELECT COUNT(*) FROM drivestats;
   _col0 
-----------
 346006813 
(1 row) 

trino:ds> SELECT COUNT(*) FROM drivestats 
    WHERE year = 2022 AND month = 9 AND day = 30;
   _col0 
--------
 230897 
(1 row)

So, since the end of March, we’ve added 50 million rows to the dataset, and Backblaze is now spinning nearly 231,000 drives—over 19,000 more than at the end of March 2022. Put another way, we’ve added more than 100 drives per day to the Backblaze Cloud Storage Platform in the past six months. Finally, how many exabytes of raw data storage does Backblaze now manage?

trino:ds> SELECT ROUND(SUM(CAST(capacity_bytes AS bigint))/1e+18, 2)
FROM drivestats WHERE year = 2022 AND month = 9 AND day = 30;
 _col0 
-------
  2.62 
(1 row)

Will we cross the three exabyte mark this year? Stay tuned to find out.

Ensuring the Integrity of Drive Stats Data

As Andy Klein, the Drive Stats supremo, collates each quarter’s data, he looks for instances of healthy drives being removed and then returned to service. This can happen for a variety of operational reasons, but it shows up in the data as the drive having failed, then later revived. This subset of data shows the phenomenon:

trino:ds> SELECT year, month, day, failure FROM drivestats WHERE 
serial_number = 'ZHZ4VLNV' AND year >= 2021 ORDER BY year, month, 
day;
 year | month | day | failure 
------+-------+-----+---------
...
 2021 |    12 |  26 |       0 
 2021 |    12 |  27 |       0 
 2021 |    12 |  28 |       0 
 2021 |    12 |  29 |       1 
 2022 |     1 |   3 |       0 
 2022 |     1 |   4 |       0 
 2022 |     1 |   5 |       0 
...

This drive appears to have failed on Dec 29, 2021, but was returned to service on Jan 3, 2022.

Since these spurious “failures” would skew the reliability statistics, Andy searches for and removes them from each quarter’s data. However, even Andy can’t see into the future, so, when a drive is taken offline at the end of one quarter and then returned to service in the next quarter, as in the above case, there is a bit of a manual process to find anomalies and clean up past data.

With the entire dataset in a single location, we can now write a SQL query to find drives that were removed, then returned to service, no matter when it occurred. Let’s build that query up in stages.

We start by finding the serial numbers and failure dates for each drive failure:

trino:ds> SELECT serial_number, DATE(FORMAT('%04d-%02d-%02d', year, 
month, day)) AS date 
FROM drivestats 
WHERE failure = 1;
  serial_number  |    date    
-----------------+------------
 ZHZ3KMX4        | 2021-04-01 
 ZA12RBBM        | 2021-04-01 
 S300Z52X        | 2017-03-01 
 Z3051FWK        | 2017-03-01 
 Z304JQAE        | 2017-03-02 
...
(17092 rows)

Now we find the most recent record for each drive:

trino:ds> SELECT serial_number, MAX(DATE(FORMAT('%04d-%02d-%02d', 
year, month, day))) AS date
    FROM drivestats 
    GROUP BY serial_number;
  serial_number   |    date    
------------------+------------
 ZHZ65F2W         | 2022-09-30 
 ZLW0GQ82         | 2022-09-30 
 ZLW0GQ86         | 2022-09-30 
 Z8A0A057F97G     | 2022-09-30 
 ZHZ62XAR         | 2022-09-30 
...
(329908 rows)

We then join the two result sets to find spurious failures; that is, failures where the drive was later returned to service. Note the join condition—we select records whose serial numbers match and where the most recent record is later than the failure:

trino:ds> SELECT f.serial_number, f.failure_date
FROM (
    SELECT serial_number, DATE(FORMAT('%04d-%02d-%02d', year, month, 
day)) AS failure_date
    FROM drivestats 
    WHERE failure = 1
) AS f
INNER JOIN (
    SELECT serial_number, MAX(DATE(FORMAT('%04d-%02d-%02d', year, 
month, day))) AS last_date
    FROM drivestats 
    GROUP BY serial_number
) AS l
ON f.serial_number = l.serial_number AND l.last_date > f.failure_date;
  serial_number  | failure_date 
-----------------+--------------
 2003261ED34D    | 2022-06-09 
 W300STQ5        | 2022-06-11 
 ZHZ61JMQ        | 2022-06-17 
 ZHZ4VL2P        | 2022-06-21 
 WD-WX31A2464044 | 2015-06-23 
(864 rows)

As you can see, the current schema makes date comparisons a little awkward, pointing the way to optimizing the schema by adding a DATE-typed column to the existing year, month, and day. This kind of denormalization is common in analytical data.

Calculating the Quarterly Failure Rates

In calculating failure rates per drive model for each quarter, Andy loads the quarter’s data into MySQL and defines a set of views. We additionally define the current_quarter view to restrict the failure rate calculation to data in July, August, and September 2022:

CREATE VIEW current_quarter AS 
    SELECT * FROM drivestats
    WHERE year = 2022 AND month in (7, 8, 9);

CREATE VIEW drive_days AS 
    SELECT model, COUNT(*) AS drive_days 
    FROM current_quarter
    GROUP BY model;

CREATE VIEW failures AS
    SELECT model, COUNT(*) AS failures
    FROM current_quarter
    WHERE failure = 1
    GROUP BY model
UNION
    SELECT DISTINCT(model), 0 AS failures
    FROM current_quarter
    WHERE model NOT IN
    (
        SELECT model
        FROM current_quarter
        WHERE failure = 1
        GROUP BY model
    );

CREATE VIEW failure_rates AS
    SELECT drive_days.model AS model,
           drive_days.drive_days AS drive_days,
           failures.failures AS failures, 
           100.0 * (1.0 * failures) / (drive_days / 365.0) AS 
annual_failure_rate
    FROM drive_days, failures
    WHERE drive_days.model = failures.model;

Running the above statements in Trino, then querying the failure_rates view, yields a superset of the data that we published in the Q3 2022 Drive Stats report. The difference is that this result set includes drives that Andy excludes from the Drive Stats report: SSD boot drives, drives that were used for testing purposes, and drive models which did not have at least 60 drives in service:

trino:ds> SELECT * FROM failure_rates ORDER BY model;
        model         | drive_days | failures | annual_failure_rate 
----------------------+------------+----------+---------------------
 CT250MX500SSD1       |      32171 |        2 |                2.27 
 DELLBOSS VD          |      33706 |        0 |                0.00 
 HGST HDS5C4040ALE630 |       2389 |        0 |                0.00 
 HGST HDS724040ALE640 |         92 |        0 |                0.00 
 HGST HMS5C4040ALE640 |     341509 |        3 |                0.32 
 ...
 WDC WD60EFRX         |        276 |        0 |                0.00 
 WDC WDS250G2B0A      |       3867 |        0 |                0.00 
 WDC WUH721414ALE6L4  |     765990 |        5 |                0.24 
 WDC WUH721816ALE6L0  |     242954 |        0 |                0.00 
 WDC WUH721816ALE6L4  |     308630 |        6 |                0.71 
(74 rows)

Query 20221102_010612_00022_qscbi, FINISHED, 1 node
Splits: 139 total, 139 done (100.00%)
8.63 [82.4M rows, 5.29MB] [9.54M rows/s, 628KB/s]

Optimizing the Drive Stats Production Process

Now that we have shown that we can derive the required statistics by querying the Parquet-formatted data with Trino, we can streamline the Drive Stats process. Starting with the Q4 2022 report, rather than wrangling each quarter’s data with a mixture of tools on his laptop, Andy will use Trino to both clean up the raw data and produce the Drive Stats result set for publication.

Accessing the Drive Stats Parquet Dataset

When Greg and I started experimenting with Trino, our starting point was Brian Olsen’s Trino Getting Started GitHub repository, in particular, the Hive connector over MinIO file storage tutorial. Since MinIO and Backblaze B2 both have S3-compatible APIs, it was easy to adapt the tutorial’s configuration to target the Drive Stats data in Backblaze B2, and Brian was kind enough to accept my contribution of a new tutorial showing how to use the Hive connector over Backblaze B2 Cloud Storage. This tutorial will get you started using Trino with data stored in Backblaze B2 Buckets, and includes a section on accessing the Drive Stats dataset.

You might be interested to know that Backblaze is sponsoring this year’s Trino Summit, taking place virtually and in person in San Francisco, on November 10. Registration is free; if you do attend, come say hi to Greg and me at the Backblaze booth and see Trino in action, querying data stored in Backblaze B2.

The post Querying a Decade of Drive Stats Data appeared first on Backblaze Blog | Cloud Storage & Cloud Backup.

How to Connect Your QNAP NAS to Backblaze B2 Cloud Storage

Post Syndicated from Troy Liljedahl original https://www.backblaze.com/blog/guide-qnap-backup-b2-cloud-storage/

Network attached storage (NAS) devices are a popular solution for data storage, sharing files for remote collaboration purposes, syncing files that are part of a workflow, and more. QNAP, one of the leading NAS manufacturers, makes it incredibly easy to backup and/or sync your business or personal data for these purposes with the inclusion of its application, Hybrid Backup Sync (HBS). HBS consolidates backup, restoration, and synchronization functions into a single application.

Protecting your data with a NAS is a great first step, but you shouldn’t stop there. NAS devices are still vulnerable to any kind of on-premises disaster like fires, floods, and tornados. They’re also not safe from ransomware attacks that might hit your network. To truly protect your data, it’s important to back up or sync to an off-site cloud storage destination like Backblaze B2 Cloud Storage. Backblaze B2 offers a geographically distanced location for your data for $5/TB per month, and you can also embed it into your NAS-based workflows to streamline access across multiple locations.

Read on for more information on whether you should use backup or sync for your purposes and how to connect your QNAP NAS to Backblaze B2 step-by-step. We’ve even provided videos that show you just how easy it is—it typically takes less than 15 minutes!

➔ Download Our Complete NAS Guide

Should I Back Up or Sync?

It’s easy to confuse backup and sync. They’re essentially both making a copy of your data, but they have different use cases. It’s important to understand the difference so you’re getting the right protection and accessibility for your data.

Check out the table below. You’ll see that backup is best for being able to recover from a data disaster, including the ability to access previous versions of data. However, if you’re just looking for a mirror copy of your data, sync functionality is all you need. Sync is also useful as part of remote workflows: you can sync your data between your QNAP and Backblaze B2, and then remote workers can pull down the most up-to-date files from the B2 cloud.

A table comparing Backup vs. Sync

A table comparing Backup vs. Sync.

Because Hybrid Backup Sync provides both functions in one application, you should first identify which feature you truly need. The setup process is similar, but you will need to take different steps to configure backup vs. sync in HBS.

How to Set Up Your Backblaze B2 Account

Now that you’ve determined whether you want to back up or sync your data, it’s time to create your Backblaze B2 Cloud Storage account to securely protect your on-premises data.

If you already have a B2 Cloud Storage account, feel free to skip ahead. Otherwise, you can sign up for an account and get started with 10GB of free storage to test it out.

Ready to get started? You can follow along with the directions in this blog or take a look at our video guides. Greg Hamer, Senior Technical Evangelist, demonstrates how to get your data into B2 Cloud Storage in under 15 minutes using HBS for either backup or sync.

Video: Back Up QNAP to Backblaze B2 Cloud Storage with QNAP Hybrid Backup Sync

Video: Sync QNAP to Backblaze B2 Cloud Storage with QNAP Hybrid Backup Sync

How to Set Up a Bucket, Application Key ID, and Application Key

Once you’ve signed up for a Backblaze B2 Account, you’ll need to create a bucket, Application Key ID, and Application Key. This may sound like a lot, but all you need are a few clicks, a couple names, and less than a minute!

  1. On the Buckets page of your account, click the Create a Bucket button.

    2. An screenshot of the B2 Cloud Storage Buckets page.

  2. Give your bucket a name and enable encryption for added security.

    3. An image showing the Create a Bucket page with security features to be enabled.

  3. Click the Create a Bucket button and you should see your new bucket on the Buckets page.

    4. An image showing a successfully created bucket.

  4. Navigate to the App Keys page of your account and click Add a New Application Key.

  5. Name your Application Key and click the Create New Key button. Make sure that your key has both read and write permissions (the default option).

  6. Your Application Key ID and Application Key will appear on your App Keys page. Important: Make sure to copy these somewhere secure as the Application Key will not appear again!

How to Set Up QNAP’s Hybrid Backup Sync to Work With B2 Cloud Storage

To set up your QNAP with Backblaze B2 sync support, you’ll need access to your B2 Cloud Storage account. You’ll also need your B2 Cloud Storage account ID, Application Key, and bucket name—all of which are available after you log in to your Backblaze account. Finally, you’ll need the Hybrid Backup Sync application installed in QTS. You’ll need QTS 4.3.3 or later and Hybrid Backup Sync v2.1.170615 or later.

To configure a backup or sync job, simply follow the rest of the steps in this integration guide or reference the videos posted above. Once you follow the rest of the configuration steps, you’ll have a set-it-and-forget-it solution in place.

What Can You Do With Backblaze B2 and QNAP Hybrid Backup Sync?

With QNAP’s Hybrid Backup Sync software, you can easily back up and sync data to the cloud. Here’s some more information on what you can do to make the most of your setup.

Hybrid Backup Sync 3.0

QNAP and Backblaze B2 users can take advantage of Hybrid Backup Sync, as explained above. Hybrid Backup Sync is a powerful tool that provides true backup capability with features like version control, client-side encryption, and block-level deduplication. QNAP’s operating system, QTS, continues to deliver innovation and add thrilling new features. The ability to preview backed up files using the QuDedup Extract Tool, a feature first released in QTS 4.4.1, allowed QNAP users to save on bandwidth costs.

You can download the latest QTS update here and Hybrid Backup Sync is available in the App Center on your QNAP device.

Hybrid Mount and VJBOD Cloud

The Hybrid Mount and VJBOD Cloud apps allow QNAP users to designate a drive in their system to function as a cache while accessing B2 Cloud Storage. This allows users to interact with Backblaze B2 just like you would a folder on your QNAP device while using Backblaze B2 as an active storage location.

Hybrid Mount and VJBOD Cloud are both included in the QTS 4.4.1 versions and higher, and function as a storage gateway on a file-based or block-based level, respectively. Hybrid Mount enables Backblaze B2 to be used as a file server and is ideal for online collaboration and file-level data analysis. VJBOD Cloud is ideal for a large number of small files or singular massively large files (think databases!) since it’s able to update and change files on a block-level basis. Both apps offer the ability to connect to B2 Cloud Storage via popular protocols to fit any environment, including server message block (SMB), Apple Filing Protocol (AFP), network file sharing (NFS), file transfer protocol (FTP), and WebDAV.

QuDedup

QuDedup introduces client-side deduplication to the QNAP ecosystem. This helps users at all levels save on space on their NAS by avoiding redundant copies in storage. Backblaze B2 users have something to look forward to as well since these savings carry over to cloud storage via the HBS 3.0 update.

Why Backblaze B2?

QNAP continues to innovate and unlock the potential of B2 Cloud Storage in the NAS ecosystem. If you haven’t given B2 Cloud Storage a try yet, now is the time. You can get started with Backblaze B2 and your QNAP NAS right now, and make sure your NAS is synced securely and automatically to the cloud.

The post How to Connect Your QNAP NAS to Backblaze B2 Cloud Storage appeared first on Backblaze Blog | Cloud Storage & Cloud Backup.

What’s the Diff: SSD vs. NVMe vs. M.2 Drives

Post Syndicated from Lora Maslenitsyna original https://www.backblaze.com/blog/nvme-vs-m-2-drives/

What's the Diff? M.2 vs. NVMe vs. SSD

Hey there, computer enthusiasts of the world! Let’s talk drives. You know them. You love them. Or maybe you don’t know them, and that’s why you’re here. With so many options out there, it can be hard to pick the perfect one. Especially if you’re on the hunt for a solid state drive (SSD) that’ll amp up your gaming experience or just supercharge your laptop without emptying your wallet. Don’t worry, we’ve got your back! We love nothing more than comparing and contrasting different types of drives all day. So, we’ve put together this “What’s the Diff” post to lay it all out for you.

SSDs have become a popular option because they are fast. They read and write data way faster than your pokey old hard drive. Yes, they are more expensive, but you’ve been saving up and it’s time to jump in. But which type of SSD do you need? In this post we’ll cover:

  • What is an SSD?
  • What is a SATA SSD?
  • What is an M.2 SSD?
  • What is an NVMe SSD?
  • Which SSD is right for you?

A Brief Introduction to SSDs

SSDs are storage devices that use NAND-based flash memory to store data. They are now standard issue for most computers, as is the case across Apple’s line of Macs. Unlike traditional hard disk drives (HDDs), which store data on spinning disks, SSDs have no moving parts, which makes them faster, more reliable, and less prone to mechanical failures.

SSDs have become so common mainly because they are faster in terms of read/write speeds versus hard drives. This means that they can access and transfer data much more quickly. This makes them an ideal choice for use in high-performance computers, servers, and other devices that require fast data access and transfer speeds. They also use less power. You can read more about the difference between SSDs and HDDs in this post.

One downside of SSDs is that they tend to be more expensive than HDDs, especially when it comes to larger storage capacities. However, as the cost of flash memory continues to decrease, SSDs are becoming more affordable and accessible for everyday consumers. SSDs are also available at different form factors, such as 2.5” and M.2, so they can be used in a range of devices.

What is a SATA SSD?

A Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) is the standard storage interface used in many PCs. A SATA SSD is an SSD equipped with a SATA interface to connect the storage device to a computer’s motherboard. The SATA SSD comes in the standard 2.5 inch form factor and has both power and data (SATA) connectors. If you buy an SSD external drive to connect to your PC, there will most likely be a SATA SSD inside. Generally, the SATA SSD is the least expensive type of SSD all other factors being equal. This makes a great choice to speed up your old hard drive-based computer or add an external drive that can read and write data more quickly.

One thing to know about external SSD drives is that they should not be disconnected from your computer and stored away for long periods of time. Anything over a year is too long, and as the drive gets older it needs to be plugged in even more often. But you didn’t spend all that money to store your new super fast external SSD drive in the closet, did you?

A photo of a Western Digitial WD Blue SSD.

What Are M.2 Drives?

M.2 drives, also known as Next Generation Form Factor (NGFF) drives, are a type of SSD that uses the M.2 interface to connect directly into a computer’s motherboard without the need for cables. M.2 SSDs are significantly smaller and faster than traditional, 2.5 inch SSDs, so they have become popular in gaming setups because they take up less space. They’re also more power-efficient than other types of SSDs, which improves battery life in portable devices.

Even at this smaller size, M.2 SSDs are able to hold as much data as other SSDs, ranging up to 8TB in storage size. But, while they can hold just as much data and are generally faster than other SSDs, they also come at a higher cost. As the old adage goes, you can only have two of the following things: cheap, fast, or good.

M.2 drives are easy to install, and they can be added to most modern motherboards that have an M.2 slot. People who are looking to improve their gaming setup with an M.2 SSD will need to make sure their motherboard has an M.2 slot. If your motherboard does not have an M.2 slot, you may be able to use an M.2 drive by using an adapter card that fits into a Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) slot. So, before you run out and buy an M.2 SSD, you’ll need to know which interface your computer will accept, M.2 SATA or M.2 PCIe.

A photo of a Samsung 1TB SSD, model 860 EVO.

What Is an NVMe?

Non-Volatile Memory Express (NVMe) is a storage protocol that offers high-speed and efficient communication between a computer’s CPU and SSDs. Drives that use NVMe were introduced in 2013 to attach to the PCIe slot directly on a motherboard instead of using the traditional SATA interface typically used by HDDs and older SSDs. Unlike SATA, which was originally designed for slower HDDs, NVMe takes advantage of the low-latency and high-speed capabilities of SSDs. NVMe drives can usually deliver a sustained read-write speed of 2.6 GB/s in contrast with SATA SSDs that limit at 600 MB/s. Since NVMe SSDs can reach higher speeds than SATA SSDs, it makes them ideal for gaming, high-resolution video editing, and applications that require high-performance storage, such as enterprise databases, virtualization, and data analytics.

Their high speeds come at a high cost, however: NVMe drives are some of the more expensive drives on the market.

A photo of a Kioxia SSD.

Which SSD Is Best to Use?

There are a few factors to consider in choosing which drive is best for you. As you compare the different components of your build, consider your technical constraints, budget, capacity needs, and speed priority.

Technical Constraints

Check the capability of your system before choosing a drive, as some older devices don’t have the components needed for NVMe connections. Also, check that you have enough PCIe connections to support multiple PCIe devices. Not enough lanes, or only specific lanes, means you may have to choose a different drive or that only one of your lanes will be able to connect to the NVMe drive at full speed.

Budget

If you plan to be making a lot of large file transfers or want to have the highest speeds for gaming, then an NVMe SSD is what you want. Until recently SATA SSDs were much more affordable options compared with NVMe drives, but that is changing rapidly. For example, at the time of publication, a Samsung 1TB SATA SSD (860 EVO) retails for $118 on Amazon, while a Samsung 1TB NVMe drive (970 EVO) is listed for only $121 on sale on Amazon.

Drive Capacity

SATA drives usually range from 500GB to 16TB in storage capacity. Most M.2 drives top out at 2TB, although some may be available at 4TB and 8TB models at much higher prices.

Drive Speed

When choosing the right drive for your setup, remember that SATA M.2 drives and 2.5 inch SSDs provide the same level of speed, so to gain a performance increase, you will have to opt for the NVMe-connected drives. While NVMe SSDs are going to be much faster than SATA drives, you may also need to upgrade your processor to keep up or you may experience worse performance. Finally, remember to check read and write speeds on a drive as some earlier generations of NVMe drives can have different speeds.

Choose the Right SSD for Your Setup

Before choosing a new drive, remember to back up all of your data. Backing up is essential as every drive will eventually fail and need to be replaced. The basis of a solid backup plan requires three copies of your data: one on your device, one backup saved locally, and one stored off-site. Storing a copy of your data in the cloud ensures that you’re able to retrieve it if any data loss occurs on your device.

Interested in learning more about other drive types or best ways to optimize your setup? Let us know in the comments below.

FAQ

What is the difference between NVMe and M.2 drives?

NVMe and M.2 are often used interchangeably, but they refer to different aspects of storage technology. Non-Volatile Memory Express (NVMe) drives attach to the PCI Express (PCIe) slot directly on a motherboard instead of using the traditional SATA interface, resulting in higher data transfer speeds. M.2, on the other hand, is a physical form factor or connector used for SSDs. M.2 drives can support various storage interfaces, including NVMe, SATA, and others, providing flexibility in terms of compatibility and speed.

Which is faster, NVMe or M.2 drives?

NVMe and M.2 drives are not directly comparable in terms of speed because they refer to different aspects of storage technology. NVMe (Non-Volatile Memory Express) is a storage protocol that provides high-speed communication between the computer’s CPU and SSDs. It is designed to take full advantage of the capabilities of SSDs and can offer significantly faster data transfer speeds compared to traditional interfaces like SATA.

M.2, on the other hand, refers to a physical form factor or connector used for storage devices, including SSDs. M.2 drives can support various interfaces, including NVMe, SATA, and others. The speed of an M.2 drive depends on the specific interface it uses. NVMe M.2 drives, which utilize the NVMe protocol, can provide faster speeds compared to M.2 drives that use the SATA interface.

In summary, NVMe is a storage protocol that can be implemented in various form factors, including M.2, and NVMe drives tend to offer faster speeds compared to M.2 drives that utilize the SATA interface.

Can NVMe be used in any M.2 slot?

NVMe drives can generally be used in M.2 slots, but it is important to ensure compatibility with the specific M.2 slot on your motherboard. M.2 slots can support different types of interfaces, including SATA and NVMe.

What are the advantages of NVMe drives over M.2 drives?

NVMe (Non-Volatile Memory Express) is a storage protocol that can be implemented through various form factors, one of which is M.2.

The main advantage of NVMe technology is its high-speed data transfer capabilities. Compared to traditional storage interfaces like SATA, NVMe provides significantly faster performance. It leverages the PCIe (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express) interface, allowing for direct communication between the CPU and the SSD. This results in reduced latency and improved overall system responsiveness.

M.2, on the other hand, is a physical form factor or connector that can support various interfaces, including SATA and NVMe. M.2 drives can accommodate NVMe SSDs, allowing them to take advantage of the faster speeds provided by the NVMe protocol.

Are NVMe drives more expensive than M.2 drives?

Until recently SATA SSDs were much more affordable options compared with NVMe drives, but that is changing rapidly. For example, as of June 2023, a Samsung 1TB SATA SSD (860 EVO) retails for $118 on Amazon, while a Samsung 1TB NVMe drive (970 EVO) is listed for only $121 on sale on Amazon. Prices are now comparable.

The post What’s the Diff: SSD vs. NVMe vs. M.2 Drives appeared first on Backblaze Blog | Cloud Storage & Cloud Backup.

The True Cost of Ransomware

Post Syndicated from Molly Clancy original https://www.backblaze.com/blog/the-true-cost-of-ransomware/

The True Cost of Ransomware - Backblaze

Editor’s Note

This article has been updated since it was originally published in 2021.

When we first published this article, a $70 million ransom demand was unprecedented. Today, demands have reached as high as $240 million, a sum that the Hive ransomware group opened negotiations with in an attack on MediaMarkt, Europe’s largest consumer electronics retailer. 

But then, as now, the ransoms themselves are just a portion, and often a small portion, of the overall cost of ransomware. Ransomware attacks are crimes of opportunity, and there’s a lot more opportunity in the mid-market, where the odd $1 million demand doesn’t make headlines and the victims are less likely to be adequately prepared to recover. And, the cost of those recoveries is what we’ll get into today.

In this post, we’re breaking down the true cost of ransomware and the drivers of those costs.  

Read More About Ransomware

This post is a part of our ongoing series on ransomware. Take a look at our other posts for more information on how businesses can defend themselves against a ransomware attack, important industry trends, and more.

Read About Ransomware ➔ 

Ransom Payments Are the First Line Item

The Sophos State of Ransomware 2023 report, a survey of 3,000 IT decision makers from mid-sized organizations in 14 countries, found the average ransom payment was $1.54 million. This is almost double the 2022 figure of $812,380, and almost 10 times the 2020 average of $170,404, when we last published this article. Coveware, a security consulting firm, found that the average ransom payment for Q2 2023 was $740,144, also representing a big spike over previous quarters. While the specific numbers vary depending on sampling, both reports point to ransoms going up and up.

A graph showing the rising trend in the cost of ransomware payments.
Source.

But, Ransoms Are Far From the Only Cost

Sophos found that the mean recovery cost excluding the ransom payment was $2.6 million when the targeted organization paid the ransom and got their data back. And, that cost was still $1.6 million when businesses used backups to restore data.

The cost of recovery comes from a wide range of factors, including:

  • Downtime.
  • People hours.
  • Investment in stronger cybersecurity protections.
  • Repeat attacks.
  • Higher insurance premiums.
  • Legal defense and settlements.
  • Lost reputation.
  • Lost business.

Downtime

When a company’s systems and data are compromised and operations come to a halt, the consequences are felt across the organization. Financially, downtime results in immediate revenue loss. And, productivity takes a significant hit as employees are unable to access critical resources, leading to missed deadlines and disrupted workflows. According to Coveware, the average downtime in Q2 2022 (the last quarter they collected data on downtime) amounted to over three weeks (24 days). And according to Sophos, 53% of survey respondents took more than one month to recover from the attack. This time should be factored in when calculating the true cost of ransomware.

People Hours

In the aftermath of a ransomware attack, a significant portion, if not all, of a company’s resources will be channeled towards the recovery process. The IT department will be at the forefront, working around the clock to restore systems to full functionality. The marketing and communications teams will shoulder the responsibility of managing crisis communications, while the finance team may find themselves in negotiations with the ransomware perpetrators. Meanwhile, human resources will be addressing employee inquiries and concerns stemming from the incident. Calculating the total hours spent on recovery may not be possible, but it’s a factor to consider in planning.

After recovery, the long term effects of a cybersecurity breach can still be felt in the workforce. In a study of the mental health impacts of cybersecurity on employees, Northwave found that physical and mental health symptoms were still existent up to a year after the cybersecurity attack, and affected both employee morale and business goals. 

Investment in Stronger Cybersecurity Protections

It is highly probable that a company will allocate a greater portion of its budget towards bolstering its cybersecurity measures after being attacked by ransomware, and rightfully so. It’s a prudent and necessary response. As attacks continue to increase in frequency, cyber insurance providers will continue to tighten requirements for coverage. In order to maintain coverage, companies will need to bring systems up to speed.

man working on a laptop with a ransomware demand message

Repeat Attacks

One of the cruel realities of being attacked by ransomware is that it makes businesses a target for repeat attacks. Unsurprisingly, cybercriminals don’t always keep their promises when companies pay ransoms. In fact, paying ransoms lets cybercriminals know you’re an easy future mark. They know you’re willing to pay.

Repeat attacks happen when the vulnerability that allowed cybercriminals access to systems remained susceptible to exploitation. Copycat ransomware operators can easily exploit vulnerabilities that go unaddressed even for a few days. 

Higher Insurance Premiums

As more and more companies file claims for ransomware attacks and recoveries and ransom demands continue to increase, insurers are upping their premiums. In essence, insurers have been confronted with the stark reality that the financial toll exacted by ransomware incidents far exceeds what was once anticipated. In response to this growing financial strain, insurance providers are left with little choice but to raise their premiums. This uptick in premiums reflects the increasing risk landscape of the digital age, where the ever-evolving tactics and sophistication of cybercriminals necessitate a recalibration of risk assessment models and pricing structures within the insurance industry. 

Legal Defense and Settlements

When attacks affect consumers or customers, victims can expect to hear from the lawyers. After a 2021 ransomware attack, payroll services provider UKG agreed to a $6 million settlement. And, big box stores like Target and Home Depot both paid settlements in the tens of millions of dollars following breaches. Even if your information security practices would hold up in court, for most companies, it’s cheaper to settle than to suffer a protracted legal battle.

Lost Reputation and Lost Business

When ransomware attacks make headlines and draw public attention, they can erode trust among customers, partners, and stakeholders. The perception that a company’s cybersecurity measures were insufficient to protect sensitive data and systems can lead to a loss of credibility. Customers may question the safety of their personal information. 

Rebuilding a damaged reputation is a challenging and time-consuming process, requiring transparent communication, proactive security improvements, and a commitment to regaining trust. Ultimately, the impact of reputation loss goes beyond financial losses, as it can significantly affect an organization’s long-term viability and competitiveness in the market.

lock over an image of a woman working on a computer

What You Can Do About It: Defending Against Ransomware

The business of ransomware is booming with no signs of slowing down, and the cost of recovery is enough to put some ill-prepared companies out of business. If it feels like the cost of a ransomware recovery is out of reach, that’s all the more reason to invest in harder security protocols and disaster recovery planning sooner rather than later.

For more information on the ransomware economy, the threat small to mid-sized businesses (SMBs) are facing, and steps you can take to protect your business, download The Complete Guide to Ransomware.

Download the Ransomware Guide ➔ 

Cost of Ransomware FAQs

1. What is the highest ransomware ransom ever demanded?

Today, ransom demands have reached as high as $240 million, a sum demanded by the Hive ransomware group in an attack on MediaMarkt, Europe’s largest consumer electronics retailer.

2. What is the average ransom payment in 2023?

Average ransom payments vary depending on how reporting entities sample data. Some estimates put the average ransom payment in 2023 in the hundreds of thousands of dollars up to over half a million dollars.

3. How much does ransomware recovery cost?

Ransomware recovery can easily cost in the multiple millions of dollars. The cost of recovery comes from a wide range of factors, including downtime, people hours, investment in stronger cybersecurity protections, repeat attacks, higher insurance premiums, legal defense, lost reputation, and lost business.

4. How long does ransomware recovery take?

When a company’s systems and data are compromised, and operations come to a halt, the consequences are felt across the organization. Ransomware recovery can take anywhere from a few days, if you’re well prepared, or up to six months or longer. 

The post The True Cost of Ransomware appeared first on Backblaze Blog | Cloud Storage & Cloud Backup.

Backblaze Mobile Update: iOS and Android Bucket Management

Post Syndicated from Jeremy Milk original https://www.backblaze.com/blog/backblaze-mobile-update-ios-mobile-uploads/

This post was originally published on February 18, 2021 and has been updated to reflect the newest functionality releases for Backblaze Mobile users on both iOS and Android.

Ready to update now? Go to Google Play or the App Store to run updates or download the Backblaze app.

December 20, 2022: Mobile 6.0 Is Available

Today, we’re announcing the arrival of Backblaze Mobile 6.0 featuring an enhanced visual experience, authentication improvements, bug fixes, and many design updates. Check out the specifics below.

What’s New in Backblaze Mobile 6.0?

Backblaze Mobile 6.0 features an overhauled visual experience (so fresh, so clean!).

Before: Android login screen
After: Android login screen

The update also features authentication enhancements for both iOS and Android. We’ve made it easier to log in and opt to see your password in plain text as you enter it. We’ve also optimized the stability of our mobile login flow.

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After: iOS login screen

iOS Updates

  • Design updates: Redesigned login and settings screens, updated icons, and improved upload/download progress animations.
  • Login updates: Email and password now appear on the same screen when logging in, and you can choose to see your password in plain text as you enter it. 
  • Viewing and previewing files: You can now view downloaded files in full-screen mode on iPhones as well as iPads.
  • SwiftUI is here: Much of the iOS code has been migrated to use SwiftUI and The Composable Architecture. 
  • Bug fixes and performance improvements: A lot has been tightened up under the hood, including fixing a file download timeout issue and progress messaging display issues. 
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Android Updates

  • Design updates: A fresh UI and navigation experience comes courtesy of updated material libraries.
  • Navigation and controls: We’ve also advanced the Android navigation bar, scrollable header and footers, and updated gesture controls for a better Android experience. You can now also see the file path for any file uploaded to Computer Backup or B2 Cloud Storage files.
  • Edit mode and selection capabilities: Navigation and maneuvering inside of edit mode for files, buckets, folders, and downloads has also been improved. We’ve also added multiselection capabilities and swipe-to-delete functionality.
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Backblaze Mobile 6.0 Available Now: Download Today

To get the latest and greatest Backblaze Mobile experience, update your apps or download them today on Google Play or the App Store.

March 28, 2022: Added Folder Creation

Backblaze Mobile users on iOS and Android devices can now create folders directly on their devices with our latest app update. The update is generally available the week of March 27, 2022 for both iOS and Android platforms.

The functionality expands on previous releases to allow users to more easily work from their mobile devices. 

November 30, 2021: Added Bucket Creation and Bucket, Folder, and File Deletion

With this update, Backblaze Mobile users on iOS and Android devices can create buckets and delete buckets, folders, and files directly on their devices.

If you routinely work from your mobile device, this means you’ll be able to better manage your cloud storage while you’re away from your workstation. For media and entertainment pros who regularly shoot images and footage on powerful smart devices, for example, this functionality allows you to create buckets for new projects from the field. And if you need to delete a bucket, file, or folder, you can do that on the go, too. With this functionality at your fingertips, you can focus on shooting, producing, and doing more with ease rather than waiting until you’re back at your desktop or laptop to handle organizational tasks.

The update also included bug fixes and an upgrade to Android 11.

Older Releases

In case you missed the last few releases, Backblaze Mobile allows iOS and Android users to preview and download content through the app and upload files directly to Backblaze B2 Cloud Storage buckets.

The post Backblaze Mobile Update: iOS and Android Bucket Management appeared first on Backblaze Blog | Cloud Storage & Cloud Backup.