October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, and with cyber threats constantly evolving, it’s more important than ever to stay vigilant. At Scale Computing, security is at the core of everything we do. Our SC//Platform is built with security-first principles, ensuring that your organization can remain protected without sacrificing simplicity or efficiency.

As Craig Theriac, Scale Computing’s VP of Product Management, recently discussed in his Scale Computing Platform and Security session at our annual Platform 2024 event in Las Vegas, cyber threats aren’t just theoretical risks, they’re happening now – and they’re more costly than ever.

As Craig noted: “Verizon’s latest Data Breach Investigations Report highlights the staggering costs of breaches. The average cost per incident is just under $4.5 million, and that’s up 15% over the last three years. For organizations with fewer than 1,000 employees, the average cost per incident is $3.3 million. Beyond the economic impact, it’s important that we not forget the personal aspect of this – there’s an IT administrator sitting out there that has to deal with the impact of something like this.”

So, how does Scale Computing address the growing complexity of today’s cybersecurity threats?

Secure by Design, Secure by Default

At Scale Computing, we believe first and foremost in the principle of ‘Security by Design’. The SC//Platform was developed to seamlessly integrate security into every layer of your infrastructure. From the hypervisor to storage protocols, every component in our platform is architected to eliminate vulnerabilities at their source. “Unlike other disaggregated solutions, we own the entire stack,” says Craig. “This means our customers get comprehensive, fully tested updates that secure every layer of the system, reducing compatibility concerns and encouraging faster patch adoption.”

Our focus on owning the entire stack ensures that any potential vulnerabilities are addressed holistically, avoiding the pitfalls that come with relying on multiple vendors for different parts of your system. By delivering full-stack updates, we’re able to keep your infrastructure secure while minimizing operational disruption.

Another key element of our security strategy is simplicity. Complex systems can lead to misconfigurations, which in turn can open the door to attackers. Craig emphasized this point: “If it’s not intuitive to use, or worse, if it’s misconfigured, it creates vulnerabilities. That’s why every security feature we design is simple, intuitive, and effective.”

Features like role-based access control, single sign-on integration, and immutable snapshots are all designed with ease of use in mind, allowing users to manage security without introducing additional complexity. Role-based access control ensures that employees only have access to the data and systems necessary for their role, reducing the potential attack surface. Immutable snapshots also enable users to recover quickly from ransomware or other cyber incidents by reverting to the latest good, clean version of their data.

Finally, we believe in embedding security into our platform from the start. “Scale Computing products are secure by default. We don’t leave security as an option; it’s inextricably built into everything we do, from the moment you power on your system.”

For example, we employ Zero Trust principles and remove unnecessary attack surfaces, like root access, to ensure that the system is as secure as possible out of the box. This proactive approach eliminates the guesswork from securing your environment and lets you focus on running your business. “Our perspective is that if we can keep you secure out of the gate, if we can remove that attack surface from ever being surfaced out there to exploit, we’re going to eliminate the exposure risk of our customers and our partners.”

With the rise of ransomware, phishing, and other cyber threats, businesses need solutions that go beyond basic protection. As Craig reminds us, “66% of IT professionals surveyed by Sophos reported that their organization was affected by ransomware in the last 12 months – this isn’t something that can be ignored.” Scale Computing is dedicated to transforming potential disasters into manageable incidents, helping you recover and resume operations with minimal downtime.

It’s essential to reflect on how your organization is protecting its users, applications, and data. At Scale Computing, we’re here to help you strengthen your defenses and simplify your security practices.

To learn more about how Scale Computing can enhance your organization’s security posture, contact us today or click here to download our latest white paper on information security.