Q&A: Dell Technologies’ Rob Emsley on Simplifying Cloud Backup and Preparing for AI-Driven Threats in 2025

“Effective data protection strategies must include robust defenses to stay a step ahead of attackers as well as cyber resiliency capabilities to enable the rapid recovery of data post-attack,” says Rob Emsley, Director, Data Protection Product at Dell Technologies.

Increasing management complexity, year-on-year increases in cyberattacks like ransomware, and increased storage costs mean that securing cloud backups and protecting data can be a significant challenge for teams of all sizes.

In this Q&A, Emsley, shares his insights on navigating these issues and preparing for the future of data protection, covering the biggest obstacles in the cloud backup space today, and how CISOs can plan for the evolving threat landscape in 2025.

Q. What are the biggest challenges for customers in the cloud backup space today and how are threats evolving?

1. Management complexity: Data sprawl across edge, traditional data center, and multicloud environments creates challenges with maintaining visibility into the protection and security status of data and ensuring recovery against potential data loss or cyber threats.
   
2. IT skills gap: Organizations face a shortage of professionals equipped to manage and secure data effectively across hybrid multicloud environments. This gap complicates efforts to address evolving threats and manage infrastructure complexity, making the development of these critical skills essential for robust data management and security.
   
3. Cyberattacks and ransomware: The rise in sophisticated ransomware attacks has made it harder for organizations to detect and prevent these threats. Effective data protection strategies must include robust defenses to stay a step ahead of attackers as well as cyber resiliency capabilities to enable the rapid recovery of data post-attack.
   
4. Increased storage costs: Backups are essential, but they often require significant additional storage space, driving up costs. Finding a scalable and cost-effective solution is key to maintaining efficiency without overspending.
   
5. Data integrity: Regularly verifying backups is critical to ensure your data hasn’t been tampered with or corrupted. Reliable data integrity checks ensure that your business can depend on its backups when it matters most.

Q. How does the Dell APEX Backup Services platform help teams address these challenges, and how do you differentiate yourselves from competitors?

Dell APEX Backup Services simplifies data protection with a single console for managing SaaS applications, endpoints, and hybrid workloads. Its intuitive interface and built-in automation enable seamless management and advanced capabilities, providing cyber resiliency for traditional and cloud-native workloads wherever data resides.

To defend against cyber threats, APEX Backup Services features 24/7 air-gapped snapshots, anomaly monitoring, and integration with security tools. With machine learning threat detection and automated recovery of clean data, it minimizes downtime and operational complexity, ensuring vital assets stay secure and potential disasters are managed effectively.

APEX Backup Services reduces storage costs through advanced data deduplication, compression, and scalable storage, dynamically adapting to growing needs without manual intervention. Organizations only pay for what they use, with no hidden data egress fees, ensuring predictable and manageable costs while maximizing storage efficiency.

Ensuring data integrity, APEX Backup Services uses air-gapped backups and the Data Lock feature to protect information from unauthorized access, tampering, or deletion through data immutability. These safeguards guarantee secure, reliable backups that remain intact and accessible whenever needed.

Q. What are your top recommendations for CISOs in the process of looking for a cloud backup solution?

• Centralized Management: Choose a backup platform with a unified interface for seamless monitoring, management, and reporting. It should be simple enough for junior admins, yet robust enough to deliver comprehensive protection and cyber resiliency for both traditional and cloud-native workloads, regardless of location.
• Compliance and Regulation: Opt for a solution that meets all relevant compliance frameworks and regulatory standards for your industry. This ensures your data storage remains in line with legal and organizational requirements, reducing compliance risks.
• Cost Predictability: Unpredictable pricing in public cloud environments often causes financial challenges. Prioritize solutions offering predictable, all-in pricing that aligns with budgetary goals. These solutions combine storage, compute, and networking costs while eliminating data egress fees and unforeseen overages, providing cost stability and efficiency.
• Robust Security Features: Invest in advanced security measures like Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), Role-Based Access Control (RBAC), and data immutability to protect against unauthorized access, ransomware, and tampering. For critical workloads, use a Cyber Recovery vault to secure immutable backups in an isolated recovery environment.

Q. What trends do you expect to see in the cloud backup space in 2025?

Cyber threat actors are poised to intensify their reliance on AI, enhancing both the frequency and sophistication of their attacks. This surge in AI-driven threats will compel IT organizations, particularly those that have yet to integrate AI into their defenses, to adopt advanced technologies to effectively combat these evolving risks.

Data protection and cyber resiliency tools are set to play a vital role in supporting AI workloads. As the data repositories powering Large Language Models (LLMs) become prime targets for cybercriminals, these tools will be critical in safeguarding sensitive information and mitigating exploitation attempts by threat actors.

AI chat bots and other co-pilot tools will be increasingly adopted to help simplify data protection and security across hybrid multicloud environments. The coming year will see a surge in the adoption of AI chatbots and co-pilot tools to address the growing complexities of data protection and security in hybrid multicloud environments. These tools are expected to become essential for organizations aiming to stay ahead of advanced cyber threats, providing real-time insights and adaptive responses to safeguard critical systems. 

AI integration within backup products will become more prevalent, offering enhanced capabilities for detection, automation, and remediation directly within data protection systems.

These trends emphasize the need to stay ahead of emerging threats while deploying flexible, AI-driven, and multi-cloud-compatible data protection strategies.

Q. In your view, what should organizations’ top cloud backup planning priorities for 2025 be?

• Consolidate Backup Tools: Streamline your backup operations by reducing reliance on multiple tools. A unified approach ensures consistent data protection, minimizes management complexity, and reduces vulnerabilities caused by fragmented systems. Consolidation also enhances operational efficiency and provides a clearer view of your backup framework.
  
• Integrate Data Protection with Cyber Recovery Capabilities: Opt for solutions that combine robust data protection and seamless recovery features to combat evolving cyber threats. These systems should proactively defend against breaches, ransomware, and tampering while enabling rapid recovery of clean data after an incident. Integrated approaches help ensure business continuity, minimize downtime, and reduce disruption to critical operations.
  
• AI-Integrated Data Protection Solutions: Leverage backup solutions with AI-driven co-pilot features to simplify backup operations. These tools optimize workflows by automating tasks such as detecting threats, isolating risks, and generating actionable alerts, while streamlining recovery processes. This results in easier management and more efficient data protection.
  
• Address Compliance and Regulatory Requirements: Ensure your cloud backup strategy fully aligns with industry regulations and compliance standards. Look for tools that provide detailed reporting, enforce data governance, and adhere to legal frameworks. This minimizes the risk of penalties, ensures regulatory compliance, and builds trust among stakeholders.
  
• Plan for AI Workload Protection: AI data repositories, especially those powering Large Language Models (LLMs) and other advanced systems, are increasingly targeted by threat actors aiming to corrupt or exploit them. Organizations should prioritize backup solutions that safeguard these high-value datasets through features like air-gapping, immutability, anomaly detection, and real-time monitoring. Proactive measures and the ability to quickly restore unaltered data are critical to protecting AI-driven operations and preserving valuable intellectual property.

Further reading:

• Learn more about Dell Technologies
• Read our guide to the Top 10 Backup and Recovery Solutions for M365