
We Asked 4 Cloud Backup Experts What CISOs Should Prioritize In 2025
Expert insights from 4 leading cloud backup experts.

As data storage increasingly migrates to the cloud, having a solid cloud backup strategy is vital for ensuring business continuity and data resilience.
In 2025, how can CISOs optimize cloud backup solutions to address concerns like data loss, recovery speed, and cost efficiency?
We asked 4 cloud backup experts for their advice:
Michael Cade, Field CTO, Cloud Strategy, Veeam: Have a plan! Second, ensure there are backups in place across all services and data within the business. The public cloud providers have a shared responsibility model that we have been sighting for years to our customers. This will ensure availability of services and infrastructure, but your data is your data. Third, understand your data. As humans, we tend to hold onto everything for a rainy day. Businesses need to start thinking about being more hygienic when it comes to the production data sets they own. This will help when it comes to recovery plans—knowing what you have and where will ensure you can be focused when it comes to getting things back up and running as fast as possible. Read full Q&A
Arvind Nithrakashyap, Co-founder and CTO of Rubrik: With the cloud’s continued expansion and as more enterprise organizations adopt AI, a holistic approach to data visibility will be more important than ever in order to combat vulnerabilities. In 2025, I believe organizations should focus on protecting data in the cloud, monitoring risk, and recovering data and applications in the event of an attack. This means going above and beyond app-native security tools and finding solutions tailor-made to not only prevent threats from reaching data in the cloud, but also recover swiftly against any threats. Read full Q&A
Rob Emsley, Director, Data Protection Product, Dell Technologies: One- consolidate backup tools: Streamline your backup operations by reducing reliance on multiple tools. Two – integrate data protection with cyber recovery capabilities: opt for solutions that combine robust data protection and seamless recovery features to combat evolving cyber threats. Three – leverage backup solutions with AI-driven co-pilot features to simplify backup operations. Four – Ensure your cloud backup strategy fully aligns with industry regulations and compliance standards
Four – address compliance and regulatory requirements: Look for tools that provide detailed reporting, enforce data governance, and adhere to legal frameworks. Five – Plan for AI workload protection. Proactive measures and the ability to quickly restore unaltered data are critical to protecting AI-driven operations and preserving valuable intellectual property. Read full Q&A
Andy Kerr, Senior Product Marketing Manager, Acronis: Effective cloud backup planning requires a proactive, integrated approach that addresses today’s complex threat landscape, operational needs, and regulatory environment. Here are the top priorities we recommend for organizations to focus on:
- Prepare for increased compliance and data governance requirements:
- Take advantage of frameworks
- Consider your cyber insurance position
- Establish a comprehensive Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery (BCDR) strategy
- Prepare for even more Gen-AI enabled malware
Further reading
- Read our guide to the best Cloud Backup and Recovery Solutions For M365