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PODCAST

The Backup Wrap-Up

W. Curtis Preston (Mr. Backup)

Formerly known as "Restore it All," The Backup Wrap-up podcast turns unappreciated backup admins into cyber recovery heroes. After a brief analysis of backup-related news, each episode dives deep into one topic that you can use to better protect your organization from data loss, be it from accidents, disasters, or ransomware. The Backup Wrap-up is hosted by W. Curtis Preston (Mr. Backup) and his co-host Prasanna Malaiyandi. Curtis" passion for backups began over 30 years ago when his employer, a

technology

All Episodes

42:10

How to Extract ROI from Backups

The Backup Wrap-Up ·

2025/06/02

Learn how to extract measurable ROI from your backups beyond traditional disaster recovery. Curtis and Prasanna explore proven strategies for extracting business value from backup infrastructure through test and development environments, security monitoring, compliance checking, and AI-powered analytics. Discover why the shift from tape to disk storage created new opportunities for ROI from backups, including instant restore capabilities and data mining applications. The hosts share real-world

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34:23

World Backup Day: Take the Pledge to Protect Your Data

The Backup Wrap-Up ·

2025/05/19

World Backup Day falls on March 31st - the day before April Fool's Day because not backing up your data is no joke. In this episode, hosts W. Curtis Preston and Prasanna Malaiyandi discuss alarming statistics about data loss and why proper backup strategies are essential for business survival.The hosts break down the famous 3-2-1 backup rule and how it applies to both consumers and enterprises. They examine the growing threat of ransomware, including double extortion attacks where criminals not only

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51:51

Ransomware Targets VMware ESXi: Melissa Palmer...

The Backup Wrap-Up ·

2025/05/05

You've found The Backup Wrap-up, your go-to podcast for all things backup, recovery, and cyber-recovery. In this episode, we tackle one of the scariest threats out there - ransomware targeting VMware ESXi environments. I'm joined by Prasanna Malaiyandi and our special guest Melissa Palmer, also known as @vmiss, who's an independent technology analyst and ransomware resiliency architect. We get into why virtualization environments are such juicy targets for attackers, how they're specifically going

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45:24

Breaking Down the VeeamOn Announcements for Backup...

The Backup Wrap-Up ·

2025/04/28

In this episode of The Backup Wrap-up, W. Curtis Preston breaks down the key VeeamON announcements from the VeeamON 2025 conference in San Diego. He highlights Veeam's focus on security and ransomware defense, including their new CrowdStrike integration and data resilience maturity model developed with McKinsey and MIT.Curtis shares his excitement about Veeam's long-awaited Linux-based software appliance, which addresses a critical security vulnerability in Windows-based backup systems. He also

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46:17

DOGE and GSA Claim $1M Savings by Ditching Old Tape Tech

The Backup Wrap-Up ·

2025/04/21

DOGE and GSA recently made headlines with a tweet claiming $1 million annual savings by converting 14,000 magnetic tapes to "permanent modern digital records." In this episode, W. Curtis Preston and Prasanna Malaiyandi analyze whether this claim is possible – although they cannot actually validate it due to lack of information. They discuss that DOGE and GSA's claim is possible given the significant costs of maintaining legacy systems, the migration process would also likely take months and involve

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38:03

Why Tape Backup for Small Business Makes Sense...

The Backup Wrap-Up ·

2025/04/14

Tape backup for small business might sound like old tech, but Mag Store's new Thunderbolt-compatible tape drive could change that perception. In this episode, we discuss how this new offering potentially opens tape technology to a wider market of SMBs and content creators looking for ransomware protection and cost-effective long-term storage.Curtis and Prasanna dive into the specifics of when tape backup makes financial sense for small business data protection, particularly for companies generating

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43:46

How Forever Incremental Backup Changed the World

The Backup Wrap-Up ·

2025/04/07

In this episode of The Backup Wrap-Up, Curtis and Prasanna explore how forever incremental backup technology revolutionized the data protection industry. They discuss the evolution from traditional backup methods to modern approaches that eliminate the need for regular full backups, dramatically reducing network traffic, storage requirements, and backup windows.The hosts examine the technical foundations of forever incremental backups, from block-level incremental tracking to backend storage

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36:14

Cloud vs Tape Throwdown: Which is Better for Archiving?

The Backup Wrap-Up ·

2025/03/31

In this episode of The Backup Wrap-Up, we look at the cloud vs tape debate for active archives. The conversation was sparked by a LinkedIn post claiming tape libraries are the only robots not making things easier in 2025, suggesting cloud is superior to tape for active archives.We challenge this premise by pointing out that cloud vs tape is a false dichotomy since many cloud storage vendors use tape for their lowest-cost tiers. We examine key considerations including cost (where tape wins by orders

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35:54

Disaster Recovery Lessons from 9/11 and Beyond

The Backup Wrap-Up ·

2025/03/24

In this eye-opening episode of The Backup Wrap-up, W. Curtis Preston and Prasanna Malaiyandi unpack crucial disaster recovery lessons from major events like 9/11. They discuss how companies lost both primary and backup data centers when both World Trade Center towers fell, highlighting why geographic separation is non-negotiable. The hosts break down the technical aspects of disaster recovery, comparing hot sites versus cold sites, and the realities of synchronous versus asynchronous replication

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41:08

How to Choose the Best Password Manager: Security...

The Backup Wrap-Up ·

2025/03/17

In this episode of The Backup Wrap-up, Curtis and Prasanna discuss how to choose the best password manager in light of recent security breaches. They examine the LastPass hack that resulted in $150 million of stolen cryptocurrency and what that teaches us about password manager security.The hosts break down the critical security features to look for in the best password manager, including encryption strength, iteration counts, multi-factor authentication options, and passkey support. They emphasize

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56:25

Is Tape Backup Dead? Why This Technology Still Matters

The Backup Wrap-Up ·

2025/03/10

Tape backup isn't dead – but it's glory days are gone. In this episode, W. Curtis Preston and Prasanna Malaiyandi discuss why tape backup remains relevant despite its diminished role in operational backups. They reveal how cloud giants have become the biggest consumers of tape technology while explaining common misconceptions about tape's performance.The hosts break down four core advantages tape backup still maintains: unbeatable cost (one to two orders of magnitude cheaper than alternatives),

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33:26

Hide Your Backup Disk from Ransomware

The Backup Wrap-Up ·

2025/03/03

In this episode of The Backup Wrap-up, W. Curtis Preston and Prasanna Malaiyandi discuss critical strategies for securing your backup disk against cyber threats. They explain why the default configuration of storing backups in easily accessible directories makes your backup disk vulnerable to threat actors who specifically target backup systems before launching attacks.The conversation covers several effective methods to protect your backup disk, including using proprietary protocols like OST and

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38:40

Your 4-Hour Recovery Time Objective is Fantasy

The Backup Wrap-Up ·

2025/02/24

Ever wonder why your recovery time objective seems impossible to meet? In this episode, we challenge the common assumption that a four-hour RTO is achievable for most organizations. Host W. Curtis Preston and guest Prasanna Malaiyandi discuss why these aggressive recovery time objectives often exist only on paper.From ransomware attacks to natural disasters, we examine the real-world factors that make rapid recovery more complex than most realize. We break down the differences between recovery time

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43:14

Passwords vs Passkeys: The Future of Backup Security

The Backup Wrap-Up ·

2025/02/17

In this eye-opening episode about passwords vs passkeys, W. Curtis Preston and Prasanna Malaiyandi expose why traditional password protection isn't enough for your backup systems anymore. They break down the evolution from basic passwords to MFA, and explain why passkeys and FIDO compliance represent the next level in security.Learn why hackers target backup systems first, how they exploit password vulnerabilities, and why even multi-factor authentication has its weak points. Discover why there

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42:12

No one cares about your backup window!

The Backup Wrap-Up ·

2025/02/10

Understanding your backup window is crucial for effective data protection, but there's a twist - it's not just about backup speed. In this episode, we explore why focusing solely on backup speed misses the point entirely. The real measure of success? Your recovery capabilities.Join W. Curtis Preston and Prasanna Malaiyandi as they share war stories about backup windows gone wrong, including a memorable tale involving tape drives that could write but couldn't read. Learn why traditional backup

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43:06

Artificial Intelligence: The Future of Backup?

The Backup Wrap-Up ·

2025/02/03

Artificial intelligence in backup isn't just marketing hype - it's changing how we protect our data. In this episode, W. Curtis Preston and Prasanna Malaiyandi break down the practical applications of AI in backup systems, from intelligent scheduling to ransomware detection.Learn how artificial intelligence helps with capacity planning, especially with deduplication systems where predicting storage needs gets tricky. We discuss AI's role in asset discovery, anomaly detection, and even creating

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33:11

Disaster Recovery Testing: The Execution Phase

The Backup Wrap-Up ·

2025/01/27

In part two of our disaster recovery testing series, we explore the critical steps of executing a DR test. From coordinating teams and documenting issues to maintaining communication channels during the test, this episode covers everything you need to know about running an effective DR test.Host W. Curtis Preston and co-host Prasanna Malaiyandi share practical advice from their extensive experience with disaster recovery testing. They discuss the importance of having backup communication methods,

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41:36

Choosing the Best Cloud Backup for Your Small Business

The Backup Wrap-Up ·

2025/01/20

Looking for the best cloud backup for small business? This episode cuts straight to what matters. Host W. Curtis Preston and Prasanna Malaiyandi share their expert insights on choosing the right cloud backup solution for your small business needs.They break down the critical features every small business should look for in a cloud backup service, including true immutability, proper implementation of the 3-2-1 rule, and transparent pricing. The discussion covers why cloud backup makes sense for small

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48:32

Laptop Restore Nightmare: 900GB Recovery Story

The Backup Wrap-Up ·

2025/01/13

A personal laptop restore that should have taken days stretched into weeks, highlighting critical lessons about backup and recovery. When our guest's laptop hard drive failed, he thought replacing it with an SSD and restoring from Carbonite would be straightforward. Instead, he faced constant system crashes, hardware challenges, and a restore speed that would make a snail look fast. (Carbonite did not cause the crashes.) Listen as we break down this laptop restore saga, including why the system kept

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38:18

Making the Case for Your Backup IT Budget

The Backup Wrap-Up ·

2025/01/06

Getting the right backup IT budget can feel like pulling teeth, but it doesn't have to be that way. In this episode of The Backup Wrap-up, W. Curtis Preston and Prasanna Malaiyandi share real-world strategies for securing the backup IT budget you need to protect your organization.Learn how to partner with the security and GRC teams to make your case stronger. Find out why ransomware has changed the game when it comes to backup IT budget discussions, and hear practical tips for documenting your

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345 results

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