Cristie complements Cristie Recovery Solution powered by Rubrik with S3-to-tape storage

Cristie S3-2-Tape provides Cristie Recovery Solution S3-based long-term storage on an immutable and physically isolated medium – with installation and support in Europe

Cristie launches today Cristie S3-2-Tape, a new option for Cristie Recovery Solution powered by Rubrik (CRS-r). The solution enables secure and policy-based transfer of S3 object data directly to tape, providing immutable, physically isolated long-term storage and additional protection against ransomware for European organizations and their partners.

This makes the solution

Cristie S3-2-Tape extends CRS-r with a tape-based storage layer for long-term retention. Backed up and archived data can be written to tape according to established WORM and retention policies. This protects long-term copies from being modified or deleted, even in the event of operational errors or if administrator accounts are compromised.

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The solution is aimed at organizations with long retention requirements and large data volumes, such as in the public sector, healthcare, research, media, finance and manufacturing industries. For these businesses, it is neither economical nor, in some cases, justifiable to store several years of data in primary or disk-based storage.

How it works

The solution is based on Cristie Archival Gateway, a software-based object storage layer that uses tape libraries for archival storage. Archival Gateway provides a standardized S3 REST API for applications that need to archive data, while decoupling the applications from the underlying tape storage systems, allowing them to be freely selected and swapped.

In practice, CRS-r writes to a storage destination that acts like a regular S3 target.

Thanks to the standardized S3 REST API, the software can be used without customizations with the rapidly growing number of applications that support S3-based object storage.

The gateway is designed for scalable parallel processing and high transfer rates. Actual performance depends on operating architecture, tape library configuration, and current workload.

The Cristie Archival Gateway writes object data directly to tape media and does not require buffer disks, which also means that complicated S3 Glacier commands are not needed to read archived data.

The solution can be purchased as a physical or virtual appliance and used with any solution that requires data storage on tape. In response to high demand, Cristie is now also offering it as an option within the Cristie Recovery Solution.

Therefore, it is important

Backups have become a primary target for cyberattacks, not just an indirect damage. Attackers who gain access to a network often try to knock out backups before enabling encryption. This is also why regulators’ focus has shifted from simply requiring backups to requiring proof that backups survive an attack and can actually be restored.

Tape storage meets this requirement in a way that software alone cannot. Once the tape is ejected and stored offline, the copy is no longer accessible over the network, reducing exposure to network-based attacks.

In combination with Cristie Recovery Assurance – automated recovery tests, verification of recovery in an isolated clean room environment, and orchestration of the recovery process, which is included as standard in CRS-r – customers get both the required parts: a copy that cannot be destroyed over the network and documentation that shows it can be recovered.

There are also clear operational benefits. Tapes consume no energy when stored, reducing both the cost and energy consumption of long-term storage. In addition, they avoid the outbound data and retrieval fees that can make the costs of long-term cloud archiving difficult to predict.

Compliance and our support

Regulations and standards	Relevant requirement	How Cristie contributes S3-2-Tape
NIS2, Article 21(2)(c)	Business continuity, such as backup management, disaster management and crisis management, should be included in the basic risk management measures.	Adds an offline, immutable storage layer to the continuity chain. Recovery Assurance provides testing and reporting that validates recovery capabilities.
DORA, Regulation (EU) 2022/2554, Article 12	Documented backup policies that specify scope and minimum frequency, documented recovery procedures, and regular testing.	Policy-based transfer with retention rules at the data storage level and recovery testing through Recovery Assurance.
DORA, Article 12(3)	When financial entities restore backed-up data using their own systems, they should use ICT systems that are physically and logically separate from the original ICT system.	Tape is a physically separate medium and, once ejected, is not accessible over the network. The separation is created by the design of the solution and is not solely dependent on configuration.
ISO/IEC 27001:2022	Appendix A 8.13 on information backup, 8.14 on redundancy, 5.29 and 5.30 on ICT preparedness for continuity and 5.33 on documentation protection.	Provides the protected long-term copy and tested recovery process that the controls demand.
ISO/IEC 27040	Storage security, including protection of stored data and secure long-term storage.	Encryption, object locking, and retention management at the storage level.
ISO 15489	Document management with requirements for authenticity, reliability, integrity and usability over time.	WORM and established retention rules help ensure and demonstrate the integrity of information over long storage periods.

Availability

Cristie S3-2-Tape is available now as an option to the Cristie Recovery Solution powered by Rubrik (CRS-r). The solution is offered through Cristie's European partner network of MSPs, distributors and resellers, as well as through Cristie's monthly pay-as-you-go and subscription models.

”Immutability in software is necessary, but no longer sufficient. Our partners are increasingly being asked by both auditors and customers to be able to show a copy that is physically out of reach – and at the same time prove that it can be restored. Cristie S3-2-Tape fills that gap within the solution they already use.”

For those of you using CRS-r MSP Edition, the solution is already available in the portal.

The tape storage layer is integrated into the Cloutility Self-Service Portal, meaning you don't need to implement an additional administrative console:

1. Customers can create users and buckets themselves and manage their permissions.
2. Storage, repositories, and permissions are organized into the existing hierarchy of resellers, customers, and departments.
3. Title and tape storage are managed from a common control point.
4. Recurring subscription billing is automated for all customers.
5. Customized reporting, monitoring, and alarm management span the entire environment.
6. The gateway has a REST-based administration API and support for SNMP for the customer's own automation and monitoring.

About Cristie

Cristie develops and delivers customized backup, disaster recovery and cyber recovery solutions to MSPs, distributors and resellers across Europe. The solutions are built on Rubrik's Zero Trust technology and complemented by Recovery Assurance.

All solutions are assembled and supported in Europe, ensuring trusted supply chains, regulatory compliance and local expertise. Cristie Solution was first introduced in 2013.

The systems are assembled in Dell's OEM factory in Ireland in accordance with Rubrik's guidelines. Cristie is an authorized Rubrik support provider in the Nordics, Baltics, DACH region, Poland, France and Benelux. Support is delivered by Rubrik-trained Cristie technicians in nine languages.