There’s a scene in the movie Shrek, where he explains to Donkey that ogres are like onions, “they have layers” Shrek says. But Donkey doesn’t get it.
He complains that onions smell, they make you cry, and if you leave them out in the sun, “they turn brown and sprout little white hairs.”
It’s a funny moment, but it’s also a reminder that layers matter. Neglect them, and they go bad. When it comes to cyber resilience, the same is true.
Cyber Security vs Cyber Resilience
Most businesses and most cybersecurity professionals already understand that Cyber Security needs layers. Nobody relies on just one product to keep attackers out. They invest in firewalls, XDR tools, SIEM platforms, SOAR automation, and more. It’s a defence-in-depth strategy designed to stop even the most persistent and aggressive intrusions.
But when the conversation shifts to Cyber Resilience, (the ability to recover when an attack does get through) that layered thinking often disappears. Responsibility usually falls to infrastructure or IT operations teams, and here the market is flooded with vendors promising “one solution to fix all your resilience problems.”
Sadly, much like Shrek, it’s total fantasy. Just as security needs multiple layers to stop people getting in, resilience needs multiple layers to get you back up and running when things go wrong. Recovering from ransomware isn’t the same as recovering from mass deletion, and neither is it the same as protecting against data theft. Each scenario requires different technologies, different approaches, and different ways of proving you can bounce back.
Resilience is not a single product. It’s an onion.
Why Layers Matter
Attackers don’t follow a script. They exploit whatever door is left open:
- Poorly patched systems
- Compromised credentials
- Misconfigured remote desktop (RDP)
- Day-zero vulnerabilities
- Human error
And once inside, their goals differ:
- Data theft (exfiltration): quietly stealing information.
- Data destruction: wiping files to cripple operations.
- Encryption and ransom: locking systems down for profit.
Each of these requires a different kind of detection and a different kind of recovery. That’s why resilience must be layered with overlapping defences that detect, contain, and restore, no matter what form the attack takes.
IBM Storage Defender: Layers That Flex With You
This is where IBM Storage Defender stands apart. Rather than selling the fairy tale of one-size-fits-all, IBM builds resilience in modular, flexible layers that can adapt as your risks and priorities change.
Here’s how those layers work together:
- File-level anomaly sensors flag unusual behaviour before it spreads.
- Real-time ransomware detection built into IBM FlashSystem stops encryption attempts mid-attack.
- Safeguarded immutable copies create untouchable restore points, immune to deletion or corruption.
- Air-gapped backups provide an offline safety net.
- Automated recovery workflows slash downtime from days to hours.
- Centralized dashboards and analytics help teams detect trends and spot vulnerabilities before attackers do.
And because every business is different, IBM’s Resource Units licensing model makes it easy to pick the layers you need today and shift them as your environment evolves. It’s flexibility by design not a locked-in bundle.
Predatar: Proving Recoverability
Of course, it’s not enough to have defences; you also need to prove recovery. That’s where Predatar adds another vital layer.
Predatar goes beyond backup. It proactively hunts for malware hidden in recovery environments to find the kind of threats that may have slipped past your XDR tools. In fact, Predatar has found malware in 86% of customer environments. That’s proof that threats often linger undetected until they’re ready to strike.
By validating backups, scanning for ransomware, and demonstrating recoverability, Predatar ensures that when you hit restore, you’re restoring safely – and not bringing back the problem that took you down.
The Onion Lesson
Donkey was right: onions left unattended go bad. The same is true of cyber defences. Leave them neglected, untested, or oversimplified, and you’re handing attackers an opportunity.
Build layers, and resilience becomes something attackers can’t easily peel away. IBM is one of the few vendors honest enough to say that resilience takes multiple layers, and with Storage Defender plus partners like Predatar, businesses can finally build security that doesn’t just defend, but recovers too.
So yes, onions may make you cry. But with a multi-layered approach to resilience, it’s the attackers who will be in tears.
Discover Predatar for IBM Storage in 90 Seconds.
It’s never been easier to add a Recovery Assurance CleanRoom to your existing IBM storage environment. Discover how Predatar works in this short video. To find out more, contact your IBM Storage Rep, your IBM Reseller, or contact us directly.
