Immutable Cloud Storage for Rapid Application Environment Recovery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for recovering application environments in cloud-based systems are inefficient and time-consuming, particularly in the face of cyber-attacks like ransomware, leading to significant monetary losses and reputation damage due to the inability to quickly restore complex, distributed software systems with numerous dependencies.
Innovation Solution
A management node utilizes cloud-based immutable storage devices to store and retrieve metadata and application data, generating infrastructure as code (IaC) to automate the recovery of application environments, allowing for rapid redeployment in a separate cloud account to isolate and rebuild from clean, encrypted data.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional backup methods are used to recover application environments, then data can be restored, but the recovery process is time-consuming and inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by continuously capturing and storing immutable snapshots of application environments, metadata, and dependencies before failures occur. These pre-prepared recovery artifacts are stored in isolated storage accounts, enabling immediate restoration without time-consuming data collection during the recovery process.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates and stores copies of application environments, configurations, and dependencies in isolated storage accounts. These copies are maintained as immutable snapshots that can be rapidly deployed to restore services without modifying or accessing the potentially compromised production environment.
2Reliability
If backup data is stored in the same cloud account as production systems, then storage is convenient, but the backup data may be encrypted by ransomware attacks
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts backup data and recovery artifacts from the production cloud account and stores them in completely separate, isolated storage accounts. This physical separation ensures that ransomware or other malware compromising the production environment cannot access or encrypt the backup data, providing reliable protection against such attacks.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces isolated storage accounts as intermediaries between production systems and backup storage. These intermediary storage accounts act as secure buffers that prevent direct access paths between compromised production environments and backup data, blocking the propagation of encryption attacks.
3Ease of operation
If complex distributed software systems are recovered manually, then detailed control is possible, but the recovery process is extremely time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service recovery by automatically capturing application environments, storing them in isolated storage accounts, and providing self-contained recovery artifacts that can be deployed without manual intervention. The recovery process is automated through pre-configured deployment mechanisms that restore applications from snapshots without requiring manual reconstruction of complex dependencies.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the state of recovery from manual configuration to automated parameter-driven restoration. By storing complete application states including dependencies and configurations as immutable snapshots, the system transforms recovery into a parameter change operation where the application state is restored by applying stored parameters rather than manually reconfiguring complex distributed systems.
Data Source
AI summary
An example method includes identifying cloud services of a distributed software system deployed in a cloud platform. The cloud services are specific to a first cloud account. Further, dependencies associated with the cloud services may be determined. Furthermore, metadata including the dependencies and application data associated with the cloud services are stored in one or more cloud-based immutable storage devices at defined intervals. Responsive to determining an anomaly in the distributed software system, the metadata associated with the cloud services may be retrieved from the cloud-based immutable storage devices. Cloud platform specific infrastructure as code (IaC) may be generated for the distributed software system based on the retrieved metadata. A second cloud account may be generated. The cloud platform specific IaC is executed to recover an application environment of the distributed software system in the second cloud account using the application data stored in the cloud-based immutable storage devices.