Minimum Viability

What’s Minimum Viability?

Minimum viability is the combination of critical applications, assets, processes, and people required for an organization to deliver on their mission after an attack or disaster.  

Minimum Viability is the first step to achieving Continuous Business. 

Minimum viability applications 

In the realm of data protection, backup, cybersecurity, and cloud resilience, minimum viability is a fundamental principle that enables systems, apps, and data to be resilient in the face of cyberattacks, disasters and outages. For IT professionals, achieving minimum viability means that organizations can achieve the smallest possible version of their operations that can still function and serve customers should an incident bring down part(s) of the operations and systems. This is particularly important in environments where data integrity and availability are paramount, such as in financial institutions, healthcare organizations, and large enterprises. 

For example, in a financial institution, the integrity of data is crucial. A data protection solution that meets the minimum viability criteria allows the institution to quickly and reliably back up its financial records, transaction logs, and customer data. This not only helps in maintaining compliance with regulatory requirements but also enables the institution to recover from data corruption or ransomware incidents with minimal disruption to its operations. 

In healthcare organizations, the availability and integrity of patient data are of utmost importance. A minimum viability-focused data protection solution provides the ability to securely backup and quickly restore systems like electronic health records in the event of a data breach or system failure. The provider might start by implementing a cybersecurity solution that meets the minimum viability criteria, such as real-time monitoring of network traffic, automated detection of suspicious activities, and fast response to potential threats. This is crucial for maintaining patient trust and enabling that healthcare providers to continue to deliver high-quality care without interruptions. 

For large enterprises, minimum viability is essential for managing vast amounts of data across multiple locations and systems. A data protection solution that meets the minimum viability criteria enables enterprises to protect their data assets, comply with data governance policies, and recover from incidents efficiently. This helps in maintaining business continuity and minimizing the impact of data-related disruptions on the organization’s operations. 

For those new to the field, understanding minimum viability helps in setting realistic expectations and prioritizing essential features. It helps validate that the initial deployment of a data protection or backup solution is not only functional but also reliable, providing a solid foundation for more advanced configurations and integrations. This approach helps in managing resources efficiently and avoiding the pitfalls of over-engineering, which can lead to delays and increased costs. 

For instance, a small business that is new to data protection might start by defining the minimum viability requirements for its backup solution. These requirements could include the ability to perform regular backups, store data securely, and enable quick recovery in case of data loss. By focusing on these essential features, the business can deploy a solution that meets its immediate needs and delivers data protection from day one. This approach allows the business to grow and scale its data protection strategy over time, adding more advanced features as its needs evolve. 

Importance of minimum viability 

Minimum viability is the ability to rapidly restore the minimum capabilities (applications, assets, processes, people) required for an organization to effectively operate after an attack. Commvault can help guide an organization with the best practices and tools for enterprise recovery, such as air-gapped copies of critical data, the ability to quickly and easily spin up a cleanroom to test recovery plans, identify clean points, and recover to a clean environment. 

By focusing on these essential features, the company can deploy a solution that meets its immediate needs and delivers data protection from day one. 

The Commvault Cloud Backup & Recovery solution provides a robust set of features that can help meet minimum viability criteria, including automated backups, secure data storage, and efficient recovery processes. This allows organizations to start protecting their data immediately, with the flexibility to add more advanced features as needed. 

When restoring apps, systems, and data for minimum viability, it’s also critical for teams to have the ability to detect threats so that IT and security teams are not restoring infected or corrupted data, which can delay restoration of minimum viability. Commvault has threat and anomaly detection solutions to monitor and protect data from ransomware attacks. By focusing on real-time threat detection and automated response, the organization can safely, securely, and cleanly recover data, apps, and infrastructure. 

In the cloud resilience domain, minimum viability is equally important. Cloud environments are dynamic and can be complex, making it important to have a robust baseline of functionality to support data availability and integrity. For example, a cloud-native organization might define minimum viability requirements for its cyber recovery, as the ability to replicate data across multiple regions, perform regular health checks, and enable rapid failover in case of a regional outage. By focusing on these essential features, the organization can deliver on goals for data and system availability, even in the face of unexpected disruptions. 

Commvault’s cloud resilience solutions are designed to meet these minimum viability criteria, providing customers with the confidence that their data is protected and available when needed.

Conclusion 

 
Minimum viability is a critical concept in data protection, backup, cybersecurity, and cloud resilience. By focusing on the essential features and performance standards, organizations can deploy solutions that meet their immediate needs and provide a solid foundation for future growth and enhancement. Whether you are an experienced IT professional or new to the field, understanding and applying the principle of minimum viability can help you make informed decisions and align your data protection and cybersecurity strategies. Commvault’s solutions are designed with minimum viability in mind, providing the capabilities needed to protect and recover data, detect, and respond to threats, and deliver cloud resilience. By leveraging these solutions, organizations can achieve their data protection goals and maintain the trust and confidence of their stakeholders.