Start 2026 Secure: The year IT becomes the first line of defence, not the first point of failure

Though cybersecurity has been on people’s minds since the dawn of IT, the breadth and depth of cyberattacks have increased hugely in 2025.

Not only are threats coming from more places, but they’re targeting key backups too – meaning organisations need to be prepared.

That was key to our webinar, “Start 2026 Secure”, where we brought together Kris Haynes (Head of Presales, Axess Systems), James Thackrah (Channel Account Manager, Object First) and Liam Quinn (Systems Engineer, Veeam) to discuss just how organisations can do that. Here’s a recap of the best bits…

Webinar Recap

Starting From A Negative Security Posture

With backups becoming a primary target in some of 2025’s biggest cyberattacks, one of the biggest takeaways from our webinar was that organisations need to change how they respond to the threat of events like this.

Kris noted that “the security threats that are out there today are so advanced, so unique, that we’re starting from a position where [cyberattackers have] already got in, they’ve already seen the backups, they’ve already found ways to mitigate our protection mechanisms, and we’re having to start from a negative position.”

He compared this “worst-case scenario” mindset to preparing for a driving test by learning tyre changes first, saying that starting from this point leads to more resilient backup and recovery strategies.

Immutability: Benefits and Caveats

As Channel Account Manager at Object First, James Thackrah was well placed to talk about immutability – and why not all immutability is the same.

James talked about how, with backups being such a key target for ransomware attacks last year, immutable backup storage often isn’t enough. Companies must be certain that their backup storage is maintained actively and implemented securely. This is the role occupied by absolute immutability. As Thackrah explained, “Immutability effectively means nothing if it can be compromised with a breach.”

The Rise of Data Sprawl

Veeam’s Liam Quinn further added to the conversations about the impacts of ransomware – something which has caused stress in 84% of IT professionals, according to Object First’s own research conducted in October 2025.

Liam spoke about how data sprawl factors into this, with the sheer amount of data held by organisations leading to both management challenges and security risks. With the advent of AI, there’s less visibility of unstructured and structured data. If not monitored properly, this can lead to the data being used in insecure spaces, further escalating cyber risks.

He also discussed how Veeam’s software, including v13, looks to close these various gaps. Innovations such as its Security Operator Role and Veeam Data Cloud ensure that sensitive operations within your backup environment are approved, allowing you to manage backup resilience across multiple workloads on a single platform.

Q&A Highlights

Considering that this webinar took place a little over a month after Veeam acquired Object First, it’s no surprise that this was a topic people wanted to know more about. An attendee asked a question about how the acquisition would affect current Object First users, and James Thackrah’s response was a reassuring one:

“In the short to midterm, nothing really changes. I think the most exciting things that come around three to six months from now are around R&D, where the product goes, and what options are available to customers.”

This was echoed by Liam, who said that:

“There’s no disruption for current deployments, but we’re working on improving the support experience across both products and really focusing on what’s to come. So, future proofing with a clear roadmap for tighter integration and enhanced immutability features.”

Attendees also asked questions about Object First’s ability to back up to tape and Veeam’s cloud recovery speed, showing a real engagement with how the software might apply to their businesses.

This webinar highlighted the urgent need to rethink backup strategies in light of sophisticated ransomware and evolving cyber threats. The combination of Object First and Veeam offers a simplified approach to backup that fits in with how companies are being encouraged to approach cyberattacks going forward.

Thank you to Kris, James, and Liam for lending their time and expertise! If you want to watch the webinar in full, you can do so via this link.

Need help addressing your cybersecurity challenges this year? Book a free, no obligation consultation via this link.