AWS joins Sheltered Harbor to fortify financial sector cyber resiliency

Amazon Web Services, Inc. (AWS), a subsidiary of Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN), has announced its entry into the Sheltered Harbor Alliance Program. This strategic collaboration aims to enhance the cyber resiliency of financial institutions by simplifying the adoption of advanced data protection measures, including the deployment of cyber vaults. The move comes at a time when ransomware attacks and regulatory demands are intensifying across the financial sector.

Sheltered Harbor, a non-profit organisation dedicated to safeguarding critical data in the financial services industry, has worked closely with AWS to create a secure, cloud-based architecture. This framework aligns with Sheltered Harbor’s rigorous resilience standards and takes full advantage of AWS’s extensive security features. The result is a robust solution that financial institutions can deploy to protect their critical systems and data from cyberattacks and operational disruptions.

The collaboration enables financial organisations to implement Sheltered Harbor-certified data vaults directly on AWS infrastructure. These vaults provide a secure, isolated storage environment designed to mitigate the impact of ransomware or other cyber threats. This partnership not only strengthens protection but also ensures that institutions meet stringent regulatory mandates for data security. In the event of a cyberattack, organisations can recover their operations quickly and efficiently, minimising downtime and financial losses.

An AWS spokesperson highlighted the urgency of addressing the rising sophistication of cyberattacks. They noted that financial institutions require robust and scalable data recovery solutions to remain operational during disruptions. The partnership with Sheltered Harbor reflects AWS’s commitment to providing innovative, industry-specific security solutions tailored to the financial sector.

The leadership at Sheltered Harbor echoed this sentiment, emphasising the global rise in ransomware attacks and the devastating impact they can have on financial organisations. Sheltered Harbor’s president explained that having an immutable, recoverable copy of critical data stored in a zero-trust environment is no longer optional but essential. With AWS as an Alliance Partner, financial institutions of all sizes can more easily implement these vital resilience measures.

The introduction of Sheltered Harbor-certified data vaults marks a significant advancement for financial institutions seeking to bolster their defences against ransomware and operational disruptions. By leveraging the combined expertise of AWS and Sheltered Harbor, organisations can protect their most critical assets while meeting evolving regulatory requirements.