Veeam acquires Object First: ransomware‑proof backup storage and prevention for enterprises

Early January saw Veeam confirm it has acquired Object First, the immutable backup‑storage appliance built specifically for Veeam environments. This is a significant move for a company that has historically been software‑first and storage‑agnostic, and it directly benefits organisations that rely on Veeam for cyber resilient backup and rapid recovery.

For context, Object First’s Ootbi platform (Out‑of‑the‑box immutability) provides native S3 object storage with Object Lock enabled by default and is engineered to be simple to deploy, secure by design and optimised for Veeam ingest and restore. Capacity scales from compact appliances suitable for edge and ROBO to clustered configurations delivering up to 1.7 PB usable per cluster and up to 8 GB/s ingest on the largest models.

What has changed, and what has not

Veeam has been explicit that it remains software‑first and storage‑agnostic. The acquisition brings a purpose‑built, turnkey on‑premises immutable target into the portfolio, while partner programmes for Veeam and Object First continue to operate separately as integration plans are developed. In practice this means customers still have choice across hardened repositories, third‑party object stores and cloud vaulting, with Object First now an officially Veeam‑owned option for those who want appliance simplicity.

This complements Veeam’s existing options, including Veeam Data Cloud Vault for logically air‑gapped off‑site copies. The near‑term reality is more choice rather than lock‑in, with deployment models that can be sized to risk, budget and operational maturity. 

Why this matters to VTG customers focused on ransomware prevention

As a long‑standing Veeam partner and an Object First integrator, VTG already designs and operates cyber resilient backup platforms for enterprise and mid‑market customers. The combined Veeam and Object First offering strengthens three outcomes we care about for you:

1. Immutable storage without complexity
   Ootbi enforces S3 Object Lock and a Zero Trust posture at the storage layer. This reduces the risk of misconfiguration, which is still the number‑one cause of failed restores after an incident. Because the immutability control is at the target, even a compromised admin account cannot alter or delete protected backups within the lock window. 

2. Backup performance that accelerates recovery
   Object First appliances are tuned for Veeam’s data movers and Smart Object Storage API, with documented ingest up to 8 GB/s per four‑node cluster on current top‑end models. That throughput matters when you are restoring at scale under time pressure.

3. Architectural choice aligned to best practice
   The optimal design still follows the 3‑2‑1‑1‑0 rule, with at least one immutable or air‑gapped copy and automated recoverability verification. A typical VTG blueprint pairs Ootbi as the on‑premises immutable primary target with an off‑site immutable copy to object storage or Veeam Data Cloud Vault. This maps directly to Veeam’s own guidance on 3‑2‑1‑1‑0 and immutability everywhere. 

How a unified Veeam and Object First backup stack looks

A representative architecture for many of our customers would be:

• Primary backup target: Object First Ootbi cluster presenting S3‑compatible buckets to Veeam Backup & Replication, with immutability windows aligned to your RPO and ransomware dwell‑time assumptions. Veeam certification as a Ready Repository confirms performance and compatibility characteristics.
• Copy and tiering: Backup Copy Jobs to an off‑site immutable object repository, or to Veeam Data Cloud Vault for logically air‑gapped retention. This satisfies the off‑site and additional immutable copy requirements in 3‑2‑1‑1‑0.
• Operational safeguards: SOBR policies that separate performance and capacity tiers, immutable retention windows that cannot be shortened by admin action, and SureBackup jobs to continuously validate recoverability. 
• Scalability: Start with smaller Ootbi nodes for departmental or edge sites, scale to multi‑node clusters up to 1.7 PB usable as datasets grow, and extend beyond 7 PB using SOBR across clusters.

Security posture and backup risk reduction

Immutable backup targets are now a baseline control rather than a nice‑to‑have. Industry data and recent incident response show attackers explicitly go after backups. Object First’s design reduces blast radius by separating the backup control plane from the storage plane and by enforcing immutability at the storage layer. Veeam’s wider platform adds hardened Linux repositories, object‑lock support and SureBackup verification, creating multiple layers of defence against deletion or encryption attempts. 

For organisations worried about operational overhead, Ootbi’s deployment is intentionally straightforward: three IPs, credentials and MFA to get started. That aligns with the needs of lean operations teams that still need robust cyber resilience. 

My personal favourite feature: Ootbi Honeypot for early ransomware detection

Object First’s Ootbi Honeypot is a built‑in, low‑touch decoy that emulates a Veeam Backup & Replication server to attract and flag malicious reconnaissance before an attack reaches production. It can be enabled in a few clicks from the Ootbi UI and immediately begins monitoring common probe vectors, alerting your chosen channels on suspicious activity. This gives security and operations teams earlier signal during the attacker dwell phase, reducing the window to containment and limiting blast radius.

Why we like it:

• Early detection of backup targeting. The honeypot advertises services typically probed by attackers and triggers alerts when scanned or accessed, surfacing threats that are specifically looking to disable Veeam or tamper with backup infrastructure. 
• Isolated by design. It runs in a securely segmented area of Ootbi, so you gain telemetry without adding material attack surface to your backup estate. 
• Operationally lightweight. Enable it in a handful of clicks and integrate alerts with existing workflows, which means you can deploy quickly across sites without specialist tooling.
• Complements immutability. Used alongside Object Lock immutability and a 3‑2‑1‑1‑0 design, the honeypot provides proactive detection while immutable storage ensures clean recovery points if an incident occurs. 

Commercial options and procurement flexibility

Object First offers both CapEx and pay‑per‑use consumption models, which is helpful when you need to align cost with data growth or to stand up immutable storage for new workloads quickly. VTG has used both models to accelerate time to protection without waiting on hardware refresh cycles. 

Strategic direction from Veeam

This acquisition sits alongside Veeam’s recent purchase of Securiti AI, which expands the platform into data security posture management and AI trust. The direction of travel is clear, a unified data platform that can see, secure, govern and recover data, with Object First now providing a first‑party option for the on‑premises immutable target. 

Practical next steps for CIOs, CISOs and IT Operations

• If you run Veeam today and need an on‑premises immutable target with minimal operational burden, Ootbi is now the default VTG recommendation where appliance‑based simplicity and fast local recovery are priorities. We will continue to propose hardened repositories or third‑party object storage where customisation or existing investments make more sense. 
• If you are refreshing legacy backup storage, we can model RTO and RPO improvements using Ootbi ingest and restore characteristics, and size clusters using Object First’s published guidance to meet growth and retention plans.
• If you are standardising on 3‑2‑1‑1‑0, our architects will validate that at least one copy is immutable or air‑gapped and implement SureBackup so you continuously prove recoverability with zero errors.

Frequently asked questions

Does Veeam lock customers into Object First hardware?
No. Veeam remains software‑first and storage‑agnostic. Object First is now a first‑party option for customers that want a turnkey immutable appliance. Choice is preserved across hardened repositories, cloud object storage and Veeam Data Cloud Vault. 

How does Ootbi immutability work with Veeam?
Ootbi uses native S3 Object Lock and Zero Trust design so backups cannot be altered or deleted within the lock window. This integrates with Veeam’s Smart Object Storage API and broader security practices like SureBackup verification. 

What does the Honeypot actually detect?
It emulates a Veeam server and monitors typical reconnaissance activities such as port scans and unauthorised access attempts, raising alerts through your chosen channels. It runs in a segmented zone and does not increase the attack surface of your production backup infrastructure.

Bottom line

Veeam’s acquisition of Object First gives our customers a first‑party, on‑premises immutable target that is simple to run and fast to recover from, while preserving the open, storage‑agnostic ecosystem that many of you value.

VTG is ready to help you apply it in a pragmatic, standards‑aligned architecture that measurably reduces risk and improves recovery outcomes. 

Book a meeting with our CTO:

info@thevtg.com