Object First, the creator of ransomware-proof backup storage appliance Ootbi, has marked its first anniversary with the announcement of rapid growth and significant business momentum. Since its market introduction in 2023, the company has experienced a 200% surge in bookings for Ootbi and has expanded its operations into the EMEA and LATAM markets. Ootbi, better known as Out-of-the-Box-Immutability, has been designed specifically for use with Veeam and offers a secure, simple, and powerful backup storage solution.

"Object First’s momentum is easy to explain: we have the right technology, right people, and right commitment to customer and partner success," commented David Bennett, CEO of Object First. He added, "We’ve made ransomware-proof immutable storage easy to deploy and manage – accelerating recovery, reducing downtime, and minimising the financial impact of disasters. In our second year and beyond, we look forward to continuing our expansion in LATAM and EMEA, growing our reseller community, and continuing to add to the innovation and benefits of Ootbi."

The rapid adoption of Ootbi has led to the deployment of over 80 installations, and a 200% growth in bookings from the first half of the year to the second. Interest continues to grow with an increase in inbound sales inquiries by over 400% during the same timeframe. The overwhelming success of Object First's flagship product is also characterised by partnerships with major tech companies such as Mirazon, Centerbase, Prodatix, and Waident.

Zach Young from Centerbase said, "With Ootbi, we can decrease our Recovery Point Objective (RPO) by 50%. It’s allowed us to protect our critical infrastructure better, and I can sleep more soundly at night. Ootbi just works, and it's simple to deploy - just set it and forget it."

In 2023, Object First, operating as a 100% channel company, concentrated on building its strategic partner network. This involved offering educational resources, sales, and marketing programmes, and exceptional customer support, and saw the company onboarding over 29 partners in under nine months. This commitment earned them a place on the CRN Stellar Startups list for 2023 and saw the Vice President of Channel Sales, Vitaly Sukhovsky, honoured as a 2024 CRN Channel Chief.

International expansion was also a key objective, with high profile distributors in the USA, LATAM and EMEA regions added to the company's network. In addition to this, the firm increased its employee base by 64% in 2023, focusing on individuals committed to customer and partner experience, technology innovation, and global scalability.

Johnny Yu, Research Manager of Storage and Computing at IDC, explained the appeal of Ootbi: "Immutable storage is an effective layer of ransomware defence, but not all organisations have the know-how to deploy and manage it," he said. "Object First addresses this with an appliance that has Object Lock by default and is tailor-made for the backup use case through deep integration with Veeam backup software."

The ransomware threat continues to grow, with 66% of organisations affected in 2023 and backups a primary target. Concerning this, David Bennett, CEO of Object First, said: "As the risks increase, Object First and Ootbi are perfectly positioned to help even more organisations improve their security posture in 2024 with immutable backup storage that is secure, simple, and powerful."