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IBM Redbooks

Getting Started with IBM Z Cyber Vault

An IBM Redbooks publication

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Published on 06 January 2026

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ISBN-10: 0738462403
ISBN-13: 9780738462400
IBM Form #: SG24-8511-01

Authors: Bill White, Dino Amarini, Diego Bessone, Tom Bish, Nathan Brice, Richard Cairns, Giovanni Cerquone, Nick Clayton, Michael Frankenberg, Nathan Gurley, Maryellen Kliethermes, David Matoe, Kevin Miner, Nadim Shehab, Karen Smolar, John Thompson, Paolo Vitali and Joseph Welsh II

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    Abstract

    Cyberattacks and data corruption threats continue to escalate, which makes cyber resiliency a critical component of an enterprise IT strategy. Although traditional disaster recovery (DR) focuses on physical failures, cyber resiliency addresses logical corruption that is caused by ransomware, malware, or insider threats. This IBM Redbooks® publication introduces the IBM Z® Cyber Vault solution, which is a comprehensive approach to safeguarding IBM Z environments through immutable backups, isolated recovery systems, and automated validation processes.

    The IBM Z Cyber Vault solution combines three core domains:

    • Storage, which uses IBM DS8000® Safeguarded Copy for point-in-time, tamper-proof backups
    • Protection (LCP) Manager and IBM Copy Services Manager (CSM) to orchestrate capture, validation, and recovery
    • Environment, which is an air-gapped IBM Z system for forensic analysis and surgical or catastrophic recovery

    The solution supports proactive data validation, forensic investigation, and recovery strategies that minimize downtime and data loss, and integrate with advanced tools such as IBM Z Backup Resiliency (IZBR) and IBM Threat Detection for z/OS (TDz).

    This publication provides practical guidance for planning, designing, and deploying the IBM Z Cyber Vault solution, including architecture decisions, storage sizing, automation scripts, and validation frameworks. It also explores advanced capabilities such as offline backups, offensive security (OffSec) testing, and IBM Db2® rollforward recovery.

    Intended for IT managers, architects, system programmers, and security professionals, this publication equips organizations to strengthen cyber resiliency and help ensure business continuity (BC) in the face of evolving threats.

    Table of Contents

    Chapter 1. Business resiliency: Proactive analysis and expedited recovery

    Chapter 2. Planning and designing the IBM Z Cyber Vault solution

    Chapter 3. IBM Z Cyber Vault capabilities

    Chapter 4. Deploying the IBM Z Cyber Vault environment

    Chapter 5. IBM Z Cyber Vault: Building on the foundations

    Appendix A. Monitoring the IBM Z Cyber Vault environment