Imagine sailing in the most remote parts of the ocean. The elements are unpredictable and can change in an instant. When the tides turn, things can become dangerous quickly. With unreliable connections and unexpected issues with machines, boats could lose support and coordination with control teams — and that’s a mayday situation in maritime safety.
Nautical racing on a worldwide scale is a fast-paced and intense sport that’s not for the faint of heart. The Ocean Race is the ultimate test of a team and a human adventure like no other. Leveraging over 50 years of round-the-world racing, the Race is one of the toughest professional sporting events that has grown to be an obsession for many of the sport’s top sailors.
The Ocean Race has garnered over 178 thousand YouTube subscribers and is recognized by TIME magazine as the “Everest of sailing.” The triennial event is known as one of the most grueling events in the yacht racing community. Participants sail at over 30–40 knots (upwards of 34.5 mph or 55 kph).
However, when it came to cybersecurity and data protection, The Ocean Race team recognized that reliability and ease of use was critical to ensure the safety of race participants and monitor the race in real time.
Fast RTOs and RPOs are a life saver for The Ocean Race
According to the Gartner® Peer Community, 22% of respondents have a recovery point objective (RPO) of one to six hours for mission critical data. Similarly, 27% of respondents have a recovery time objective (RTO) of one to six hours.
For the average business, long RPOs and RTOs spell high recovery costs and expensive downtime. But for The Ocean Race, many lives are at stake. The Race participants depend on fast recovery to restore connections, data and communications with the control team.
Moreover, thousands of fans rely on The Ocean Race to provide play-by-play updates on the race. The Ocean Race team needs to maintain secure connections and keep machines running to continuously transmit high volumes of data. This includes high-quality video footage, race telemetry and emergency correspondence between race participants in the open seas and The Ocean Race headquarters in Alicante, Spain.
Smooth sailing with Acronis Cyber Protect
In our case study, Sebastian de Prado Garcia, IT Systems Manager, The Ocean Race, shared a captivating experience of when a critical machine went down during the Race. Acronis Cyber Protect saved the event and got the machine running in record time.
Additionally, Acronis Cyber Protect provides the complete security that The Ocean Race needs, including backup, antivirus, malware detection and continuous data protection. With the solution, The Ocean Race can validate that their IT environment and data is secure.
Cybersecurity and data protection is anchored in our lives
The shipwreck on Gilligan’s Island may seem comical and lighthearted, but maritime emergencies are a serious matter. The Ocean Race drives real-time monitoring and rapid response with Acronis — critical for safety and success of the Race. Whether it’s waves or computers crashing, Acronis Cyber Protect gives The Ocean Race complete and efficient protection against cyberthreats and unforeseen events.
About Acronis
A Swiss company founded in Singapore in 2003, Acronis has 15 offices worldwide and employees in 50+ countries. Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud is available in 26 languages in 150 countries and is used by over 20,000 service providers to protect over 750,000 businesses.
