When Dan Beer, CEO of CrashPlan, lands in India for the first time, it isn’t just another business trip. “I love it here,” he says, smiling. “The culture is warm and welcoming, it’s tremendous.” Sitting alongside CTO Anand Prahlad in Bengaluru, Beer reflects on what this visit truly represents: a milestone in CrashPlan’s global journey.
In September 2024, CrashPlan acquires Parablu, a homegrown Bengaluru-based data security firm, marking a pivotal moment in its expansion strategy. “It’s a bit more strategic than just starting a centre,” Beer explains. “Parablu isn’t just a team; it’s a company with a full stack, development, support, sales, marketing, and a product that is synergistic with our offerings. It’s a perfect fit.”
This acquisition lays the foundation for CrashPlan’s new Global CoE, one that combines deep engineering talent with a mission to strengthen global data resiliency. The Bengaluru office, now nearly 100 people strong, isn’t merely an offshore unit, it’s the core of CrashPlan’s innovation roadmap.
Building a global data resilience powerhouse
CrashPlan operates in the data protection and resiliency space, offering businesses a secure safety net for their most critical asset: data. Its platform ensures protection “no matter where it lies,” Beer says, explaining how customers, from small businesses to large enterprises, rely on CrashPlan to safeguard data across endpoints, servers, and increasingly, cloud applications like Microsoft 365.
“Microsoft focuses on infrastructure, not data,” Beer points out. “That’s where we come in. We partner with them to ensure that customers’ data is secure and compliant.”
With customers across continents, from real estate firms in India to universities in North America, CrashPlan’s footprint is remarkably horizontal. “We’re not a vertical product,” Beer says. “Any company that values data protection is our customer.”
However, what ties them all together is a shared concern. “With every passing day, the threat landscape expands, ransomware, data theft, intrusions,” Beer warns. “It’s no longer just large enterprises at risk. Even small and midsize companies are victims now.”
AI at the heart of data protection
As cyber threats evolve, so too must the tools that combat them. At CrashPlan, that evolution is powered by artificial intelligence. “AI speeds the detection of anomalies,” Beer notes. “It enhances our ability to spot malicious threats, whether in data backup or a customer’s cybersecurity posture.”
Prahlad elaborates, “We already use elements of machine learning in our code for anomaly detection. But we’re also investing heavily in AI to find more meaningful ways for customers to leverage their backed-up data.”
Traditionally, data resiliency means creating a passive copy of data, a backup rarely touched unless disaster strikes. “We want to change that,” Prahlad says. “Our goal is to add value to that data. Can we give customers insights or automation capabilities using that stored data? AI is a big part of that journey.”
CrashPlan’s R&D teams in India are already experimenting with AI agents and retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) models to make data interaction more intuitive. “We’re building conversational interfaces that allow users to query their own data securely,” Prahlad reveals. “And we’re extremely cautious about guardrails, ensuring AI responses are grounded only in the company’s own data, not the wider internet.”
Balancing security and innovation
As companies race to adopt AI, a growing challenge is ensuring that innovation doesn’t come at the expense of security. “Our focus is on making sure security becomes an enabler, not a hindrance,” Beer emphasises. “In the context of data resiliency, AI helps automate protection, improve visibility, and simplify compliance, all while maintaining security.”
Prahlad adds that strict permissions and authorisation layers are built into CrashPlan’s AI systems to prevent misuse. “We ensure that when someone queries their data, they’re only seeing what they’re authorised to see,” he says. “That’s the kind of responsible AI we’re developing.”
India: The innovation engine
For both Beer and Prahlad, India isn’t just another operational hub, it’s the nerve centre of CrashPlan’s innovation. “When we acquire Parablu, it comes with a startup DNA, agile, innovative, and deeply technical,” Beer says. “That spirit continues. The innovation that begins here powers our global roadmap.”
Prahlad agrees. “A lot of what’s next for CrashPlan, our new platform capabilities, integrations with Google Workspace, server and VM backup, all of that is being built here in Bengaluru.”
The team, currently around 100 people, continues to grow. “We’re scaling in a profitable, sustainable way,” Beer says. “India isn’t just our development centre, it’s our hub for innovation, support, and even market expansion.”
Talent and the competitive edge
India’s technology ecosystem offers a deep pool of engineering talent, particularly in cybersecurity and cloud domains. “Bengaluru is a competitive market,” Prahlad acknowledges. “But we’re able to attract great talent because we give people meaningful work, autonomy, ownership, and a chance to shape the product roadmap.”
CrashPlan’s approach is refreshingly simple, to offer engineers challenging, impactful work rather than superficial perks. “We’re small enough that every engineer’s contribution matters,” he says. “That’s what makes us an exciting place to work.”
Over the next two years, CrashPlan’s leaders share an ambitious roadmap to expand its platform. “We’re moving beyond endpoint and Microsoft 365 backups to include Google Workspace, servers, and VMs,” Prahlad says. “That positions us to compete with major players like Commvault, Rubrik, and Veeam.”
Beer sees this as the natural evolution of the company’s mission. “Data resiliency isn’t just about backup anymore,” he says. “It’s about insight, intelligence, and enabling businesses to thrive securely in a digital-first world.”