Commvault’s New AI Makes Backup and Recovery Conversational
▼ Summary
– Commvault introduces conversational AI as a new interface for managing cyber resilience through natural language interactions with its platform.
– The Model Context Protocol (MCP) server enables secure integration with GenAI assistants like ChatGPT Enterprise and Claude to configure and execute resilience tasks.
– Users can perform authorized actions such as setting up backups and checking statuses via text or voice commands across all protected workloads in hybrid cloud environments.
– Built-in safeguards ensure data security by governing interactions through policy-based authentication, encryption, and no external training with customer data.
– Conversational Resilience capabilities will enter private early access in November 2025, with general availability planned for spring 2026.
Navigating the complexities of data protection just became far more intuitive, thanks to Commvault’s groundbreaking conversational AI technology. This innovation transforms how businesses manage their cyber resilience, allowing teams to interact with backup and recovery systems using simple, natural language. By integrating with popular enterprise AI assistants, Commvault Cloud now responds to voice or text commands, enabling users to configure, monitor, and execute data protection tasks through everyday dialogue.
At the heart of this advancement is Commvault’s Model Context Protocol (MCP) server, a secure, policy-driven bridge that connects enterprise systems with generative AI platforms. This setup ensures that all interactions occur within strict organizational guidelines, maintaining security while delivering unprecedented ease of use. Instead of navigating complex menus or scripts, users can now ask questions or issue commands as if speaking to a colleague.
Imagine a scenario where an employee needs to verify a backup status. They might ask, “Is my Docusign instance backed up?” The AI assistant, powered by Commvault’s MCP, would not only provide an immediate answer but also take authorized actions, like setting up a new backup or scheduling recurring jobs, all through a conversational exchange. This seamless integration means teams spend less time on routine administrative work and more on strategic initiatives that strengthen overall resilience.
Feedback from industry leaders underscores the practical benefits of this approach. Christopher N. Colla, Vice President of IT and CIO at B&G Foods, highlighted how the system simplifies daily operations. “We can now delegate backup checks and recovery status inquiries to our AI assistant just as easily as we request an email draft. This level of simplicity, applied to data security, is a game-changer.”
Johnny Yu, Research Manager at IDC, described the technology as a pragmatic step forward. “Commvault’s conversational AI focuses on optimizing the human-tool interface rather than pursuing full autonomy. Still, it establishes a foundation for future AI-driven actions by ensuring every step is traceable and accountable.”
According to Pranay Ahlawat, Commvault’s Chief Technology and AI Officer, the company is advancing toward “agentic resilience,” where AI can perform tasks on behalf of teams safely and transparently. By adopting the Model Context Protocol, enterprises gain a framework to automate recovery and protection workflows under established risk management standards, combining simplicity with trust in AI-driven operations.
Security remains a cornerstone of Commvault’s design. Every conversational interaction is routed through the MCP server, which enforces authentication, access controls, and encryption. Importantly, customer data is never used to train external AI models, and all inputs remain protected under Commvault’s privacy policies. External generative AI platforms operate under customer-managed controls, ensuring end-to-end compliance with enterprise data protection standards.
Key Advantages for Users
Conversational simplicity: Users can now handle backup, recovery, and resilience tasks through plain dialogue, without complex command inputs or dashboards.
These conversational resilience capabilities will launch alongside major enterprise GenAI platforms such as ChatGPT Enterprise and Claude, with additional integrations under evaluation.
Commvault’s MCP server is scheduled to enter private early access in November, coinciding with Commvault SHIFT 2025. Broader early access is planned for early 2026, with general availability expected by spring 2026.
Those interested in exploring the technology, including the newly unveiled Data Rooms feature, can join Commvault at SHIFT 2025 in New York City on November 11–12, or attend the virtual event on November 19.
(Source: ITWire Australia)
