Turning resilience into a superpower: how Ascend modernised backup with Dell PowerProtect
Key points
Key takeaways from a theCUBE interview at the AI Cybersecurity & Resilience Summit 2026 with Xiong Xiong, VP of IT at Ascend Performance Materials, on modernising cyber resilience with Dell PowerProtect (October 2026):
Practitioner story. Ascend, a Houston-headquartered global manufacturer of nylon 66 and specialty chemicals with plants on the US Gulf Coast, China, India and Europe, moved from uncertainty about recoverability to operational confidence in a manufacturing environment that cannot afford extended downtime.
The pre-Dell gap. Nightly backups were incomplete, could not be analysed for completeness, and were not reliably shifted to the recovery site — a weakness that could have been devastating for a plant that must run continuously.
Why Dell won. Correct sizing, compression and deduplication on storage and backup; a proof-before-sale approach that ran the technology side-by-side with existing kit; and white-glove global deployment by Dell's A-team for a small IT organisation.
Validation. Ascend saw local backup, replication to the recovery site, and isolated bring-up of legacy systems — including hardware "we shouldn't be running any more" — proving recovery to a trusted state.
Real-world test. Ahead of a recent hurricane hitting a major Florida plant, the team used the Dell estate to double-check that everything local was backed up and recoverable at the recovery site — a reassurance the board could hear.
AI on both sides. Ascend now demands AI built into vendor solutions to defend against AI-driven attacks, while staying cautious about where AI is enabled to limit exposure; manufacturing peers are often "cart before the horse" on AI risk.
Why not the cloud. Full cloud shift was off the table: compliance and safety procedures (including Coast Guard requirements for coastal operations) require certain documents available on-site, so local capacity with reliable backup was essential.
Business impact. Confident recoverability unblocks projects that previously felt risky — including the company's AI strategy — turning resilience from a cost centre into an enabler.
Read more: theCUBE on YouTube
