We all talk about how difficult it is to grow our sales. Is there a magic bullet? What can you use as a door opener so you can promote your managed services? Let’s focus on what small to medium size businesses (SMB) are looking for.
According to top publications and research groups, business owners and managers in the SMB market are most interested in three services: (1) Unified Communications/VOIP; (2) Security; and (3) Data protection/storage. To attract the SMB’s attention, satisfy one if not all of these needs.
Despite the technology advances and vendor marketing, SMBs are adapting to IP telephony slowly. The changeover is gradual as businesses are reluctant to discard previous investments in TDM systems. There is also an element of caution about the quality of service and a lack of experience in using IP networks for both voice and data.
Access Markets International Partners predicts SMB spending on IT security and infrastructure — two areas they consider to be indivisible — is set to spike to $11.4 billion this year. The study determined more than 75 percent of SMBs (1- 999 employees) consider IT security very important. Key areas of interest for SMBs are anti-virus, anti-spam, anti-spyware software and firewalls. All important elements of a managed service program.
An area earmarked to grow even more is disk-based data storage and remote storage. It generated $8 billion in user IT spending in 2006 and is poised to generate more than $60 billion in software and hardware purchases through 2012, according to a multi-client IDC study.
With that in mind how do you get CEO, Controllers or IT Directors to notice you? Show them how they can affordably have data and email frequently backed up and always accessible–no matter what the situation. Data access and availability are the keys.
Zenith Infotech channel partners lead with a quicker, smarter and more economical disaster recovery solution designed for SMBs. The cost-effective solution allows them to make 300% margins while providing a standby server on site. Recovery time in the event of server downtime is as fast and simple as powering on a virtual machine. Also the key component of disaster recovery-off site storage is provided effortlessly and affordably as part of this service. After business managers engage with the Partner for the managed backup and disaster recovery solution a relationship is formed whereby full scale managed services are the next steps.
Note: Maurice Saluan is VP-Channel Management for Zenith Infotech as well as seasoned sales veteran in the managed service arena. Guest blog entries such as this one are contributed on a monthly basis as part of MSPmentor.net’s Platinum sponsorship.
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Zenith’s disaster recovery/business continuity solution is a game-changer for SMBs!
Mike: Can you clarify things a bit more for our readers? What’s different about the solution?
I never speak for Mike but let me see if I can help clarify what he meant.
The solution is offered at a price point that makes imaged based backups along with business continuity and disaster recovery a real option for the average SMB.
The things the device does have been available for years but never at a reasonable cost for the SMB. Do the math on a terabyte NAS, backup software with the right agents, and online storage costs per month.
By combining all three of these elements into one powerful device (with web based backups) at a reasonable price Zenith has created something that eliminates the common problems SMBs face when protecting their intellectual property.
How many times have you talked to a new prospect and are told one or all of the following:
Joe takes care of the backup I think
Cindy takes tapes home to protect us in the event of a disaster (she probably leaves them on the microwave or in the degaussing machine in her bedroom).
I think we get good backups all the time, we must be safe.
Were how many versions behind on our backup software?
We run full backups across these three tapes.
What do you mean it will take 24 – 72 hours to bring my business back online because if server died, and how the hell is our only good full backup from 25 days ago?
These problems all disappear when you tell a prospect you can image their server every 15 minutes for backup, bring a copy of the server up on the backup device for business continuity, and ship the data off site to a co-lo for disaster recovery all for one low monthly price – ah, and did I mention that price includes management of the device?
There is not a business out there that should not be running this device.
I hope this helps clarify.
- JC
http://www.everonit.com
http://www.smbitpros.com
Well how low is the monthly cost? Under $100 per month I hope. With free virtualization tools out there it’s pretty easy to just capture servers and take those offsite. If (of course that is is the big if) they have a good backup applying it to the virtualized server is a snap.
The pricing will depend on which model you need, whether you purchase or lease the BDR device, and how much offsite (online) storage you use, but yes it’s often less than $100/month, even with decent margin for the reseller.
We’re big fans of the Zenith BDR too!
Chip Reaves
CEO, Computer Troubleshooters
http://www.comptroub.com
chip@comptroub.com
I am impressed with the BDR. Unfortunately, all of my present clients but 1 have HP or Dell servers with SLP BIOS lock installed via OEM SBS 2003. Zenith Infotech states that the BDR virtualization is not guaranteed to work with BIOS lock. This eliminates many, if not most SMB’s with existing servers, at least in my experience. Are there any plans in the future to rectify this issue? I would like to use it as a USP in my marketing, but cannot do this due to the BIOS lock issue.
Zenith has hit a home run with this one. We’ve been looking for close to a year for an offsite backup solution for SMB’s. We are test driving the product now (already cleared a couple of hurdles, only one recovery issue, a hard disk driver, simple fix. My techs say it took them 30 minutes to recover a “failed server” virtually). I’ve got marketing materials about ready (thanks for the jumpstart on that Zenith). We’re finalizing the offering this week, should be selling (A LOT OF THEM) starting end of the month. Josh is right, there isn’t a business out there that should be without this product. Nothing comes close price vs. function. Todd
Hey Todd: Thanks for your perspectives. I should note that MSPmentor does not “test” or “endorse” specific vendor products. But I will be visiting Zenith’s headquarters on July 15 and 16, and hope to blog a bit about the company and it’s ongoing MSP efforts.