Within the backup and disaster (BDR) market, MSPmentor is hearing more and more buzz about virtualization. The latest example involves Quorum Software Inc. (QuorumSoft),which will begin promoting virtualized BDR solutions to managed services providers (MSPs) on June 1. In some ways, the effort sounds a bit similar to Doyenz, which has recruited scores of VARs and MSPs into its virtualized cloud BDR service.
There’s also a side story here: Our blogging team thinks the storage market — particularly online backup and consumer cloud storage services — will experience a major shakeout this year. As one reader recently mentioned to us, the cloud storage market is more like “crowd storage” — too crowded with vendors, some of which are failing to (A) embrace the channel and (B) failing to differentiate their services. We’ll offer more Crowd Storage insights on our sister site, TalkinCloud, very soon.
But back to the story at hand: Virtualized BDR storage solutions and partner programs for MSPs. QuorumSoft on June 1 will make the Alike MSP Advantage partner program available to the channel. According to a prepared statement:
“Managed service providers can use the Alike MSP Advantage program to meet the growing demand for robust back up and disaster recovery protection delivered as part of their monthly outsourcing agreement with customers.”
The solution leverages the Citrix XenServer virtualization platform. We’re double-checking to learn more about QuorumSoft’s architecture — what’s potentially on premise, what’s potentially in the cloud… and if the cloud is involved: Whose cloud?
Meanwhile, Doyenz has spent the past year promoting virtualization-enabled cloud backup and recovery. CEO Ashutosh Tiwary is telling VARs and MSPs that the traditional backup model is old news, and partners should spend more time promoting rapid recovery times to their customers.
No doubt, additional companies are connecting the dots between BDR, virtualization and the cloud. We’ll potentially put the spotlight on those solutions as they pop onto our radar.
Additional reporting by Nicholas Mukhar. Sign up for MSPmentor’s Weekly Enewsletter, Webcasts and Resource Center. Follow us via RSS, Facebook, Identi.ca and Twitter. Check out more MSP voices at www.MSPtweet.com. Read our editorial disclosure here.
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Posted In: Managed Services | Managed Storage Services | Platforms | SMB Technology
Tags: Citrix Systems | data backup and disaster recovery | Managed Service Provider | quorumsoft
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I agree, the cloud BDR/storage market has too many vendors, but what is worse is that many of the services being offered really do not provide what users really need in a solution, that being continuous access to their systems after hardware failure or data loss. Understanding that as the number one requirement for the solution, MSPs need to evaluate each potential vendor against that standard. The vendor that can prove they can get a customer up and running the quickest will probably be the best bet.
Mitchell Cipriano
http://www.demandbydesign.com
I agree with Mitchell, unfortunately most of the solutions out there do not work as advertised. They are too complicated, have too many requirements on the network (for the typical SMB to handle) and do not work on a consistent basis.
Lane Smith
Lane:
This is where the MSP comes in. The successful MSP in this space offers a complete solution to the SMB, thereby insulating them from the complexities of the actual solution. A critical element for the MSP is to select a technology platform that will allow them to provide their customers with the solution they require. MSPs should understand the customers RTO/RPO requirements, current storage needs, scaling factors along with the need for a local copy of the data when selecting their technology partner and crafting the solution for their customers. This also allows the MSP to create a tiered offering based on factors like RTO/RPO, 24/7 support, etc. to maximize their revenues and meet the needs of individual customers.
Mitchell Cipriano
http://www.demandbydesign.com