If you’re a managed service provider and haven’t leveraged cloud backup services yet, then you’re missing out.
Once you make cloud backup software an important part of your service offerings, you’ll realize just how essential it is to have a cloud backup solution for your business, especially in times of emergency.
The core functionality of cloud backup software for MSP and resellers is that it allows you to offer two separate lines of services under one larger umbrella—the first being backup as a service, while the other becomes recovery as a service. Of course, the former will be the more important one in this case, since service providers would be more interested in having their backups continuously on the cloud, and may not need to recover their data all the time, but the point still stands.
Now that the context is set, let’s explore what cloud backup software can actually do for you as an MSP.
The Functions of Cloud Backup Software for MSPs
When you engage the services of cloud backup software, you’re essentially creating a cloud of your own which you can then offer to a client of your own. This allows you to decide on a lot of factors based upon your clients’ needs, and thus the flexibility can work well for your service business in the long run.
Besides the flexibility, the cloud backup service is also eminently scalable. Whether you have a handful of clients and have just started out, or you need to manage the IT needs of thousands of clients, it makes sense to opt for the cloud backup software model - you can scale your services as far as your organization can go!
Let’s explore some of these features in detail.
1. Flexible licenses
Typically, these software offer inclusive pricing, so you have an idea of how much the whole thing is going to cost you for all features. You can make sure to include as many licenses as is feasible for your current client base, and as things grow you can scale your licenses knowing that there will be no additional cost for specific upgrades or for dedicated support.
2. Multi-tenant platform
You can create dedicated accounts, not just for your clients, but also provide restricted access so that your internal team members can also get access to the information that they should have access to. Thus, a multi-tenant platform can provide more functionality for your organization, depending on the specific use cases.
3. Local Backup
For situations when you would much rather have your data backup on a local system (or server) than on the cloud, backup software for MSP can facilitate that need as well. Thanks to the kind of support that they provide, this is actually an additional service for which you do not have to pay extra. You can get clean images of all your data and store it at your convenience.
4. Flexible Cloud Backup
Of course, this is perhaps the main reason why cloud backup software is sought after - they can be a very inexpensive way to ensure that your data, as well as your clients’ data, is completely secure. But here you get a lot of options to choose from, such provider-hosted cloud, public hosted cloud, hybrid, or other options as well. There is no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to cloud backups!
5. Seeding from/to Cloud
Here, you have a couple of options to ensure that your backup goes to the cloud in a seeded fashion, once you’ve completed a full backup to the local device of your choice. With this in place, you also get the option to completely restore the backup, reverse seeded from the cloud via an encrypted drive to your client.
6. White Labeling
You also have the option of setting up your own services taken from the cloud backup MSP software as white labeled services. The beauty of this particular additional service is that you don’t just add your name to the service provider’s collateral or website - you get the option to customize everything that your client will see, including the fonts, the interface, the branding, and so on.
7. Multiple Deployment Options
When it comes to deploying your cloud backups, you get multiple options to make it happen, such as through GPO, utilizing an MSI-based installer, or a call installation with RMM, or through common-line or manual installation. And the best part is that there is no reboot required right after the installation is complete. This means that there will be no downtime, and you can continue with your daily operations without any interruptions.
8. Disaster recovery
By giving your clients the option to recover to a physical location from any virtual disk, you stand out from your competition. In fact, because various cloud backup providers are also trying to offer more value to their clients, you can always use this as the deciding factor. The faster and easier to implement the disaster recovery system, the better their holistic offering - and you can make your decision on this basis!
9. Storage server
The storage server allows you to make changes to your entire backend infrastructure from one dedicated place. This way you do all your data configuration conveniently, and you can also ensure that there are no slip-ups in your operational workflows. The net result, as you can imagine, is that your organization is more efficient overall and can serve your clients much better!
10. Professional support ecosystem
It is a well-known fact that well-timed and helpful support from any service provider can make or break the entire customer experience, and by that token, the entire relationship as well. This is where backup cloud service providers can be extremely useful in the business context, by facilitating easy solutions to tough questions and making sure you don’t suffer from any downtime!
Now that we’ve looked at some of the features that cloud backup software can provide for MSPs as well as resellers, let’s take a look at some of the best cloud backup software that you should be considering if you’re in the market for one!
Best Cloud Backup Software for Resellers and MSPs
Depending on your needs, there are various vendors in the market that can give you a solution tailored to your exact needs. Each vendor has one or two differentiating factors which sets them apart from the others. So, here are the top five cloud backup software for MSPs and resellers. Do note that the list below includes specific products, not just the overarching software companies that provide the services.
1. Acronis Cyber Protect
Building on a more basic version of a different offering, this particular product guarantees protection across several pillars that may be a necessity for your business. It delivers a strong ransomware protection option, adds in a forensic backup option as well, and is ideal for remote deployments across the globe. This is a formidable contender for your consideration if you run a small or medium business, and the plan for this starts at $59 per year. (Did you know? SuperOps.ai integrates well with Acronis.)
2. MSP360 Managed Backup
If your primary need is to have a clean, simple, and easy-to-use backup software for your business, then you really don’t need to look beyond MSP360 Managed Backup. Offering flexible licensing as well as backend integrations with Wasabi, this backup solution can be availed at a rather affordable cost of $10 per server endpoint, which can go as high as $20 per server endpoint depending upon the circumstances. This can be a great choice for your business, but do look out for the fact that it doesn’t offer any mobile support, which can be a dealbreaker for some.
3. NovaBackup
Although a bit steeper in comparison to other offerings, Novabackup’s MSP-based product has a lot going for it, especially considering the Central Monitoring Console, user account management, and self-hosted cloud functionality. Their business-grade plan starts at $250 per instance, but it’s comprehensive, and includes support for virtual hardware as well, so you know you won’t have to rely on physical disks all the time. As far as business functionality goes, this too is an important concern, and if your business can benefit from this optimization, this is the right choice for you!
4. ArcServe USP Direct
If you’re looking for a reliable disaster recovery solution which can also provide on-demand backup solutions, then ArcServe will be the best move forward for you and your business. While these are on-point services, the major downside is the pricing. The way the pricing is structured, the minimum you will have to pay is around $2500 per month - which includes a 50TB commitment at around $50 per TB. If you have enough for this size of backup and disaster recovery storage, then there’s no doubt that this will be the best way to spend that money. However, if your needs aren’t quite at this scale, then it may make more financial sense to consider something else altogether.
5. Backblaze Business Backup
Backblaze is a common name in the cloud backup industry and for good reason. It’s extremely convenient to use, with a super helpful feature where they will email you your data in a hard disk if that’s what will fit your needs the best. In addition, you also get unlimited data storage, so you never have to worry about how much data is on your client’s virtual or physical devices. One of its only drawbacks is that it lacks advanced data analytics, which can be quite crucial depending on the business you’re in - but other than that, this is a done deal for sure!
Related reading: Best RMM software for MSPs
In Conclusion
There are various cloud backup software that can be helpful to resellers or MSPs, as they allow these businesses to white label their services and make money without much hassle. Depending on the specific needs of the business, they can opt for disaster recovery, cloud seeding, and flexible backup options while leveraging multiple deployment options, a robust support ecosystem, as well as flexible licensing. The cost for the same can vary significantly depending upon the kind of exposure an individual business is seeking, as well as the amount of money they can invest in their backend infrastructure.
