Four Reasons Why MSPs Should Offer Data Protection Services
By Omry Farajun, President, Storage Guardian
Recent headlines, including those from the global Wannacry ransomware cyberattack, have more businesses than ever concerned about the risks of not protecting their critical information from malicious software, electronic data breaches, denial of service attacks, and other natural or manmade disasters. Not only can shut-downs such as these significantly impact a business’s day-to-day revenue flow and reputation, any loss of data, either temporarily or permanently, also can lead to significant fines for companies that operate in highly regulated industries.
As still-vulnerable businesses explore options to safeguard their organizations, most quickly discover that they simply do not have the in-house expertise, technology, or time required to build and manage a disaster recovery strategy. So when faced with the difficult task of putting one in place, they often turn to their trusted managed services provider (MSP) for help protecting their data and mitigating potential revenue loss.
If you are still on the fence about whether to add data protection services to your set of offerings, here are four solid reasons to do so:
- Boosts your revenue. Not only do long-term managed data protection contracts provide you with a predictable and stable recurring revenue stream, they also solidify your role as your customer’s trusted disaster recovery expert. This standing positions you to offer additional services with increased revenue potential. One of those value-added options is the cloud-based Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS). When your data protection software includes built-in analytics that can pinpoint an individual customer’s Recovery Point Objective (RPO) and Recovery Time Objective (RTO), you have the knowledge required to convince that customer to upgrade to a premium DRaaS solution that will enable its business to return to operations in minutes or hours instead of days.
- Helps retain current customers. Businesses today are looking to increase efficiency and often prefer not to deal with multiple IT vendors. Offering more services such as critical managed data protection services enhances stickiness and lessens the risk of defection when an established customer looks to move their business to a competitor with a more robust set of IT solutions.
- Protects your reputation. Chances are that if a data loss occurs, you will be one of the targets of the blame game even if you are not responsible for data security. Proactively educating your customers about the risks they face and proactively offering data protection services helps shield your organization from any insinuation of culpability should disaster strike.
- Easy deployment and management. Deploying a cloud-based data protection solution onto your customers’ networks can be straightforward and quickly accomplished when you choose a vendor that integrates deeply and seamlessly with your RMM and PSA software. The premier data protection software vendors give you the capacity to select the company designated for the install directly from your business management software and provide a one-time install process that requires no hardware. This one-pane approach also permits the electronic interchange of data to simplify the day-to-day management of your customers’ data and accounts, increase technician efficiency, and increase billing accuracy.
With North America’s cybersecurity market expected to surpass $67 billion by the end of 2025 according to Persistence Market Research, now is the time to add data security services to your set of offerings and take advantage of the growing demand from businesses of all sizes. And remember: If you cannot provide your customers with a solution that will protect their critical business data and give them peace of mind, other MSPs are waiting just around the corner to happily step in and take your place. MSPs have little excuse for leaving this kind of potential revenue on the table.
For information about how to add managed security services, including DRaaS, to your portfolio, visit the Storage Guardian website.