On May 11, 2017, President Donald Trump signed an executive order (EO) intended to fortify the cybersecurity of federal networks by instituting a massive shift in how the United States government manages its data. The aim was/is to create a single federal IT enterprise. This endeavor will be supported by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Office of Management & Budget (OMB). Tim Bossert, DHS advised that there will be a preference in federal procurement for shared IT services (cloud services) among the 190 federal agencies, and the goal of this move to the cloud is to avoid defending antiquated and fractional systems. (This should be music to the ears of any federal channel reseller/MSP.)
In the super fast-paced world of technology, it can be hard to be in “the right place at the right time” to catch a trend and capitalize on it. Well, if you’re an IT service provider today, this is the right place and the right time! The hottest trend today is Big Data. And the people best placed to make use of that data are service providers who monitor and manage resources.
Everyone needs backup. But, it is a thankless job, one that adds no real competitive advantage - and when things go wrong there is nothing but blame. And things far too often do go wrong. Tape backup in particular is prone to error.
There’s a vast need for efficient, affordable data backup that satisfies enterprises and small businesses alike. The current model isn’t cutting it. A catastrophic failure can put them out of business faster than you can imagine.
You’re good at backup. But what would make you great? Many resellers and MSPs haven’t quite mastered their backup line of business. The key is to determine how you can properly structure your service offerings, improve your efficiency, and provide service that keeps your customers happy—all at the same time.
Often, the mention of Disaster Recovery produces thoughts of monsoons and hurricanes, complete chaos, no power, etc. In reality, for many businesses a disaster is simply as an event that creates an inability for the business to function. Disasters come in many shapes and sizes – the natural disasters we all think about, but also chemical spills, building fires, broken water pipes, and, on a much smaller scale, a virus-infected server.
Backup isn’t just about storing copies of your customers’ data; it’s really more about what happens when you need to restore it. You see, the more often you back up, the more up-to-date the data is when the time comes to restore it. Much of this is driven by the backup window, which is the time it takes to perform a backup without impacting system and network performance. Performance degradation is one reason backups are usually done during off- peak hours.
