Intronis CEO: Few Rivals In SMB Online Backup Market
When it comes to cloud computing, scores of companies chase storage dollars. One of them is Intronis, an online backup specialist that works closely with managed services providers. So how will Intronis differentiate as big ISPs and on-premise storage companies shift to the cloud? Plunkett provides some clues in this TalkinCloud FastChat Video.
Plunkett says the online and offline storage market is a $50 billion opportunity, but when you segment it down to the SMB channel working with MSPs, you’re down to only a few online backup players. Instead of worrying about potential rivals, Intronis sees the biggest competition being MSP inertia. Although Intronis is growing more than 50 percent per year, the company needs strong MSP relationships in order to fuel that growth.
Intronis, as you may recall, named Plunkett as CEO back in November 2010, succeeding founder Sam Gutmann (who remains chairman). Now, Plunkett is working closely with Intronis Channel Chief Ted Roller to maintain and accelerate relationships with MSPs.
Plunkett has IPO experience from his previous post at Salary.com. But in our discussions, Plunkett shared a long-term financial view rather than a near-term IPO or company sale strategy.
I realize the storage market has multiple segments. But I still wonder how Intronis will continue to differentiate amid established rivals like eFolder, commodity consumer services like Carbonite, cloud-centric rivals like Asigra and disaster recovery upstarts like Doyenz. Plus, big software companies like Trend Micro are pushing beyond security into online backup.
Still, perhaps I’m over-analyzing the situation. Plunkett mentioned Intronis is growing 50 percent per year. Perhaps the model for success simply involves maintaining the same game plan.
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