By Michael Brown 1

Managed service providers are constantly seeking ways to create a demand for their brand and grow their revenue. The money is in the margin, and one fertile area is in file synchronization. Customers want agile access to their data along with security and compliance.

Why commercial file sync services don’t make the cut

MSPs should look past consumer-focused file syncing services for more secure and reliable cloud-based file sharing services.  In addition to security and reliability, the best file sync solutions:

·         are built exclusively for MSPs with a view towards servicing a variety of clients

·         give real-time file sync services to a variety of customers on every device — anytime, anywhere

·         provide an additional, cost-effective way for MSPs to leverage their services to file backup and disaster recovery

What MSPs need in file sync services

The following are the top seven features MSPs need in a cloud file sync solution:

1. Users can access their files conveniently over a wide array of devices. The service must meet the needs of employees, who are becoming increasingly mobile. Clients want to confer, collaborate, but remain secure and compliant. The best cloud file sync solution balances and accommodates all those considerations.

2. The service has “business-class” capabilities. The goal is to satisfy the most stringent access restrictions under a variety of sophisticated user, group and client permission schemes.

3. The syncing includes strong security features. Data transmitted and received must meet government encryption standards. If a device is lost, the system must be able to wipe the data clean. Security controls must be in place at every level — user, group and client.

4. The service must fully support and comply with government regulations. Healthcare clients are joined at the hip with HIPAA. Financial service clients need assurance that their data is in full compliance with local, state and federal regulations. There is no room for error, and ignorance of the law is not an option.

5. The file syncing must be easily deployable to a variety of clients. MSPs serve multiple customers.  Multi-tenant management and monitoring are vital to rapid deployment. The MSP must be able to control, manage and monitor the file sync service from a central console.

6. The service provides the MSP the ability to make service its own.  That would be through the indispensable process of branding. MSPs need a “white-label” cloud service that allows them to brand key components of the service, including the web portal.

7. The service has a high profitability margin. MSPs need a repeating revenue model — a monthly subscription offering, for example — with attractive gross profit margins, ideally at the 50-70 percent level.

Anchoring it all together

To deliver the best cloud file sync services, MSPs need to give secure and feature-rich file sharing to their clients — across all their devices. This provides them with adequate control and the ability to manage and monitor their data and information as needed.

For a more in depth look at the top 7 file sharing features MSPs should look for, download the whitepaper here.