StorageCraft, the data storage and protection vendor, has unveiled the latest model in its OneXafe product line. It’s the Solo backup appliance.

StorageCraft OneXafe Solo is designed for SMBs. It allows companies to get enterprise-level backup and recovery services without user intervention. The appliance provides cloud-based business continuity from a small plug-and-play device, for a subscription.

StorageCraft calls it easy to configure and deploy. Devices stream data to the cloud via the internet, without needing costly onsite infrastructure. The Solo appliances use the same advanced data protection technology platform included in the company’s ShadowXafe products. They also include flexible restore capabilities, SLA-based data protection and workflow, and cloud-based management.

The Solo appliances can also help as part of efforts to set up employees’ remote working environments due to mandatory COVID-19-related “shelter in place” orders around the world, according to the vendor.

The Solo measures only 4x4x2 inches and you can use it in virtual, physical, agentless and other environments. MSPs can use the devices to protect single-tenant and multitenant customer environments. Users can connect the device to the internet, then follow several steps to connect it to the MSP. The MSP can then remotely set data protection and replication policies for the devices. MSPs can manage the OneXafe Solo remotely via StorageCraft OneSystem from anywhere through a web browser.

The new device model aims to help better protect smaller businesses that face many of the same threats as larger companies, but without having dedicated IT security departments to help them. So says Shridar Subramanian, vice president of global product management and marketing for StorageCraft.

StorageCraft’s Shridar Subramanian

“It provides business continuity and recovery for SMBs — delivered through MSPs,” Subramanian told Channel Futures. “It is simply sent to the customer site and plugged into the network to begin the backup and protection process via a cloud-based [user interface].”

Security & SMBs

After installation, the devices protect customers from malware, ransomware, data failure and other threats. The Solo also offers new business opportunities to MSPs who may not have previously been serving smaller customers, Subramanian said.

“They can now service this market to scale, with ease and at economics that are aligned around their business model,” he said.

MSPs don’t have to send technicians to a customer site for any reason when using the devices, saving money.

For some time, partners and customers have been asking for backup capabilities that are easy to deploy and use, said Subramanian.

“There has been unmet demand for an enterprise-class data backup and recovery solution that delivers the simplicity, flexibility, ease of management and economics that SMBs require,” he said. “Ease of management and simplicity are key in this solution. During an extensive global beta program, StorageCraft refined the management and reporting features directly from beta feedback to optimize the remote management capabilities.”

The StorageCraft OneXafe Solo has no upfront costs for users. You pay monthly, startng at $99 per month for the first protected machine. Additional protected machines start at …

… $79 each.

Partner Reaction

Bill Stayart, chief technology strategist for the network solutions group at Kyocera Document Solutions, a StorageCraft channel partner, said the new appliances will help expand his company’s MSP offerings to include backup and disaster recovery as standard services — not just as bolt-on or add-in sales.

Kyocera’s Bill Stayart

“This should allow us to retain MSP business longer by controlling backups,” said Stayart. “The big benefit is the low cost of deployment, affording complete control of the client’s environment.”

The key to the offering is StorageCraft’s OneSystem software, which is agnostic to the devices it backs up, said Stayart.

“The client and the MSP investment are maintained until the current devices need to be replaced or upgraded … The better we serve our client partners, the more we will grow and retain business. Back up fast, recover even faster. What good is a backup if you can’t restore it and get back to business?”

What Analysts Say

Krista Macomber, an analyst with Evaluator Group, said the StorageCraft OneXafe Solo will be a useful tool for many MSPs.

Evaluator Group’s Krista Macomber

“As a result of the novel coronavirus pandemic, many organizations are left scrambling to find a way to support what has become, practically speaking, an entirely remote workforce overnight,” she said. “Bad actors are looking to take advantage of this situation with a flurry of phishing and other cyberattacks, and users are more prone to make mistakes because they are out of their normal environment. As a result, backup and disaster recovery are a very important component in terms of facilitating business continuity for the remote workforce.”

The StorageCraft OneXafe Solo presents an opportunity for MSPs to address these requirements, said Macomber.

“For customers, it provides a flexible and easy way to meet their critical data protection requirements. The ease of deployment and the fact that the product can back up and replicate to the cloud also makes it scalable. Resources can be quickly fluctuated up and down as organizations’ requirements change.”