Use Business Recovery as a Gateway to Cloud Storage

IT service providers that have been selling cloud-based business continuity solutions surely have noticed data backup and recovery is one of the most popular cloud-based offerings with end users. In fact, according to a recent study by CompTIA, storage and backup solutions are the most popular cloud applications, with 71 percent of small and midsize businesses (SMB) currently using the technology. The data points don’t end there.

Business continuity solutions in the cloud are more popular than even email, with 62 percent of SMBs telling CompTIA they are using it. They are also more popular than what is arguably the application that opened the door to cloud-based computing, CRM, which 53 percent of SMBs said they use.

At Zenith Infotech we have long felt that business continuity solutions are a natural gateway to a cloud-based IT environment. We discovered early on that end users quickly see the value of a technology that requires no management on their end while allowing them to stay in business in the aftermath of a disaster. It’s a powerful case for any IT service provider to make, especially when they emphasize the low cost of a technology that before the advent of cloud computing would have proven out of reach for most SMBs.

The need for backup and recovery historically took a backseat at SMBs because of price and human nature. By human nature, I am referring to the “it won’t happen to me” syndrome.” It’s something probably all of us can relate to at one point or another.

But here’s the thing: It can, and will happen to you. Just ask the nearly eight in 10 businesses that, according to a study by the Ponemon Institute, have experienced some type of data loss over the past year. That’s 77 percent of the 2,400 organizations that participated in the Ponemon survey, and it’s a pretty staggering number when you think about it.

IT service providers have an important role in helping their clients prevent, or quickly recoup from, data losses by selling them cloud-based backup and recovery. Once clients see the technology in action, and see how easy it is to recover something as simple as a single file or as complex as a database rebuild, their confidence in cloud-based solutions will undoubtedly grow. Clients will enjoy the peace of mind of knowing their data is safeguarded and easily recoverable.

As clients grow more comfortable with the cloud concept, it becomes easier for the IT service provider to pitch further cloud offerings. Even when there is an IT staff at the client site, you’ll find the staff becomes more amenable to cloud computing once people realize it doesn’t necessarily put them out of a job, and in fact, may actually free them up to focus on more strategic efforts.

With the IT staff on board the cloud cause, it won’t take long for IT service providers to win over executives, who tend to pay more attention to dollars and cents than the IT guys, anyway, so affordable cloud solutions may just be the thing they are looking for. It’s important, however, to resist precipitating the process. In most cases, IT service providers will find that gradual adoption of cloud solutions is preferable, as opposed to flipping a switch to a fully cloud-based environment.

Zenith Infotech partners who have employed this gradual approach with our SmartStyle private cloud solution are finding it works. Successful IT service providers intuitively understand the value of easing clients into the cloud, allowing them to see the effectiveness of the solutions for themselves before taking another step. Starting the process with business recovery, we have found, typically produces very positive results.

Maurice Saluan is senior VP of sales for Zenith Infotech as well as seasoned sales veteran in the managed service arena. Monthly guest blogs such as this one are part of MSPmentor’s Platinum sponsorship. Find all of Saluan’s blog entries here.