Before diving into the market for a data backup and disaster recovery (BDR) partner, you may want to look at the vertical markets where your customers specialize and invest.

Finding the diamond in the rough will be a lot easier after you’ve taken the time to learn who your customers are and what they need. For instance, do you have a customer in the financial services vertical? If so, how will your BDR solution cater to banks, mortgage firms, brokerage firms, and other verticals? What would happen if your customer lost data?

Have another customer in the healthcare vertical? How will your BDR solution protect patient records? How do you plan to comply with HIPAA and other government regulations? If your BDR partner doesn’t have the answers, it may be time to go with a new vendor, no?

Many vendors advertise vertical specialties on their websites, but only a few actually understand how BDR can apply to each vertical. In fact, the more markets a vendor claims to be a specialist in, the more likely they’re not a specialist in any vertical market.

MSPmentor tip: Find a BDR vendor who isn’t spreading itself too thin.

Follow CJ Arlotta on Twitter @cjarlotta for further updates on the story above.