News in the Channel - issue #22

DISASTER RECOVERY FOR SMBS

planning,” he says. “Resellers should ask their customers if they have a plan, and – crucially – has it been tested? Backup with a recovery plan will be of little use when disaster strikes, and a business with an untested recovery plan may as well not have one at all. Resellers should make sure their customers understand these requirements and can offer additional services to help. “By highlighting real-world examples and offering tailored solutions, resellers can help customers understand the value of investing in a robust disaster recovery strategy,” he says. Dave adds that resellers should emphasise the importance of backup software that can support customer’s RTO and RPO targets and stress the importance of regular testing and updates. “Additionally, they should be supporting customers with evolving data compliance requirements and supply chain considerations and, ultimately, explain how a comprehensive disaster recovery plan, centred on robust backup solutions, is crucial for overall cyber resilience and business continuity,” he says. Steven says that resellers should steer customers to the most achievable solution within the scope of their resources. “The reseller should not be over-reaching on their own ability to deliver a robust solution as the skills shortage stretches to resellers as well as customers,” he says. “Amid delivering your scoped out disaster recovery solution to a customer at a time of need is an inconvenient time to establish any shortcomings.” Understanding the business Resellers also need to thoroughly understand the customer’s requirements when confronted with a scenario where all their systems are inaccessible. “Key is how quickly do the systems need to be back online before it becomes an operational problem; less than 30 minutes, two hours or will downtime up to 24 hours have no great operational impact,” Steven says. “Additionally, once recovered how much data can the business afford to lose. Will the loss of the last hour’s data be impactful or not, or can the business operate based on the recovery of data from 24 hours before the disaster? “The realistic recognition of these key points will steer the business into what type of technology or service they should be considering and make it clear the commitment required to be able to secure the business in the event of a catastrophic data disaster.”

Andy Brown technical services director UK & Ireland

uk.tdsynnex.com

power and disaster recovery is vital to support continuity to short-, medium- and long-term productivity and customer satisfaction.”

Reseller conversations Resellers play a crucial role in helping

businesses develop and maintain effective DR plans. “Key conversations should include understanding the business’ needs,” says Durgan. “Discuss the specific risks faced by the customer’s industry and how these impact their disaster recovery needs. “Resellers should also clearly explain the costs associated with different disaster recovery solutions and the potential financial impact of not having an effective plan in place. “They should also emphasise the importance of compliance with regulations such as GDPR and how disaster recovery plans can help safeguard data privacy.” Quentin notes that it helps for resellers to understand specific risks that an organisation has. “Understanding their threat forecast helps the reseller propose an effective strategy to implement within the organisation,” he says. “Pitching just any solution and process to an organisation may not assist the organisation with their recovery plans/ procedures. It’s also helpful to understand the disaster history of the organisation, to help them advance their methods.” Chris says the first step should be to move the conversation on from backup to disaster recovery. “While businesses often know the value of backup, they are less aware of the role of backup within wider disaster recovery

Chris Groot general manager

n-able.com

Martin Ryder channel sales director, Northern Europe

vertiv.com