News in the Channel - issue #27

CLOUD BACKUP

implementation and configuration of prescribed security solutions, as well as ongoing support,” he says. “Resellers can emphasise to customers the importance of proper backup procedures, and anti-ransomware measures like immutability, air-gapping, anomaly detection, and malware scanning tools, as well as a zero trust approach across endpoints – all of which remain essential defences. Additionally, automation will be increasingly integrated into data protection workflows to enhance efficiency and reduce human error.” Alan Stephenson-Brown, CEO of Evolve, says that resellers need to advise customers to choose a reputable and reliable cloud provider that can help to minimise the risk of data loss or corruption. “Many businesses opt for a hybrid model of data storage that combines cloud and local storage, it’s also an option to use multiple cloud providers to reduce the risk of a single point of failure and ensure the availability of their data,” he says. “There are also some easy wins that businesses can make that are not emphasised enough by resellers – customers need to implement strong authentication methods such as multifactor authentication (MFA), which can significantly reduce the risk of unauthorised access to data, and also encryption for data in transit and data at rest that can help protect sensitive data from unauthorised access and data breaches. Resellers play an important role in changing the way businesses see data protection and how effectively cloud solutions are used.” Meanwhile, flexible scaling and solid reliability are the cornerstones of secure cloud storage, Paul adds. “Whether that’s dealing with less than one petabyte of data or hundreds of petabytes,” he says. “That’s why we’re shifting to a pay-as-you- go licensing model, to ensure customers only pay for the storage capacity they

use, aligning costs with revenue.” Dene adds that demand for seamless integration into multi-cloud is growing. “With customers consuming several hyperscaler services as well as requiring support wider ranges of SaaS platforms,” he says. “Some of this is driven by a desire to intelligently automate tasks leveraging AI and DevOps tooling across platforms. Using AI to advise on policy iterations and automate threat hunting are high interest features at we are seeing demand for.” Paul Collins, CTO at UBDS Digital, agrees that a robust, multi-layered cloud security strategy is required. “It's not enough to just check the boxes with strong passwords and MFA,” he says. “When speaking with clients, resellers need to drive home the value of immutable backups, which are essentially tamper- proof. This is a critical defence against ransomware and other malicious attacks. “Coupled with a comprehensive disaster recovery plan is non-negotiable. However, it's more than just recovering data; it's about ensuring the business can keep going. Compliance with regulations like GDPR is not a suggestion; it is a legal requirement. These are essential points to cover with every client.” Beyond traditional backup Aron Brand, CTO, CTERA, says resellers should move beyond selling backup services. “They should focus on offering cyber storage solutions, which Gartner defines as intelligent, self-defending storage that continuously protects data and enables instant recovery,” he says. “Unlike conventional backups, which often leave companies vulnerable between snapshots, cyber storage solutions provide built in continuous replicas, allowing organisations to roll back data to any point in time without suffering major losses. “Another key demand from customers is instant disaster recovery. Traditional

Frank DeBenedetto GTM, GM, MSP Suite

kaseya.com

Mike Barron managing director

synaxon-services.com

Alan Stephenson-Brown CEO

evolvebg.co.uk

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