Bundle Confidence With Your DRaaS Offerings

Solid data protection tools form the foundation of a DRaaS product—but the services and processes around those tools can help build trust.

  • November 30, 2021 | Author: Rich Castagna
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Cloud-based disaster recovery has done nothing less than revolutionize digital business continuity, offering businesses big and small a way to recover quickly when access to their systems and data is interrupted. DRaaS services and the tools they use are mature, effective and easily the most-economical way to ensure a timely resumption of business operations.

But even with the right tool kit and a responsive service, your customers’ recovery efforts can fail. Failure is usually a result of poorly conceived or inadequate processes, an area where many businesses require guidance and a better understanding of disaster recovery. 

 

Your job is to provide that guidance and to help build your clients’ confidence. That can largely be achieved through frequent testing of the recovery process, something you can help ensure gets done by building testing into your service agreements. 

 

In fact, it’s surprising how many MSPs don’t make testing of data recovery a firm requirement. After all, it is the service provider who will be under extra scrutiny when disaster strikes and processes need to work to recover lost or corrupted data. 

 

Quarterly testing is preferred, but if your organization can’t support that frequency, then semi-annual tests should be adequate. Testing is the best way for your clients to see if they’re protecting the right applications and data, and if their emergency access plans will work when needed. You’ll probably be called upon to help orchestrate tests and testing post mortems.

 

There are other ways that you can provide peace of mind for your customers. Make sure they know exactly how you will protect their data—both physical and digital security procedures, including access controls that should be based on two- or three-factor access. 

 

The types of backup you support should be plainly described, including approved or required software and the frequency with which backups occur. If you offer different levels of DRaaS based on backup frequency or RTOs/RPOs, they should be well defined so that your customers have a clear understanding of the type and depth of protection they’re buying.

 

Finally, demonstrate how you can grow with your clients. The amount of data that’s being retained by all types of businesses is spiraling upward, and a recovery plan designed for today’s volumes may come up short in the near future.

 

All these activities will enhance the tools you use to support your clients, but more importantly, they will instill a new level of confidence in the relationship.

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