MSPs: Adopting the Right Cloud for Your DRaaS Offering

MSPs don’t need to be told why disaster recovery as a service (DRaaS) is valuable. Not only does it protect clients from data loss and downtime, but it’s also a profitable value-add for you. But that’s only the case if you take the right approach. For many, one of the biggest questions about a DRaaS offering is which cloud to use. Typically, MSPs will take one of two approaches: a public cloud like Google Cloud Platform or AWS, or a private cloud, whether it’s an in-house data center or a colocation set up.

And, while both options offer compelling benefits, they’re both limited when it comes to the features that are crucial to a true DRaaS offering. That’s why MSPs should consider a third option: a private, purpose-built DRaaS cloud. Not only will this approach give them the customization and controls they’d expect from a cloud solution they built themselves, but it will also give them powerful recovery features that no DRaaS solution should be without. Let’s look at a few reasons why MSPs should use a dedicated disaster recovery cloud for their DRaaS offering.

Purpose-Built for Recovery

For most MSPs, a public cloud is just a parking lot for backups. But, as you know, taking backups and storing them is only half of the equation. Absent instant virtual failover for machines or the entire network, a public cloud won’t deliver quick a recovery that helps clients reduce costly downtime. But with a DRaaS cloud, it’s all about recovery. Once backups are replicated to the cloud, MSPs have a variety of recovery options at their fingertips. Admins can recover files and folders or even pre-stage a virtual recovery of an entire network. With options like these, your clients can rest assured that downtime won’t be a problem.

Ease of Management  

A public cloud might give you ways to quickly provision machines and allocate compute resources, but as noted, they’re not built with backup and recovery in mind. Using backup and DR solutions in concert with a public cloud offers some protection, but it can be a management headache that ultimately leaves clients vulnerable to downtime. Meanwhile, a DRaaS cloud is easy to set up and configure remotely, even across multiple clients. Through a single dashboard, admins can verify that backups are indeed being taken and are stored safely in the cloud. Plus, they can pre-stage site-wide failover processes so you can test or execute a failover with a single click. Public clouds can’t offer anything similar out of the box and developing this kind of functionality with a private cloud is a massive undertaking. Why not just use a solution that’s already built for what you need?

SLA-Driven Performance and Customization

Data loss and downtime events come in many forms. MSPs must be able to adapt to any failure events that affect a client. With a DRaaS cloud, MSPs can typically offer a service level that’s right for each client. Not every client’s recovery objectives will require instant failover for a full network, but all clients probably want backups stored offsite. Luckily, a DRaaS cloud gives MSPs the flexibility they need to offer clients solutions that match their unique needs and budget.

Testing and Proactive Management

Recovery isn’t assured unless you can be sure backups are valid. A DRaaS cloud is built to simplify the way MSPs take, manage, and recover offsite backups. Through a single pane of glass, MSPs can actively monitor backups and even test backups in just a few clicks, across every client. With configurable alerts, a DRaaS cloud can also ensure admins are aware of the issues that they choose to define, so they can address them immediately. With features like these, MSPs can be positive backups are always ready for recovery should the time come.

Final Thoughts

There’s no question that a DRaaS cloud allows MSPs to provide a better overall solution for backup and recovery. Between customization, ease of use, and powerful recovery options, there’s no better option for MSPs to offer that doesn’t involve lots of overhead, maintenance, and the associated headaches. Why not just trust the DRaaS cloud experts and do the job right?

Curious how easy it can be to switch to a dedicated DRaaS cloud? Reach out to a StorageCraft sales engineer to see what’s possible.