Why MSPs Should Test Their Backup Solutions

Imagine finding out the hard way that your home alarm system wasn’t working. You arrive home to an open front door with your personal items scattered around your place. Some expensive purchases—jewelry, your stereo system, or your computer—are missing. You get in touch with the home security company and alert them to the fact that your system was faulty. They can’t do much on their end, so you’re left to deal with damages on your own. You're upset and angry, and they've not only lost a customer but have also damaged their reputation.

If you work for or own an MSP, this scenario could happen to you, too. Imagine this scenario in which your MSP is the security company, the victim is your client, and you’re unable to recover their data in an emergency. Your client would lose faith in your product and your business. And more than likely, they’ll spread the word which could do permanent damage to your reputation. The good news? There’s a way to ensure this never happens. Simply test all of your clients’ backup and recovery solutions before they’re actually needed. Here are three reasons why:

1. To Ensure Backups Are Functional

What’s the point of trying to back up data if you can't restore from those backups later? Don't add more retention points to a chain or move forward with any kind of recovery testing without double-checking the functionality of backups first. This step is imperative to the overall success of your client’s solution.

2. To Keep Your Virtual Machine in Tip-Top Shape

At the core of every recovery plan is a VM. Testing it before a full recovery is required will give you peace of mind. You know that your technology will be there for your clients when they need it most. Tick off all the boxes with this one. Make sure it can boot properly and that its various applications are running smoothly.

3. To Make Some Extra Money

Once you start testing the backup and recovery solutions you put into place for your customers, you can extend your services to companies that have an existing DR strategy and want to test its effectiveness. MSPs can create additional revenue by running tests for clients. Once you have your own testing procedures perfected, it’s the ideal opportunity to expand your services to offer testing or security training. Keep in mind that if you’re an MSP and you’re not currently offering data backup and recovery protection to clients, we can easily help start you off on the right foot. Organizations keep their critical information always safe, accessible, and optimized with StorageCraft’s data protection, data management, and business continuity solutions. Our powerful data protection offerings deliver instant, reliable, and complete data recovery and eliminate downtime. Get in touch with us today to learn more or check out our partner program for MSPs.