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AutoVerify Automated Backup Integrity Testing with x360Recover Direct-to-Cloud

Axcient’s AutoVerify technology has been available in our x360Recover business continuity and disaster recovery (BCDR) solution since its inception. Now, we have extended that capability to our hardware-free BCDR infrastructure, x360Recover Direct-to-Cloud (D2C), to enhance the existing nightly check feature. AutoVerify for x360Recover and x360Recover D2C is enabled by default and available to Axcient MSP partners through the x360 Portal.

In this article:

  • Gain insights and understanding into what AutoVerify is and how it works.
  • Understand the business benefits of leveraging automation over reoccurring manual tasks.
  • Find out how to calculate your potential monthly cost savings with x360Recover Direct-to-Cloud.

What is AutoVerify?

As the name implies, AutoVerify is an Axcient feature that automatically verifies the integrity of backups. As part of x360Recover D2C, AutoVerify intelligently tests D2C endpoints on both Axcient vaults, as well as self-hosted private vaults. AutoVerify completes a thorough assessment of all drives and data on your protected systems every day to ensure backups are available and useable. It validates the recoverability of backup snapshots and captures a screenshot of the protected system to give MSPs peace of mind.

How Does AutoVerify Work?

AutoVerify is an always-on, included feature with x360Recover and D2C, so no additional payment is needed, configuration requirement, or extra work to worry about. x360Recover supports integration with popular PSA/RMM tools, so AutoVerify data and boot VM screenshots are seamlessly captured and available in the x360 Portal. Additionally, because AutoVerify runs in the cloud instead of on local appliances, MSPs enjoy the same provable recovery expected with traditional backup. Virtualize to the Axcient Cloud or Axcient-hosted vaults or your private cloud vaults with Bring Your Own (BYO) capabilities. Now that you understand the setup within x360Recover, here’s how it works…

AutoVerify automatically virtualizes the latest backup recovery point for each system and runs numerous deep volume tests to check:

  • Bootability
  • Operating system health
  • Data corruption
  • File system and application integrity

Direct-to-Cloud AutoVerify testing is segmented into a tiered testing strategy that allows ‘lighter’ tests like simple boot testing with screen capture to be performed more frequently than ‘heaver’ tests, such as full volume check disk (CHKDSK) integrity scanning. Testing procedures include:

  • Capturing a screenshot of the login page
  • Performing heartbeat checks to the testing services running on the VM
  • Verifying the functionality of Microsoft Volume Shadowcopy Services (VSS)
  • Completing a full CHKDSK scan on all data volumes

With support alerting and escalation rules, MSPs determine when, how, and who is notified of potential issues. So if everything looks secure, safe, and recoverable, the dashboard of your x360 Portal will prove it for backup confidence, peace of mind, and sleep-filled nights.

With technology like AutoVerify, we can rest easy knowing that Axcient has built-in protections for our clients’ data. We have confidence in Axcient’s solutions and appreciate that we have a vendor partner going the extra mile to make sure our clients’ businesses are up and running if the worst happens.

– Paul Charles, CTO at DataTrends

Why is AutoVerify a Better Business Decision for MSPs?

Modern solutions like AutoVerify leverage the power of automation to save us from the repetitive, unnecessary, and labor-intensive (a.k.a. costs) of manually verifying backups. Beyond that obvious benefit, there are five more reasons you should consider AutoVerify as part of your BCDR strategy.

  1. Proactive alerting prevents critical issue impacts. AutoVerify monitors all key operations with anonymized cloud telemetry to not only provide daily proof of backup recoverability but to let MSPs know about potential issues before they become critical breaking points to business availability. Armed with unobstructed insights into server production performance, MSPs can confidently carry out incident response plans to guarantee SLAs and ensure BCDR for clients.
  2. Backup confidence relieves MSP stress. Put an end to ‘backup burn’ so you never have to face the nightmare of trying to restore a supposed ‘successful’ recovery, point only to find that some or all of it is unusable. Instead, get proof of backup integrity with the aggregate health status information provided by AutoVerify in-depth testing, reporting, and alerting.
  3. Direct integration provides an additional layer of security. Other vendors offer solutions they claim will trigger certain tests or workflows, but they are vulnerable to mistakes when the solution is initially configured, or a new protected server is added. Because AutoVerify supports direct integration with PSA and RMM tools, intelligent testing is built into x360Recover D2C by default.
  4. Human error is still the #1 cause of data loss. Avoid the repercussions of the inevitable chance that a manual backup verification is forgotten, an employee leaves unexpectedly, a natural disaster prevents integrity checks, or a disgruntled employee has a lapse in judgment. All of these things happen unexpectedly and more often than you might imagine.
  5. It costs less and does more. x360Recover D2C eliminates the cost of expensive appliances, reduces on-site visits and maintenance requests, enables BCDR standardization by solving multiple business cases with just one vendor, and now allows you to reallocate the resources spent on manual verification to go toward value-added tasks. So ask yourself, how much could you save by going hardware-free and reducing vendor management from several down to one?

Whenever AutoVerify says that it will start, it starts. So that’s a huge component from a time-saving point. We’re going to eventually trust it and stop doing the manual verification, which is going to save my guy 20 to 30 hours a quarter… That’s another savings.

– Phillip Long, Founder and CEO at Business Information Solutions, Inc. (BIS)

Start Saving Now with x360Recover D2C with AutoVerify

Lower your total cost of ownership (TCO) while increasing data protection security quickly, easily, and without the complications of ‘rip and replace.’ We’ve simplified the process of upgrading your solution with our proprietary Chain-Free backup technology. No hardware means you can deploy the Axcient agent through your RMM tools silently, configure your backup schedule, and start backing up almost instantly – no server reboots required and no need to deactivate existing products. Once D2C is up and running, remove other backup agents and enjoy automatic, reboot-free upgrades from Axcient.

Start Your Free 14-Day Trial Now to see x360Recover D2C and AutoVerify in action. Calculate your MSP’s actual cost savings and explore additional features, including Virtual Office for near-instant virtualization and AirGap anti-ransomware technology.

Carissa Kohn Johnson Axcient

About the Author: Carissa Johnson // Product Marketing Manager, Axcient

Carissa Kohn-Johnson has a background in behavioral and physical healthcare technology and information technology and currently works as the Product Marketing Manager for Axcient. She has a lot of MSP Channel experience from planning and attending hundreds of conferences and tradeshows, and found her passion in technology, and working with MSPs in particular. She serves on the Information Services Advisory Board for her community and feels most at home with other technology-forward people. Connect with her on LinkedIn – perhaps you can contribute to the Axcient blog?

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