BDR Appliances for Critical RTO Times
Whether relying on a backup and disaster recovery (BDR) appliance or the cloud, MSPs prioritize business continuity by preventing and minimizing downtime during critical incidents. Recovery objective time (RTO) measures the maximum time MSPs have to restore normal client operations after a disruption. Understanding RTO planning is essential to prevent significant financial and reputational damage to clients and your MSP. This is where appliance-based backup and disaster recovery (BDR) solutions are invaluable.
BDR devices may seem like a second choice to innovative cloud-based business continuity and disaster recovery (BCDR), but to meet diverse client preferences, environments, and compliance, MSPs should offer options to accommodate both. Ensure rapid data restoration, seamless integration, and robust protection, allowing businesses to resume operations quickly.
Keep reading to explore BDR appliance deployments, see what to consider, and how to enhance service offerings and client satisfaction with competitive RTO standards.
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A BDR Appliance is Best When…
Axcient x360Recover accommodates appliance and cloud-based deployments in one solution, giving MSPs and their clients choice and flexibility without the need to manage multiple vendors and solutions. Tailor your BDR for bring your own device (BYOD), bring your own cloud (BYOC), or create a custom hybrid environment to give clients exactly what they want and need for data security. Having all these options within one solution is a huge competitive advantage, but with all the hype about the cloud, when is an appliance-based infrastructure best?
… When MSPs need to…
- Dedicate hardware on-site for instant local failover of backed-up workloads.
- Continue local backups even when the client’s internet connection is down.
- Perform local restores even when the client’s internet connection is down.
- Separate backup times from when the data is replicated to the cloud.
- Complete a physical seeding of cloud backups when the client has low bandwidth.
- Protect physical or virtual servers requiring dedicated on-site infrastructure for failover.
- Protect desktops in an office where an appliance is already deployed to protect servers.
What to Consider Before Deploying a BDR Appliance
As MSPs weigh the pros and cons of cloud vs appliance-based BDR, they must evaluate the following factors before deployment to achieve desired outcomes.
- Appliance-based BCDR requires an appliance at each client site. Determine the hardware for an install using a turn-key Axcient appliance (USA only), other compatible x86 hardware, or a Hyper-V/VMware VM that can deployed via a bootable installer ISO.
- Existing x86 hardware (servers, desktops, and some competitive BDR units) can be repurposed as an x360Recover appliance or vault. Reference the minimum hardware recommendations to determine what can be reused for cost savings and what may need to be leased or purchased.
- Local recovery has no dependence on the Internet. Zero data is downloaded for local recovery.
- Local recovery is performed through the appliance’s web-based graphical interface (GUI), which is accessible via the x360Recovery portal, locally via a web browser, or within the Windows Recovery Center Application.
- Physical seeding of the initial backup is possible but not required with proprietary Chain-Free backups. Incremental backups are replicated to the cloud even while a physical seed drive is in transit.
Upgrading Appliance-Based BDR with Built-in Security and Savings
A strategic process for MSPs is elevating traditional BDR with a security-first approach that reduces costs. Start by selecting a BDR appliance with strong security features – such as end-to-end encryption, to ensure data is protected in transit and at rest. Implement multi-factor authentication (MFA) to add an extra layer of security, preventing unauthorized access to the backup data. Additionally, choose solutions that offer built-in ransomware prevention, capable of proactively detecting and blocking suspicious activities that could compromise backup integrity.
To maintain cutting-edge services, opt for appliances that support data security automation to ensure the latest security patches are applied without manual interventions. This proactive, hands-free strategy safeguards against the most common threat to data loss: human error. Choosing a scalable BCDR solution and appliance that expands storage capacity without demanding large initial investments is essential for cost savings. Scalability allows MSPs to grow alongside client needs for forward-thinking, long-lasting relationships.
Incorporate data deduplication and compression technologies within the BCDR appliance to significantly reduce the amount of storage space required, optimizing resource use and lowering overhead costs. MSPs can upgrade from run-of-the-mill on-prem solutions to robust, secure, and economical BCDR by focusing on security enhancements and cost-effective storage management.
Must-Have BCDR Features for On-Prem Data Protection
As a 100% MSP-dedicated solution provider, Axcient supports appliance-based data protection with built-in, always-on security features designed exclusively for MSPs and SMB end users. On-by-default ransomware protection and advanced encryption secure data, even after a breach.
Furthermore, x360Recover offers automated backups and seamless integration with existing systems, ensuring minimal disruptions. With instant virtualization, MSPs can quickly recover with less downtime, providing peace of mind and instilling client confidence. Using a centralized management portal with high usability and reporting, MSPs can monitor multiple client backups efficiently and securely. Here’s how…
Hardware Agnostic BYOD
Designed specifically for MSPs, Axcient’s appliance-based deployments embrace hardware-agnostic, BYOD policies. The benefits allow MSPs to leverage existing hardware, leading to significant cost savings and increased flexibility. With this open approach, MSPs seamlessly integrate with various devices, eliminating the need for specific, proprietary, and expensive hardware. Instead, MSPs can easily deploy x360Recover across different environments without compatibility concerns, reinforcing efficient data backup and recovery. Choose your BDR appliance to provide clients with a versatile and economic solution for on-prem deployments by optimizing resource use and reducing the investment necessary for new equipment.
Chain-Free, Image-Based Backups
All Axcient BCDR products are based on proprietary Chain-Free backup technology patented by Axcient. The methodology supports appliance-based BDR by eliminating the dependency on previous backups, reducing complexity and risk. Unlike legacy, chain-based models, each backup is an independent, complete image that speeds efficient recovery and strong reliability. By streamlining the backup process, storage space requirements are minimized, and data integrity is reinforced. This Chain-Free image-based approach delivers faster recovery times and management agility, making it easier for MSPs to maintain consistent and reliable client data protection.
Automatic Backup Integrity Testing
To remove hands-on, error-prone, and costly manual backup checks, Axcient includes AutoVerify in its BCDR solutions. Nightly, AutoVerify automatically virtualizes each system’s latest backup recovery point and runs numerous tests to check for bootability, operating system health, data corruption, and application integrity. Once the data on the protected system is confirmed, AutoVerify initiates backup verification with monitoring, alerting, and auto-generated reporting. No more “backup burn,” tech debt, or worrying about recovery readiness with an AutoVerify cyber threat offense.
Self-Managed Disaster Recovery
Virtual Office is a cyber threat defense that provides near-instant cloud failover within x360Recover. It lets MSPs start virtual machines quickly in the Axcient Cloud of one or more protected devices to replace all impacted production infrastructure temporarily. Leveraging runbooks for Virtual Office, MSPs can also perform regular, full-office automated DR testing and recovery to ensure backup reliability and meet testing and automation requirements for cyber insurance and compliance. With Virtual Office, MSPs can move fast, self-managing disaster recovery with a minutes-long RTO on a secure, web-based application armed with role-based authentication. Restore to the production server or desktop at the client’s convenience after confirming business continuity.
Anti-Data Deletion Technology
As an MSP’s last line of defense, Axcient AirGap is an always-on added layer of protection against cyber threats, including ransomware. AirGap separates data deletion requests from the mechanics of data deletion, so nothing gets deleted without approval. AirGap technology secures data deletion requests only after passing through a secure safety archive equipped with human factor controls, time gaps, and “honeypots.” Leveraging built-in AirGap for immutable data backups ensures that even after a bad actor thinks they’ve been successful, the data is fully intact and available for near-instant recovery. Proactive and automated, AirGap protects MSPs and SMB clients from catastrophic breach consequences that can threaten business longevity.
Pooled storage at a flat fee
Due to the ease and efficiency of Axcient’s Chain-Free backups, all Axcient MSP partners get pooled storage at a flat fee per protected machine per month + 30 free days per year per protected machine of cloud virtualization. MSPs and their clients enjoy eliminating surprise storage fees and monthly discrepancies for predictable expenses with no overages. Per Axcient’s Fair Use Policy, pooled storage lets MSPs allocate resources across multiple clients, optimizing storage use without micromanaging. In addition, Axcient’s free cloud virtualization days ensure minimum downtime during emergencies when clients can’t access their physical location or are waiting through long lag times for new equipment.
Start Your BDR Appliances!
Fulfill appliance-based use cases with Axcient x360Recover and do more with less. Power your BCDR services under the x360Recover solution to deliver appliance-based and hardware-free BCDR, endpoint backup, full-service BDR, and public or private cloud BDR with just one vendor. x360Recover comes complete with easy appliance ordering and repurposing to relieve the stresses of appliances and accelerate efficient management during and after migration. Contact us to learn more or…
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