MSP-Driven Self-Management Tools Provide Independence and Speed
When Managed Service Providers (MSPs) consider solutions for business continuity and disaster recovery (BCDR), provider support plays a large role. Guaranteed 24/7/365 support is commonly necessary to kick-off recovery. Unfortunately, things don’t always go as advertised. Often times, MSPs wait hours for a response, or days for replacement equipment to arrive. Axcient is flipping the script with simple, MSP-driven, self-management tools and resources for independence and speed.
Table of Contents
Self-Manage Virtualization and Disaster Recovery
Typically the first step after a disaster is for vendor support to initiate virtualization. This necessity can add hours of downtime and costs for clients. As each minute passes, you’re jeopardizing not only your service-level agreement (SLA), but your relationship with the client, and reputation in the industry. Of course, there are efficient vendors using file-based backups, which are great for endpoints, but what about when a device goes down?
Let’s say a C-suite executive moved their at-home office to Hawaii – because the global pandemic opened the door for ‘work from anywhere’ – and one morning their laptop takes a cup of coffee to the keyboard. As you can imagine, their role is essential and they need to be back up and running ASAP. In fact, within the hour as a very important presentation is on the schedule!
Got your heartbeat racing MSPs? With self-managed disaster recovery and virtualization you’ll hear “mahalo” (Hawaiian for ‘thank you’) in minutes. Axcient Direct-to-Cloud (D2C) with Virtual Office allows MSPs to fully virtualize workstations, servers, applications, and data in the cloud without any vendor support. Virtual Office also lets you run disaster recovery tests whenever you want – again, no need for support. Demonstrate a minutes-long recovery time objective (RTO) using Virtual Office test mode to validate effectiveness, meet compliance requirements, and provide peace of mind for clients.
When local backup goes down, Virtual Office is there to spin up multiple servers quickly. As a 100% channel-focused provider, Axcient understands how critical time and resources are when disaster strikes. Simple, easy, near-instant recovery that is MSP-driven, self-managed, and coming soon… Runbooks! Pre-plan disaster recovery for up to 100 servers based on the configuration you desire.
Self-Manage Conversion from Appliance-Based to Hardware-Free
No one likes rip and replace. It’s overwhelming and complicated, it requires tech expertise, it can be expensive, long, and demand a lot of attention. Axcient makes it easy for MSPs to independently convert from appliance-based solutions to D2C hardware-free backup and disaster recovery (BDR). Again, self-management makes it as easy as 1-2-3.
- Deploy the agent through your remote monitoring and management (RMM) tools silently.
- Configure your desired backup schedule.
- Let it rip!
No server reboots or deactivation of existing backup products. Once D2C is up and running, remove the other backup agents, and enjoy automatic, reboot-free feature upgrades from Axcient.
MSP-driven conversion facilitates the evolving work environment we’re currently facing. As businesses return to the office after working remotely, or return and then are forced out again due to safety restrictions, Axcient facilitates that transition quickly. 2020 hit hard and we didn’t have time to prepare, plan, train, and migrate like we should. In 2021, we have more foresight into our unknown future. Flexibility, choice, and speed are necessary to meet client needs according to location, budget, infrastructure, and evolution.
Self-Sufficient, but Never Alone
While Axcient wholly invites MSPs to take advantage of these self-managed tools, we’re always available 24/7/365, with a less than 60-minute response time for critical issues. All of our support techs are backup specialists and CompTIA certified.
We consider ourselves an extension of our partners’ support team, which is why our Partner Program includes the following:
- Product Training and Certification: Efficiently train and certify your techs with online training, Axcient product certification, and instructor-led training at no charge.
- Client Deployment Review: Ensure complete data protection, effective monitoring, and management of solutions with an in-depth site review of your deployments.
- Axcient Marketing Portal: Access pre-built campaigns, brandable assets, engagement tracking, content creation, and marketing development funds (MDFs) to support sales and marketing activities.
- 1:1 Personalized Support: How can we help? Just ask and a dedicated consultant will be available to answer questions and guide you through each deployment milestone.
The Axcient Knowledgebase also provides step-by-step instructions that can be used for a variety of actions. In total, self-managed tools can increase productivity, impress clients, reduce downtime, and help you grow your business through operational efficiency, and a positive reputation in the channel.
About the Author:
Liz Mellem // Technical Copywriter, Axcient
Liz Mellem has been a freelance copywriter for over three years in the technology, education, and alternative medicine industries. She produces content, sales collateral, and email marketing campaigns that contribute to digital marketing strategies for sales growth and brand awareness. In her free time, Liz enjoys reading, exploring Austin, and Netflix with her cat, Harlem.