Small-businesses are saying goodbye to backup tapes due to their cost and manual processes, according to solution providers. Matthew Mosteller, owner of Vashon IT, shared a cautionary tale about a construction firm that almost went out of business after relying on tapes for data backup.
Doug Chandler from IDC predicts that small businesses will increasingly turn to storage as a service, as they become more comfortable with outsourcing data management. New players in the backup space, like eFolder and SOS Online Backup, are offering solution providers opportunities to partner up and provide secure online backup services.
EFolder, founded by John Williams, is recruiting solution providers to resell their online backup service. The service boasts 256-bit AES and RSA encryption for data protection. Meanwhile, SOS Online Backup is aiming to recruit 1,000 U.S. small-business solution providers within the next year, offering live continuous backup and competitive pricing.
Vembu Technologies from India is also entering the U.S. market with backup software for home and small businesses. Their Service Provider Edition of Vembu StoreGrid software allows solution providers to offer online backups with ease.
Overall, the trend towards online backup services is gaining momentum as small businesses seek secure and reliable solutions for their data storage needs.