Multi-Location Clients Need a Different Backup Plan Than Single-Site Ones | Data Protection Digest | September 2026

by Josefine.Fouarge on Oct 1, 2026, 8:00:00 AM

Multi-Location Clients Need a Different Backup Plan Than Single-Site Ones
What Do Backup and AI Have In Common?
Managed Backup vs. Reselling Licenses: Where the Margin Is
Troubleshooting NAS Backup Issues

Multi-Location Clients Need a Different Backup Plan Than Single-Site Ones

Acquisitions and new branches are transforming single-server SMB customers into multi-site operations. Although they are still one customer with one invoice, each location has its own IT environment with its own servers, software, and IT history. A backup plan designed for a single office will not suffice.

Our latest blog post uses a five-practice dental group as an example to illustrate the differences between backing up a single-server customer and a multi-location one. The article discusses mixed Hyper-V and physical server environments, databases that report successful backups while missing data, encryption keys that only exist in someone's chat history, and alerts that don't specify which site's backup failed. You'll also find guidance on setting retention per location, establishing recovery priorities before an incident occurs, and offboarding a single site without unraveling a shared storage bucket.

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Social Media Post of the Month

What do you do when the backup product on which your entire service is built gets discontinued and your client list includes healthcare practices and public sector agencies with strict compliance requirements? Tony Linton, owner of TLC Netcon, found himself in that situation. In our latest LinkedIn case study, Linton shares how he transformed the crisis into a backup service for all his clients and explains the one question he believes every MSP should ask before choosing a backup solution.

Take a look at our LinkedIn post to learn more →

The World of Data Protection

What Do Backup and AI Have in Common?

According to CPA Practice Advisor, new Federal Reserve research found that nearly 40% of surveyed small businesses already use AI or plan to. Other studies suggest that adoption is moving even faster. But many small businesses that use AI still have gaps in their data readiness, governance, and technology strategy. AI tends to expose preexisting weaknesses, such as customer data scattered across inboxes, spreadsheets, and disconnected apps, leaving no clear source of truth.

For MSPs, this makes a data governance and cleanup engagement a natural first step before any client AI project. It also provides an opportunity to discuss where client data is stored and whether it's protected. After all, you can't secure, back up, or feed an AI tool data that hasn't been located yet.

Microsoft 365 Copilot is one of the most common AI tools currently landing in SMB environments, raising a key question for those managing those tenants.

Our blog post answering the top nine backup questions from MSPs this year addresses this issue by answering the question, "Does Copilot or AI in Microsoft 365 change what your clients need to back up?" The answer explains how Copilot shifts the volume and pace of M365 data creation, why Microsoft's native retention tools are inadequate for recovery, and what third-party backups need to cover to fill the gap. While you're there, check out the rest of the post, which answers eight more questions that MSPs are asking in 2026. Topics include immutability types and what cyber insurers now expect to see.

Read the Full Post on Our Blog

Managed Backup vs. Reselling Licenses: Where the Margin Is

If you're still reselling backup licenses, NovaBACKUP CEO Mike Andrews has two new LinkedIn articles that are worth your time.

In the first article, he draws on his experience on both sides of the vendor-buyer table — including an experiment with lifetime licenses at a former antivirus company — to illustrate where money leaks out of the license model and how the margin changes when multiple backup customers switch to a managed service.

The second article builds on this information with four concrete ways to generate recurring revenue from backup services, along with advice on which existing customers to approach first.

Troubleshooting NAS Backup Issues

A NAS is one of the most common local backup targets in SMB environments. It's also responsible for some of the most predictable support tickets we see at NovaBACKUP. Many of these tickets have the same few causes, yet funny enough, most of them are not related to the backup software itself.

Nathan Fouarge explains the most common patterns our support team encounters and walks through the usual causes, so your technicians know where to look the next time a client's NAS backup malfunctions.

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