Like our MSP partners, we’re continuously working to highlight the importance of reliable data protection. For the NovaBACKUP team, that means collaborating with IT providers to deploy our Managed Backup solution so they can keep their clients protected against evolving threats.
Most new MSP partners reach out to us when they are transitioning away from another backup platform—often because the true cost of that solution wasn’t as clear as it first appeared. We’ve noticed a recurring pattern among vendors that lead with aggressively low pricing.
Few providers can truly be the lowest-cost option in managed backup. To compensate, some vendors hide additional fees within complex pricing models or in less visible parts of the solution.
Below are several ways we’ve seen managed backup vendors present the total cost of their solutions in ways that are not as transparent as they should be.
MSPs are willing to spend on as much cloud storage as clients need, but not for unused or unnecessary buckets of storage. We commonly see backup vendors forcing storage-bucket-only plans upon MSPs that take up valuable financial resources that could be better spent on infrastructure or elsewhere. NovaBACKUP MSPs enjoy a simple, transparent licensing structure.
Speaking of paying for what you use, even that may be left open to interpretation. Always read the fine print of your contract to verify whether you're paying for cloud storage utilized pre- or post-compression. Anyone with common sense would prefer to pay after the data has been compressed, but this is not always the case. Shock is an understatement for MSPs when that first bill arrives.
Let's imagine that you're comparing the costs of hosting client data yourself versus having someone else host it. You factor in the hardware costs of your preferred storage devices and hardware, and later find out that it won't meet your backup vendor’s requirements. Proprietary devices that must be purchased from the backup vendor can also be problematic, as they often can only be serviced by the manufacturer.
Cost predictability is important for MSPs. However, we still see many backup vendors charge extra for protecting SQL databases, business applications, and virtual machines. How can businesses anticipate the additional expense of these features until they actually need them? NovaBACKUP believes in all-inclusive solutions to take the surprise out of protecting a client's critical data.
Some MSPs opt for cloud-backup-only solutions and later come to realize that local backup is still a necessity. Not all local backup solutions are created equal, however. When closely examined, it's clear that many local backup features may have been implemented as more of an afterthought. Additionally, some vendors have even been known to charge for local backup based on the storage to your own storage devices.
It’s difficult to estimate exactly how much time will be required to properly deploy and support a solution. There are times when underestimating the resources required can drastically affect your investment. NovaBACKUP support is based in the US, where you work with high-level network engineers, many of whom come directly from the MSP industry. When selecting your backup solution, it's critically important to verify who will be supporting your technologies and from what part of the world.
Everyone claims their solutions can be used to achieve compliance. Indeed, how a solution is deployed, integrated, and supported is a determining factor in compliance. This requires a vendor who has deep knowledge of the industry and governmental requirements. Not enough technology vendors are dedicating resources to specialized compliance training and certification.
The straightforward, transparent nature of our pricing is something we’re proud of at NovaBACKUP. We're dedicated to providing MSP partners with a powerful backup solution with the flexibility to be configured to match how an IT provider offers their services. We invite you to speak with the NovaBACKUP Managed Backup team for a complimentary backup health check.
Would you like to view our recent webinar about costs to consider when choosing a backup vendor? Watch it here.