EVault Cloud-Connected Service Provider Program From i365

i365 Inc., a Seagate company, announced the EVault Cloud-Connected Service Provider (CCSP) program. It’s a channel offering that packages EVault technology and best practices to help participating VARs build a profitable cloud-based data protection service-backed by i365, EVault technology, and the EVault Cloud.

A Cloud Storage for VARs
The EVault CCSP program gives the channel community a way to build a profitable cloud storage business and generate a recurring revenue stream-while eliminating the costs, risks, and long learning curves that come with developing a hosting infrastructure. The program leverages i365’s proven expertise in managing Cloud-Connected storage solutions, and it enables resellers to get to market fast: CCSP pilot partners, in North America and Europe, began generating recurring revenue streams within 2-4 weeks.

This model creates a new level of collaboration between Cloud technology vendors and the channel. i365 provides the technology and best practices for hosted service delivery; the reseller adds the local presence and customer intimacy-bringing the Cloud closer to the customer. Customer data can be replicated to the EVault Cloud, giving CCSP partners and their customers a multi-site disaster recovery plan for their data. CCSPs know i365 is backing their business with the EVault brand, the EVault Cloud, and company expertise.

"Many in the IT reseller community have concerns about the impact of cloud-based IT services on their existing business models. They are, however, the primary IT advisors to many SMBs, and their endorsement of cloud-based storage solutions will go a long way toward accelerating market acceptance," said Brad Nisbet, program manager for IDC’s Storage and Data Management Services. "The EVault Cloud-Connected Service Provider program is a thorough program that addresses these reseller concerns, enabling them to quickly build a comprehensive cloud backup and recovery business."

The EVault CCSP program includes:

• Access to online data protection-EVault technology is optimized for a hosted service environment and delivered as an all-in-one appliance.
• Deployment on the CCSP partner’s site-includes a multi-tenant license and flexible pay-as-you-grow model.
• EVault Cloud safety net-backups can be replicated from the CCSP site to the EVault Cloud to protect against local disasters and help assure customers their data is safe.
• Training and enablement-best practices on marketing, selling, and operating a SaaS business, and more.
• Supported by EVault experts.

The Value of i365 Expertise and EVault Technology
CCSP partners access a Cloud data protection solution on the market. They benefit from i365’s EVault technology, proven EVault Cloud infrastructure, and 13 years’ experience delivering professional-grade Cloud-Connected data protection to small and mid-size businesses. Designed from the ground up to perform over a wide area network (WAN), EVault technology includes built-in deduplication and compression efficiencies that speed data transfer and reduce storage footprints. It also offers encryption and security, and is supported by a network of ISO and/or SAS 70 Type II-certified data centers.

"We’ve partnered with i365 because they live and breathe data backups, and are the only vendor who can offer all the components – hardware, software, service expertise, support and Cloud infrastructure – to help us get our service up and running effectively. Plus, for our customers, the EVault name signifies the same values we bring to the table; secure, smart, and trusted solutions they can count on," said pilot partner Brian Dosal, director of sales & marketing, Compuquip Technologies. "As an EVault CCSP partner we will be able to deliver our version of an online backup service, tailored to our unique business model and client roster."

VARs Can Take Data Protection to the Next Level
VARs can also use the CCSP program as the entry point to providing complementary products and services all based on the same EVault technology platform. i365 offers an integrated portfolio of EVault Cloud storage solutions that address additional challenges-and generate additional revenue streams for the CCSP partner.

"The reseller community brings tremendous value to their customers with customer and industry expertise at the local level," said Terry Cunningham, president and general manager, i365. "They have a key role to play in the delivery of Cloud services, but no one had figured out how to make it work for them. We’ve come up with a way to expand our Cloud-Connected storage solutions vision into the channel, and make it a winning proposition for everyone."

Packaging and Pricing
The EVault CCSP program’s all-in-one online backup and recovery appliance delivers a best practices deployment of the EVault technology platform. It bundles pre-configured hardware, storage, EVault Software, and unlimited agents and plug-ins to accelerate the partner’s time to market. Appliances come in several sizes to meet an individual partner’s needs, with expansion packs to extend storage capacity as they grow the business. The appliance is also configured to replicate backup data to a remotely located vault in the EVault Cloud. The CCSP partner purchases the multi-tenant appliance, and pays a monthly licensing fee per replicated gigabyte. Appliance pricing starts at $15,000; license fees vary according to replicated storage footprint. To reduce monthly operating costs, the reseller is also able to prepay license fees for a discounted price.

The EVault CCSP program extends i365’s Cloud-Connected storage solution portfolio, which includes EVault data protection software, appliances, SaaS and managed services-delivered since 1997 to over 30,000 SMBs and enterprises with remote and branch offices worldwide.