Asigra and Artisan Infrastructure Team Up to Expand Cloud Backup Offerings

Asigra Inc., a cloud backup and recovery software provider since 1986, and Artisan Infrastructure, wholesale-only Infrastructure-as-a-Service provider, have teamed up to allow managed service providers (MSPs) and value added resellers (VARs) anywhere to offer their own cloud back-up services based on efficient and flexible NetApp, Inc. storage to compete with larger hosting firms.

Toronto-based Asigra and Artisan Infrastructure, based in Austin, Texas, forged a strategic relationship to enable channel partners to provide a broader choice of flexible, efficient and affordable cloud backup services to their customers.

Both companies jointly established a proof-of-concept deployable template for attracting MSPs and VARs to evaluate and test their own Asigra-based backup solutions in a private, secure, dedicated partition powered by Artisan Infrastructure’s virtual private data center platform (vPDC) called Cornerstone.

"Asigra and Artisan Infrastructure teamed up to remove the guesswork and risk for MSPs wanting to deploy cloud backup services based on high-performance NetApp storage," said Ashar Baig, senior director of product marketing for Asigra.

Deploying cloud backup services powered by Asigra on Artisan Infrastructure’s vPDC and NetApp storage is quick and simple. All Artisan Infrastructure customers have ready-access to the Asigra deployable solution template. Once activated, the MSP or VAR is up and running with its own Asigra-powered vault.

"Now, Asigra and Artisan Infrastructure make launching new cloud backup service infrastructure as simple as right-clicking a mouse and entering a software license key," said Brian Hierholzer, president and CEO of Artisan Infrastructure, noting several Artisan Infrastructure customers have successfully deployed cloud backup based on the Asigra platform in less than one week on average.

Choosing and implementing a cloud backup service generally requires significant architecture planning, equipment vendor selection, cost modeling and engineering resources.

"This innovative approach for offering cloud services helps MSPs and VARs eliminate certain capital and operating expenses for building a dedicated storage environment to support the Asigra Cloud Backup platform as it provides a pay-as-you-grow model," Hierholzer said.

Artisan Infrastructure’s wholesale customers who select Asigra as their cloud backup solution maintain security, control and autonomy while managing their own solutions through the Cornerstone vPDC, secured by their own virtual NetApp FAS file storage platform.

"Several of the world’s leading service providers rely on NetApp to provide the unified storage infrastructure at the core of their service offerings," said Patrick Rogers, vice president of Alliances and Solutions for NetApp, Inc. "Our collaboration with innovative companies such as Artisan Infrastructure and Asigra underscores NetApp’s success as a storage provider of choice for cloud deployments for enterprise customers and service provider partners."

Artisan Infrastructure has similar strategic relationships and proof-of-concept templates with other solution providers. Templates allow companies like Asigra to reduce sale cycle times, while allowing MSPs, VARs, systems integrators, and communications providers the ability to evaluate and test solutions before making firm financial commitments.