In today’s competitive technology-driven economy, Managed Service Providers (MSPs) need to contend with continuous digital disruption while ensuring they add the expected value to their customers. As organisations embrace the cloud-first, mobile future of business, data volumes continue to increase exponentially, creating a variety of challenges for MSPs and their clients. As enterprises rely heavily on their systems, the data they create increases in value, becoming a target for malicious actors. In addition to this existential threat, information is no longer stored in a single location. The rise of cloud-based services requires the MSP to protect data wherever it may be and ensure it is secure whether it is in transit or at rest.
The Managed Services market has changed. Today MSPs find themselves offering and competing for services in a hyper-competitive cloud services market. However, this new way of working has given the MSP access to recurring revenue opportunities that never existed before. When it comes to backup and recovery services, MSPs now have access to various platforms that can help them protect their customers’ data while providing them with access to new markets and solution offerings.
One of the cloud services that has seen phenomenal growth since its inception is Microsoft’s Office 365 suite of online offerings. As this solution gives every business access to a Microsoft managed world-class online service, it negates the need for them to handle expensive and time-consuming infrastructure on-premise. However, what many organisations are starting to realise is that data stored on this platform needs to be backed up and protected. While Microsoft’s service offers high-availability and operational redundancy, it does not provide real disaster recovery. As there is no independent offline copy of data stored on this platform, businesses run the risk of losing vital information in the event a malicious incident or human error causes irrecoverable data loss.
As with any cloud-based Software as a Service (SaaS) offering, protecting the data stored on Office 365 is a shared responsibility. While Microsoft is responsible for managing and maintaining the availability and redundancy of the underlying platform, the subscriber is ultimately accountable for protecting their data. As backing up data on Office 365 is a complex undertaking, it is a perfect opportunity for MSPs to offer these services to their customers while adding a recurring revenue stream to their business.
Why MSPs should offer Office 365 Backup & Archive
There a variety of compelling reasons for MSPs to consider adding an Office 365 Backup & Archive service to their solution arsenal. Over and above the potential for additional services revenue, other ancillary business benefits make it a perfect fit for today’s modern MSP.
1. Increase your competitive advantage
The Managed Services market has always been competitive. However, in today’s hyperconverged world where all technologies have effectively become commodities, MSPs need to find new ways to differentiate themselves from their competitors. Offering an Office 365 Backup & Archive service helps them achieve this market differentiation. It gives MSPs the ability to provide an exclusive offering while ensuring they meet the service demands of modern enterprises that are migrating to a cloud-first mobile technology world.
2. Add an immediate recurring revenue stream
Recurring revenue should be the cornerstone of any commercially oriented business. Ensuring they have a steady, predictable source of income not only secures their economic sustainability but also gives them the platform they need for growth and market expansion. As stated, adding an existing Office 365 backup and recovery service to their solution arsenal is a sure way to get an immediate recurring revenue stream with very little to no upfront investment.
3. Proven market opportunity
The Microsoft Office 365 Market has seen exponential growth since its inception. With over 120 Million commercial monthly active users, this platform is a sizeable market for any organisations offering complementary service offerings. As an MSP it is no longer a question of if you should provide an Office 365 Backup and Archive service. The current trend clearly shows that this platform will only continue to grow from strength to strength. MSPs not tapping into this lucrative market will eventually lose their relevance.
4. Capture new clients
Backup and archive are important IT activities that every business needs to implement. Not only do they ensure the survivability of the organisation after a data loss incident, but they are also mandatory to meet a variety of compliance regulations. MSPs could use these business drivers to seek out new potential customers offering them an essential service they need. As the Office 365 market is vast and continuously growing, there is no shortage of opportunities to find new clients that could benefit from a vital backup and recovery service.
5. Strengthen existing customer relationships
Any business needs to ensure that it remains relevant to its existing customer base. MSPs, in particular, must continue to innovate and create new solutions that can meet the changing demands of their customers and the technology industry. Having the capability to offer an Office 365 Backup and Archive offering ensures they continue to align their services with their customers’ requirements. Failing to do so could open up a long-standing customer to a competitor which is less than ideal in the current hyper-competitive market.
6. Peace of mind
No organisation, no matter its size, should operate with an unnecessary level of risk. The fact is that data stored on Office 365 is not 100% safe in the event of a disaster. The only way to ensure you can always recover data stored on this platform is to implement a third-party backup and recovery solution. Not only does this mitigate the real risk of a data loss incident, but it also gives the customer the peace of mind that their data is secure, and the MSP the comfort that they are doing all they can to protect their clients.
Discover how MSPs can accelerate recurring revenue growth with Office 365 data protection services
We make a compelling case for why MSPs should look to Office 365 Backup & Archive as part of their service catalogue in our free whitepaper How MSPs can accelerate recurring revenue growth with Office 365 data protection services.
You'll discover:
- Protecting Microsoft Office 365 data is a shared responsibility
- Why MSPs should offer Office 365 Backup & Archive
- What the scalable revenue potential is with the service offering,
- And so much more!
Download your copy today!
