StorageCraft has released updates to backup and disaster recovery solution, ImageManager 7, in response to the changing needs of channel partners and customers.
In keeping with evolving business continuity strategies in the context of cloud, the latest version of the backup management software allows IT administrators to more better manage, organise and replicate backup images taken with StorageCraft recovery solutions.
“The additions to ImageManager 7’s feature set were the result of feedback from our partners,” StorageCraft, Director of Product Management, Matt Urmston said.
“They asked, and we listened. We added the tools IT professionals said would allow them to even more efficiently manage business continuity efforts, giving users the ability to devote less time to backup management needs and spend more time with other mission-critical activities.
Urmston said the changes were reflective of the new breed of partner, prompting a need for vendor flexibility going forward.
“Vendor flexibility is crucial,” he said. “The backup and disaster recovery market is a very competitive market but also we’re a channel only company so if our partners are not successful, then we are not successful.
“It’s crucial for us to ensure firstly, that we are nimble from a development standpoint but also that we introduce features that our partner base can utilise to help grow their business.
“If they’re not growing then we are not growing so it’s crucial for us to vet every new feature and product to validate and verify the direction we’re going from a development standpoint.”
For Urmston, StorageCraft’s partner base has changed dramatically during the past 12 months, reflecting a new dynamic across the company’s traditional value-added reseller (VAR) channel, and managed service provider (MSP).
“Our VARs are not evolving as quickly as our MSP partner base,” he added. “For MSPs, it’s all about providing services to customers that make them an attractive proposition.
“It’s a very competitive market and you can be in a city with ten or so MSPs competing for the same business so from an evolution standpoint, it’s about introducing new functionalities and new services to help our partners win that battle.”
Urmston said traditional VARs are moving into the MSP space, with some “very successful” and others have “resisting change” due to the nature of new business models and revenue streams.
“We still have a large VAR channel and we’ve learned how to manage that,” he added. “Our roadmap initially focused on the MSP side of the business and it’s growing, but we’re moving back a little bit to look at our VAR number and continue to grow in both channels.
“The key is to bring those revenues back in line but MSP is where it’s at from a channel perspective.”
