CharTec, a hardware-as-a-service (HaaS) and sales training provider, today launched a new backup and disaster recovery solution that is available to both CharTec members and, for the first time, nonmember managed service providers (MSPs). The CharTec BDR appliance is a custom-developed Intel server-based tool that provides replication of server images to the cloud. For the CharTec BDR, CharTec partnered with LabTech Software, provider of a managed service tool for remote monitoring and management (RMM), and Doyenze Inc., provider of the Doyenz ShadowCloud.
Moving into the business continuity realm “is a natural advancement” for the HaaS provider, says Alex Rogers, CEO of Bakersfield, Calif.-based CharTec, an offshoot of managed services provider ARRC Technology, of which Rogers is also CEO. Rogers says in the course of deploying about 150 BDR solutions from other competitors at ARRC’s client sites, “we’ve been able to see what they really wanted in a BDR, and the biggest pain points. We’ve also been listening to about 350 CharTec partners across the nation and their pain points, and a lot of them match up with ours.”
The CharTec BDR is the result of that feedback. The Intel-based BDR appliance installs at the MSP’s client site, and is remotely managed through a Web-based portal with a RMM agent for alerting and scripting. The CharTec BDR appliance replicates a client’s production infrastructure through cloud-virtualized backup images, which are tested and verified daily to ensure data is up to date. In the event of a total site loss, data can be quickly restored to ensure maximum uptime.
Also included is 24/7 U.S.-based help desk support and cloud virtualization. Shane Swanson, chief operating officer for CharTec, says the MSP can use the cloud virtualization in two ways: “If a client’s entire site is down, they can virtualize the network in the cloud. Second, they can do proof of concept lab testing.”
The biggest thing the BDR solution brings to the table, Rogers says, is the ability for the MSP to make money immediately. The MSP does not have to make 12 payments in advance; just the first month of the BDR solution is required, so “they’re making money that first month,” Rogers says. “Now it’s an easier sell for them—they don’t have to ask for any money up front from the client or front it themselves.”
Moreover, Rogers says, for an MSP, a BDR offering “is usually their foot in the door to the client. Right now everyone has a network and someone is taking care of it, but so many are unsure of their backup solution. This does backup every 15 minutes and automatically sends data off-site and can virtualize it should your building get destroyed. It’s an easy sell. Especially in tough times, this is where HaaS really shines.”
He adds, “The nice thing with HaaS is the end user can write it off as an operating expense instead of a capital expense, which for a lot of companies is a true selling point.”
CharTec has been beta testing the BDR for the past month with partners and about 25 deployments, Rogers says. The unit, available now, is refreshed every 36 months or the MSP’s client can choose to keep it with a maintenance agreement. This is the first and only CharTec product available to nonmembers.
