eFolder and StorageCraft have signed an agreement that extends their longstanding business relationship. More of the same? Not exactly. There are some new wrinkles that could benefit VARs and MSPs seeking business continuity and data protection solutions.
eFolder and StorageCraft have partnered for at least five years or so, linking StorageCraft's on-premises data protection technology to eFolder's cloud services. But a private equity firm acquired StorageCraft in 2015. Around the same time, several new StorageCraft executive leaders and channel experts arrived.
Fast forward to the present, and StorageCraft's commitment to strategic alliances with technology companies appears intact. The same can be said for eFolder. Indeed, the new eFolder-StorageCraft contract:
"preserves eFolder’s distribution rights to bundle local StorageCraft ShadowProtect software licenses and eFolder cloud services to existing eFolder MSP partners with active ShadowProtect licenses, while supplying eFolder with the ability to run and integrate with StorageCraft ImageManager, VirtualBoot, and HeadStart Restore in the eFolder cloud."
Still, eFolder isn't playing favorites. The company remains committed to a vendor-neutral market approach -- partnering with five of the leading providers in image-based backup, according to VP of Marketing Ted Hulsy. Those five players are:
eFolder cloud enhancements, featuring new capabilities from the latest ShadowProtect deal, are set to arrive on June 1.
eFolder Momentum and Competition
Overall, it sounds like eFolder's 2016 is off to a solid start (stay tuned for more potential details down the road). But competition certainly looms around every corner.
A few examples: Datto continues to expand internationally while partnering to promote a file-sync alternative to eFolder Anchor; Intronis MSP Solutions by Barracuda just expanded its business to Europe; and Carbonite just launched a new partner program last week amid a push from SOHO and SMB engagements into midmarket accounts.
Still, eFolder isn't resting on its laurels. The company is panning a range of software enhancements for partners and their end customers. A case in point: Keep your eye on eFolder Anchor and its collaborative web editing capabilities. Similar to Google Docs collaboration, Anchor appears poised to support multi-user editing in the next few months.
