Datto is beginning to shape its pitch for a new Datto Continuity for Microsoft Azure service -- a key development that extends the MSP technology company beyond its own data centers and into the public cloud IaaS (infrastructure as a service) market.
The data protection company is telling MSPs to focus on four business continuity and disaster recovery (BCDR) attributes for protection virtual machines (VMs) in Azure. The attributes are (1) ease of use, (2) predictability of restore, (3) efficiency, and (4) flexibility. The Datto Continuity for Microsoft Azure is expected to officially launch around the time of DattoCon21 in October, sources suggest.
Azure Data Protection: Growing, Crowded Cloud Backup Market
While Datto focuses mainly on MSPs in the SMB market, enterprise-focused Azure backup services are flooding the market. For instance, OwnBackup is extending from Salesforce to Azure and Dynamics 365 data protection, and Microsoft invested in Rubrik in August 2021 to protect Azure and Microsoft 365 customers from ransomware.
Also, some MSP-centric technology companies -- including Acronis, Axcient, Carbonite and MSP360 -- already have Azure-related data protection services.
Datto's business originally involved on-premises storage appliances that back up data to Datto's own cloud. When the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated shifts to remote work and public cloud services, Datto accelerated its own expansion beyond the on-premises storage model.
