Channel Customers Are Ripe for Disaster Exposure
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Indecent Exposure
88% of IT consultants have a disaster-recovery plan for their clients, but 39% don't believe these clients are properly prepared for a large-scale disaster or outage. -
Data Downtime
79% say it would take "hours" to restore data due to these incidents, and 19% say it would take several days. -
Integrity Oversight, Part I
Only 44% check client backups daily for errors, while 15% check weekly and 21% check monthly. -
Integrity Oversight, Part II
8% check only once a year; 13% never check at all. -
Methodical Pace
Only 19% of IT pros surveyed resolve backup errors in less than an hour after they're discovered; 52% need a day; 25% require a week; and 4% ignore them altogether. -
Shopping List
39% say data security is a top criteria for selecting a backup and recovery vendor, while 20% say it's technical services/support and 14% indicate that it's tech capabilities (such as features and functionality). -
Pecking Order
50% give Microsoft Exchange, SQL databases and Microsoft Office files top priority for backup and recovery, while 43% prioritize QuickBooks and other financial applications, and 30% focus on SharePoint. -
Regulatory Requirements
52% say Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act compliance is a major challenge, while 36% list the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and 30% list the Securities and Exchange Commission Rule 17a-4.
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Why Metrics Matter to the Channel A clear majority of IT professionals say that even when their customers have a disaster-recovery plan, they may not be sufficiently prepared for an outage, according to a recent survey from BUMI, a managed service provider specializing in backup and recovery. As a result, it's taking far too long to restore data after an incident, the study shows. Too many consultants fail to check for client backup errors daily, with a stunningly high percentage checking just once a month—or even once a year. This amounts to the potential for excessive bottlenecks that could cripple customer productivity. The study points to "a lack of urgency to ensure that backup errors either do not occur or get corrected quickly," Jennifer Walzer, CEO of BUMI, said in a statement. "Additionally, these findings underscore the need for IT consultants, channel partners and their respective clients to work with a trusted partner to ensure data backup and recovery procedures are managed proactively and continuously." An estimated 100 independent IT professionals—including managed services providers, VARs and other channel consultants—took part in the study.