![Alistair Forbes, general manager of the GFI MAX business unit](http://channelpostmea.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Dr.-Alistair-Forbes-general-manager-of-the-GFI-MAX-business-unit1.jpg)
GFI MAX, part of the GFI Software family launched a new revenue opportunity for managed service providers (MSPs) with the launch of its free-standing GFI MAX Backup. This new service enables all MSPs to add secure data backup to the services they can offer customers at a time when demand for secure online backup continues to rise.
“Cloud-based backup is a natural addition to the portfolio of services that MSPs provide their customers,” said Alistair Forbes, general manager, GFI MAX. “GFI MAX Backup removes the stress and hassle from on-premise backup solutions that require media handling to provide the off-site storage capability necessary for security and regulatory compliance and allows MSPs to increase their revenue by providing competitively-priced, highly-efficient, encrypted backup at a time when more and more customers look to adopt cloud services.”
The importance of secure data storage is growing and natural disasters continue to make headlines, so businesses are increasingly turning to online backup as part of their strategy to protect their critical business assets. In addition to business continuity benefits, companies that embrace cloud storage can better manage the cost and time needed for data recovery in the event of a disaster. Backup costs, combined with the substantial growth in the amount of data that businesses need to store, are forcing companies to seek new ways to manage their IT costs without the need for major capital investment, which creates new opportunities for MSPs.
While the industry retains a strong attachment to tape backups as the conventional medium to use, GFI MAX believes that best practice in data protection can best be delivered using the Disk-to-Disk-to-Cloud (D2D2C) or hybrid approach. The technologies in GFI MAX Backup, including the unique True Delta and Local SpeedVault, deliver this hybrid approach, meaning that not only are backups and restores ultra-fast but also that the data is secure and available at the touch of a button, whenever and wherever it is required.