Small MSP Backup Solution

Business IT/MSP Talk
1

Hi

I’m a total noob when it comes to this particular area.

What I have is 6 clients, 2 are M365 only, 2 have servers, and 1 of these is Hyper-V with 4 VMs. The other is workstations only, using a managed Nextcloud server for their files.

What I need to backup is:

  • 1 x Physical server (running a medical package with SQL Express)
  • 4 x Windows Server VMs (2 x File Shares - 2 x DCs that will be decommissioned)
  • 2 x Ubuntu VMs (running Nextcloud)
  • 5 x Windows 11 Pro (running very specific applications, SQL Express included)
  • 10 x Windows 11 Pro - Documents only
  • 1 x M365 Client (13 seats) - with Teams/Sharepoint
  • 5 x M365 Clients (25 seats) - Email ONLY

I may also have a need to backup a number of laptops that clients will be purchasing in the next 2 months - but that discussion is yet to be had with them.

I do have about 4 more clients that I am going to be onboarding late this year/early next year, so these counts will likely increase - mainly M365 and about 20 seats. One of these clients is currently GSuite, but they are planning on migrating to M365.

I currently have Cove Data Protection in place, but by god is it expensive - especially with the Commitment fee - so spending $250 per month before I backup anything - not happy with this at all!! Then each machine costs on top of that. The one thing that they have going for them is the ease of use - it is very easy to restore files, servers, etc.

Total data being stored in Cove Data Protection is 2.8TB (small :slight_smile: )

I’m looking for a better option, and so far have looked at:

  • Pulseway
  • MSP360 (with Backblaze B2)
  • Acronis

For me the primary thing is recoverability … and cost!

For the Physical Server and VMs, I do have a large dual drive NAS on each site that is to be used for local backups - but still need a cloud backup.

I’m not overly familiar with Pulseway - it seems OK, they seem to use Kaseya as their MSP backup solution, and from what I’ve read, alot of people complain about support … they are pushy, and I’m not happy about that at all.

I’m less familiar with MSP360, and Backblaze B2, but everyone on here seem to praise it fairly high.

I received a quote from MSP360 for what I have in place, and it comes in at very reasonable costs … and Backblace B2 at $6/TB mean $18 per month for storage.

My questions around it are simple enough:

  1. For the Backblaze B2 storage, I understand that they charge for what would be considered restores (data out from them). Is this correct?
  2. How can I setup a trial MSP solution on MSP360 (for managed backups)?
  3. What way do people perform their backups of servers?
  4. Does this allow for local backups and cloud backups?

I think that’s all I have for them moment.

Thanks in advance

2

We used to use MSP360 prior to merging with CNWR who uses VEEAM. MSP360 works well enough, never had any issues with it. VEEAM works good too and CNWR had a lot of integrations with it as well as having our own storage in our COLO so that is what we are using now.

3

We use a mix of backup solutions depending on the client and price point. What should matter to you is how much labor overhead you have to expend maintaining these systems. The cost of the solution, and cloud storage should be totally pass through to the client. With that said we use MSP360 with backblaze, Crashplan, Veeam, and Synology. Like tom’s company we are considering a co-location NAS for offering lower cost offsite backups. But you must consider your liabilities if there is a breach, your overhead in maintaining these solutions, Marketing and really what the ROI is. Don’t fall in love with the technology, get the right solution to solve the problem and maximize your profitability. If you’re not proftiable there is no point in running a business.

4

Another vouch for Veeam. Very happy with them.

5

Thanks Tom, happy to hear that you never had issues with it, so that’s a +

6

Again, thanks

The main reason for looking at moving from Cove is that the costs are constantly rising, even though there is a “shared pool” for the data, they just seem to charge more and more.
I do pass the costs along to the clients, so every month it goes up a small bit … I do like Cove, and the solution works well - just not overly happy with the pricing structures that they have in place.

I’ll see if I can get in touch with my account manager and negotiate a better deal, but at this stage I still need to find an alternative solution.

I don’t intend growing much past 10-15 clients, as they are all small, and some need more hand holding than others.

Agree with the last comment, I am profitable, but if I can show savings on my end, I can offer some savings onto clients … and they all love that !!

7

You didn’t specifically mention an RMM…if MSP360 is your RMM please excuse my ignorance :smiling_face_with_sunglasses:
If you do also need an RMM, I would definitely consider NinjaOne (Tom uses N1 as well…unless he has changed). N1 has backup for both local, cloud, and hybrid. I have been using it for a few months, and it is pretty solid. I have and still continue to use Veeam for certain situations. A bit overkill for some instances, and if you want to manage your endpoints in one pane of glass you have to set up a VSPC (Veeam Service Provider Console).

For most of what you stated, N1 and their backup platform might be a good fit. N1 uses AWS for their repository and at current don’t allow for connecting to other repositories, but at this point for my use I don’t see any need. When they first came out their storage was more expensive, but I think they received a lot of push-back (they did from me for sure), and now they are at Wasabi pricing levels. There is a price per endpoint and per-server but at a decent rate as well.

And lastly, IMO, I think NinjaOne is excellent RMM platform, and their feature set and development cycle is constantly evolving at a super rapid paste. You might want to contact them. My account manager is Christian Dasher Christian.Dasher@ninjaone.com. Very good person to work with.

Cheers
Lonnie

8

Yes, we still use NinjaOne and their entire backup system has been greatly enhanced over the years.

1 Like
9

iDrive Enterprise. It has a flat fee options, unlimited data. Maybe there business version might handle what you need too, depending on the overall backup storage requirements

10

I have been using MSP360 with Backblaze for several years for the majority of my clients’ backups.

In response to your questions:

  1. Backblaze B2 storage restore charges: Yes, but it’s negligible cconsidering the (hopeful) rarity of restorations. A bigger concern will be the increasing cost of storage over time depending on your backup software’s retention scheduling.

  2. Setting up a trial MSP solution on MSP360 (for managed backups) - feel free to get in touch with them. They’re helpful, not pushy and generally leave you alone. They check in about once a year, but they don’t push it if you ignore them.

  3. Server backups - I usually do an image based backup once a month to local storage of some kind and file based bbackups periodically throughout the day to B2.

  4. Yes, MSP360 does allow for local backups and cloud backups as separate jobs.

I also reiterate the others strong support for Ninja One. I moved away from an able last year and Ninja One has been fantastic as an RMM. MSP360 will also mention the fact that they have RMM, but it’s in its infancy at best.