Failure can strike at any time for just about any reason. This is especially true in the world of IT, where hardware, software, and even personnel failures are commonplace. The key to overcoming adversity caused by an unexpected failure is to have a safety net in place for support.

Backup and disaster recovery (BDR) solutions offer that crucial safety net to clients in need, but the MSP’s BDR strategy could be a failure point in its own right. Backups can fail for a variety of reasons, including a sudden lack of storage capacity and misconfigurations caused by poor communication between MSP and client. Regardless of the reason, MSPs must ensure their managed IT services are as reliable as customers expect.

Verifying Data Backups

It’s nearly impossible to overstate the importance of testing, especially when it comes to backups. Testing gives MSPs an opportunity to encounter potential failure points within a risk-free environment, allowing the service provider to hedge its risks and lessen the likelihood of data loss.

Backup testing is crucial for clients who need more than the average number of retention points required by a typical SMB. Unless the data can be recovered from a local store, multiple retention point failures could result in lost data and the failure of successive backups. Proper testing can help eliminate this uncertainty from the equation.

Verifying VM Applications and Performance

Virtualization plays a critical role in the disaster recovery process, especially in cases where hardware failure prevents backups from being deployed in the traditional manner. If a critical piece of hardware requires downtime or replacement, spinning up a virtual instance on a bootable virtual machine (VM) can help clients maintain business continuity without any noticeable impact on current operations. That won’t be possible if the VM isn’t properly tested. It’s not only crucial to ensure the VM boots properly, but also that the applications and overall environment perform as expected.

Testing for Better Disaster Recovery

Making a test run of disaster recovery processes can help MSPs prepare for the real deal. Through rigorous testing, MSPs have an opportunity to reevaluate and improve their approaches to backup and restore processes. Testing can also reveal deficiencies in certain types of protected machines, resulting in BDR support being focused elsewhere.

Not only should MSPs pay close attention to their DR processes, but clients should also be willing to invest in the best and most reliable hardware recommended for their needs. Backup failures have occurred due to inexpensive but poorly suited hardware.

Winning Trust and Revenue Through Testing

SMBs trust their MSPs to make IT as painless as possible. In surrendering their IT environments to a managed IT services provider, businesses are making a gamble that they hope can pay off in the form of continued reliability and business continuity.

By offering BDR services, MSPs can maximize their clients’ trust by giving them peace of mind in handling data disasters. This means MSPs can’t afford to offer false promises — every service offered must be backed by a strong service level agreement and an honest, open approach to the client/provider relationship. Incorporating DR testing into BDR services can also help MSPs provide proof of concept to clients while capturing additional revenue from satisfied clients.

For a better understanding of how DR can benefit your business, contact us at eXemplify today.