The new Acronis Data Cloud 7.8 offers "simple integration with public cloud services, easy backup of Microsoft Office 365 workloads, and enhanced disaster recovery orchestration", making "cyber protection easier and more secure".
Among service providers, Acronis proudly boasts that its Data Cloud solution is "already known for supporting native integration with the most popular hosting automation platforms, Professional Services Automation systems, and Remote Monitoring and Management tools and offers comprehensive service monitoring and reporting".
"The platform enables service providers to easily take the new services to the market through their existing client management infrastructure."
|
|
Neil Morarji, general manager of Acronis ANZ, said: “For the first time in Australia, with local Australian cloud storage, we have a solution that’s easy to use. Australian and New Zealand businesses embrace Acronis technology because it significantly reduces the complexity of protecting data.
"Acronis Data Cloud is an easy and efficient way to back up computers, virtual machines, mobile devices, and Microsoft Office 365 accounts from a single web-based interface. The benefits are clear, and it makes it easy for service providers to sell."
So, what are some of the improvements and new features?
Naturally, Acronis said Data Cloud has become easier to use, more secure and more effective, and notes that "the latest update brings significant reliability and performance improvements and the following new features":
- Complete Microsoft Office 365 protection. Cloud-to-cloud backup for Exchange Online, OneDrive for Business, and SharePoint Online. Backups are performed directly between Microsoft and one of Acronis’ secure cloud data centres. Service providers are able to select the specific country and location of the data centre. Users can also search their backup to find and recover individual files or messages.
- Disaster recovery orchestration. This release simplifies and automates complex Disaster Recovery plans with runbooks. The new runbooks feature simplifies and speeds up the failover of multiple machines to a cloud recovery site. It ensures systems are recovered in the correct order to preserve the interdependencies of applications on different machines.
- Acronis Active Protection’s enhanced ransomware detection. Acronis Active Protection monitors for malicious activity, stops questionable behaviour, and automatically recovers damaged files. This release introduces improved machine-learning technology to better recognise known and unknown threats and reduce false positives. The new version also protects network shares and removable devices.
- Acronis Notary Cloud. A new service is introduced in this release, adding to the existing Acronis Backup Cloud, Acronis Disaster Recovery Cloud, and Acronis Files Cloud. Acronis Notary Cloud is a blockchain-based service for file notarisation, e-signing and data verification. The service creates a unique digital fingerprint for files and stores it in a public blockchain ledger, enabling independent validation of a file’s authenticity and existence at a specified point in time.
- Physical Data Shipping. Users can now perform the initial backup seeding faster by saving the first backup to a local hard drive on the customer’s premises and then shipping it to an Acronis data centre. The data is fully encrypted to prevent unauthorized access during the transfer.
SAPAS – The five vectors of cyber protection
With every enhancement, Acronis said it "looks to address the five vectors of cyber protection — safety, accessibility, privacy, authenticity, and security — which ensures Acronis Backup Cloud is an easy, efficient, and secure solution suitable for service providers and customers of any size.
"This new update is no exception. Customer data is even safer and more accessible with the new Acronis Disaster Recovery Cloud features, cloud-to-cloud protection of Microsoft Office 365 workloads, and integration of the Google Cloud and Microsoft Azure storage options. The addition of Acronis Notary Cloud ensures users can easily verify the authenticity of their data. Plus the enhanced functionality of Acronis Active Protection increases the security of their data, apps and systems."
Availability in Australia and New Zealand
The latest version of Acronis Data Cloud is available through rhipe, Synnex, Ingram Micro in Australia and Exeed in New Zealand. Acronis said it "invites partners to contact their local distributors to request the latest datasheets, battlecards, and email templates to assist them with the rollout".
Warren Nolan, chief commercial officer at rhipe, said: “As APACs leading platform for pay as you go (PAYG) cloud licensing subscriptions, we are always looking to provide our partners with the best solutions and products from leading providers. The Acronis DR cloud will deliver world class data protection and disaster recovery for virtual, physical, mobile and cloud environments. This will enable our partners to diversify their cloud portfolio and increase their share of wallet. However, we’re more than just licensing, we help IT services partners grow through our unique solutions, enablement and marketing including our world class, easy-to-use partner portal that supports provisioning and the transitioning of licenses within seconds.”
Michael Tea, general manager at Synnex, said: “We are seeing 800 percent growth in our cloud revenues, where large volumes of Service Providers are entrusting their Cloud business with Synnex. Feedback from our Service Partners is that the Synnex Cloud Platform is easy to use and reduces operational overheads for our partners around provisioning, billing, finance and service management. We are launching Data Cloud with Acronis in the same Synnex Partner Platform, which is currently processing in excess of 10,000 transactions per month in consumption and subscriptions services. Acronis Data Cloud represents excellent opportunities for all our Service Partners to leverage monthly billing models, which is in line with our Synnex Technology as a Service (TaaS) program.”
Lee Welch, director – Cloud Services ANZ at Ingram Micro Cloud, said: “Considering that backup and disaster recovery is a core need for many companies in the evolving data protection landscape, the latest release of Acronis Data Cloud offers great revenue opportunities for our channel partners. Ingram Micros’ cloud marketplace is the easiest way for resellers to price, purchase, provision, and support these services from a single dashboard. Ingram Micro was the first distributor to take Acronis to the market and we’re committed to developing our relationship even further.”
Desmond Ling, director at Exeed, said: “We have a passion for winning and a desire to help partners grow their business. We are a value-add distributor with great expertise on the products. Service providers come to Exeed because they know that we partner with the best in breed brands and that they can get quality support every time they need it. As we’re expanding our cloud offering, the release of Acronis Data Cloud 7.8 is very timely. It’s one of the most comprehensive cloud-based cyber protection product sets on the market. Our service providers and their customers will love it.”
