TubbTalk 139: Why MSPs Should Offer Continuity and the Importance of Microsoft Clause 6b
In this episode, Richard speaks to Daisy Pike, manager of Solution Consultants EMEA at PAX8 about all things continuity. Daisy has a wealth of experience in the IT industry, as well as a degree in electrical engineering. Pax8 are a groundbreaking cloud marketplace platform for MSPs.
An Interview With Daisy Pike
Why Continuity is so Important for MSPs
If we agree that having cybersecurity protection in place is protection and continuity is insurance, we can see why it’s essential. Because we don’t live in a perfect world, and things happen. Nothing is 100% secure.
And Daisy adds: “Any kind of disaster could happen and you lose your data. So you want to be assured that it can be accessed somewhere. Imagine if you got everyone in a business into the same room and took their laptops away. How will they run the business?
“If you look at it that way, not having continuity is the same thing. Because if you can’t access the data, you can’t serve your customers, make money or pay bills. As an MSP, you have to help your clients keep their businesses running.”
Why MSPs Need to be Aware of Microsoft Clause 6B
You may not be familiar with Microsoft clause 6b, but Daisy says it’s good for MSPs to understand it. “This is stated in Microsoft’s T&Cs that if there’s ever an outage or disruption of services at Microsoft, you may not be able to access your data. And if that should happen, they can’t do anything to help you.
“While they’ll do everything they can to support their users, the ultimate responsibility for data backup is on you, the client. It’s a good way to make it clear to your own clients why it’s so important. Because if the biggest companies in the world can’t guarantee continuity, then you need backup.”
What to Look for in a Continuity Platform
There’s a lot of choice for MSPs and a big part of it is around ease of use, multi-tenancy and shareability. Because if you’re using a tool day in and day out, you don’t want to spend too much time managing it. And you want a single pane of glass dashboard.
Functionality is another important element, says Daisy. That includes auto-scaling when adding users, automatic backup by 365 and managing multiple MSP clients. And if you can do a mailbox-mailbox restore or a SharePoint-SharePoint restore, you can be reassured that data can be restored somewhere.
Pax8’s Continuity Bundles
Daisy says that Pax8 know that each customer is different, so they spend time understanding their needs and finding the best solutions for them. “We listen to what they want first. So we loosely put together an M365 package. It might have backup on on-premise servers, disaster recovery, an all-in-one solution.
“So Pax8 does the discovery work for the client, to make it smoother and repeatable for them. We also advise partners not to mention the vendor to their own end customers. Because anything could happen and you may need to change down the line.
We build bundles with Microsoft and a range of partners, and these vary depending on each client’s need. But alongside that, my team offers a ‘continuity consult call’. We review your offering, your backup solution and each bit, and send you a summary report. And you can keep that internal or share with your own customers.”
How to Explain the Importance of Continuity to Your MSP Clients
Your MSP clients need to really understand the risk of not having a backup and continuity solution in place. So, Daisy says, give them real-world examples. These can be from your own customer base and you make the company anonymous.
“Because everyone has a story about data loss or ransomware. So bring out the emotional and financial side so they can see the impact on a business’s profitability and reputation.
“You could even point to a big company like Royal Mail – if they can lose data, anyone can. Pax8 have a resource guide to help MSPs talk to their customers about this.”
Daisy’s Experiences as a Woman in IT
With three older brothers and a half brother, Daisy says she’s used to being in a mostly male environment. “I did STEM at school before doing electrical engineering. So I’ve always been surrounded by men.
“There have been some challenges in the workplace, with men assuming I’m young and inexperienced. But for the most part, I’ve found the MSP industry to be really welcoming.
“In fact there’s only one negative experience that stands out. It was a long time ago at a network event. And almost all of the attendees were men, who would only shake hands with each other. Or look at my colleagues when I spoke. But other than that, most men are friendly and supportive.”
How to Connect With Daisy Pike
- Pax8
- Connect with Daisy on LinkedIn
How to Connect With Me
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Mentioned in This Episode
- Microsoft Dynamics
- Collaboration tool: SharePoint
- AI security platform: SentinelOne
- Backup tool: Acronis
- Automation tool: Roost
- Backup tool: Dropsuite
- Azure backup: redstor
- Pax8 Academy
- Book: Bernadine Evaristo: Girl, Woman, Other: WINNER OF THE BOOKER PRIZE 2019
- Cookbook: Ixta Belfrage: MEZCLA: Recipes to Excite
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Richard Tubb is one of the best-known experts within the global IT Managed Service Provider (MSP) community. He launched and sold his own MSP business before creating a leading MSP media and consultancy practice. Richard helps IT business owner’s take back control by freeing up their time and building a business that can run without them. He’s the author of the book “The IT Business Owner’s Survival Guide” and writer of the award-winning blog www.tubblog.co.uk
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