As an IT consultant, recommending the right services and softwares to your clients is a fact of doing business. It’s your responsibility to provide recommendations on the technology solutions your clients should implement, based on their storage, security and data needs. One of these recommendations is often selecting the appropriate cloud backup provider to protect your client’s files against loss and deletion. However, it’s important that you carefully select the cloud backup provider that you’ll introduce to backup your client’s data — here’s why:
Your reputation is at stake
Before you recommend a backup as a service provider, or any other service to your clients, you should ask yourself whether that product or service lives up to your own high standards. If you don’t thoroughly vet the products and services you’re recommending, just as you would if you were considering them for your own use, you can’t know for certain whether it is the best option for your client. Carefully review the features, benefits and customer service standards of the backup providers you are considering so you can rest easy knowing that the service you’ve recommended to your clients is one you would confidently use yourself.
Incentive programs
Some cloud backup providers offer incentivized programs for referrals you send them. While incentive programs shouldn’t be the entire reason for selecting the cloud backup provider you will recommend to clients, it can be a way to generate an extra stream of on-the-side income. If you can find a cloud backup provider who offers a high quality service and also incentives reseller referrals, you may want to prioritize that company over the competing companies you’re considering. In addition, see if they offer sales materials that will help make your job easier when convincing your clients that backing up their data is the only way to keep it safe from permanent loss and deletion.
Coverage varies
Not every cloud backup company provides the same caliber of features, so it’s important to dig deep. Many providers say that they offer previous file version histories, but under what retention length? Without unlimited previous file version histories, you may not be able to go back in time and retrieve your client’s files following an event like a cryptovirus. Compare and be aware of the subtle difference between service offerings so that you can be sure you’re recommending the most suitable coverage to your clients.
Service and support
Whichever backup company you choose, you want to make sure that their customer and reseller service is adequate. If you need to reach them for any reason, whether for a setup question or in an emergency situation, you should be able to rely on your cloud backup provider to be there to assist you so that your client’s data remains safe and secure. Make sure that the provider you recommend offers 24 hour Technical Support available to you in case of an emergency customer restore, a wealth of user guides to help you quickly resolve issues on your own, and multiple ways for you to get in touch with them.
Take the burden off your clients
Some cloud backups require more user-feedback than others. Ideally, your client’s shouldn’t have to remember to schedule backups, or manually verify that a backup was successful. There’s too much room for human error and they have enough on their plates already. Instead, choose a cloud backup provider whose service runs automatically and continuously in the background, backing up files as they are created and changed without interrupting your client as they work.
Save your clients money
Every client appreciates being able to save a few pennies. By carefully selecting a quality cloud backup provider who offers a variety of payment plans and options, you can ensure your client’s data is safe for less. Look for providers who offer free trials and pricing based on storage levels so that your client will only pay for what they need and will get a free month or two on top of it. Nordic Backup offers 3 different pricing structures for small businesses along with 3 different pricing structures for businesses with servers and advanced backup needs so that each payment plan will apply to an organization’s specific financial and backup requirements.
Interested in finding a cloud backup provider who checks all of these boxes and makes your job easier? Nordic Backup provides quality service and support, incentivized reseller programs with all of the sales materials you need, highly secure data centers and internal safeguards, and more. You can learn more about the benefits of the Nordic Backup service here.
