Knock, knock. Time for The VAR Guy’s final speed date of the day. Arriving now is Valerie Fawzi, VP of worldwide marketing for i365, the online backup and restore company owned by Seagate. i365 launched a Cloud Connected Service Provider partner program back in 2010. So how is it performing so far and what are the implications for VARs and MSPs? Here’s the speed-date update.

1. Measuring 2011′s Progress: “We want to grow the CCSP community exponentially and we’re doing well against that goal,” said Fawzi. “Now, we’re rolling up our sleeves to enable a broader base of partners.”

2. Distribution Relationships: i365 already has relationships with at least two distributors in Europe: Avnet and Hammer PLC. It’s safe to expect similar relationships to emerge in North America.

3. SaaS Education: To assist VARs and MSPs with SaaS solutions, i365 has introduced a SaaS business model training program. “We deliver a deep dive into the operational and business aspects of SaaS,” says Fawzi. “What are the key considerations for pricing? How do you bill? Is it by gigabyte capacity or by seat? We cover all that and much more.”

4. Redundant Protection: i365 has 11 data centers in North America and Europe, ensuring data redundancies, Fawzi asserts. There are opportunities to push into additional markets. “We’ll look at additional geographies opportunistically. Brazil is a hot area for us.”

5. Backup Meets Mobile Security: Sure, i365 offers backup and recovery  expertise. But keep a close eye on the company’s mobile security efforts as well. Specifically, i365 now offers endpoint security capabilities like local encryption, remote wipe and trace services.

6. One Size Doesn’t Fit All: On the storage front, i365 realizes customers want multiple options: Pure cloud, hybrid or completely on premise. To address each of those approaches, i365 offers SaaS, on-premise appliances and licensed software. “It’s not just about backup and recovery over the wire,” says Fawzi. “And it’s also not just about protecting services within your own firewall.” Instead, it’s both. i365 has seen 750 percent growth in companies purchasing both on-premise solutions and SaaS in combination.

Ooops. Time’s up… again. The VAR Guy has completed his speed dating for today.

Meet The VAR Guy: For more information about future speed dating engagements send email to TheVARGuy [at] NineLivesMediaInc [dot] com. Use the subject line “Speed Dating.”

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