News
24 March 2010
A-Server Signs First Distributor in Europe for Innovative ARCA Backup and Data Recovery Appliance and Off-site Business Continuity Services
Appointment of Backup112 in Denmark sets the model for two tier distribution; UK, Germany, France and Spain next targets for distributor agreements in 2010
London, England, March 24th, 2010 - A-Server, a provider of cloud, data backup and recovery products and services, has appointed Backup112 as its first distributor in Europe for its ARCA line of backup, recovery and virtualisation appliances aimed at small and medium enterprises.
Copenhagen based Backup112, a specialist in data storage and management solutions with years of industry experience, will offer ARCA exclusively through its network of 150 channel partners across Denmark. The distributor will also offer an optional off-site data replication and restore service from its Danish Datacentre.
“This is a good deal for us and our partners and allows a cutting edge data backup and restore platform to be delivered as a complete solution”, explains Joakim Bach Friis, Director of Sales for Backup112, “Through the use of ARCA vaults at our datacenter in Copenhagen we can offer our partners a local data retention platform that satisfies many of the end customer preferences and compliance regulations regarding securing and holding electronic data mandated for public and private organisations in Denmark.”
Backup112 will offer first and second line support to channel partners as well as sales support, training and financing agreements. The firm is now in the process of actively recruiting partners across the country.
“This is the first distributor appointment we have made and marks the maturity of our ARCA platform in Europe,” explains Arvid Fossen, Director of Product Management and Marketing for A-Server, “Backup112 is a highly focused and technically adept organisation and a great fit for reaching like minded channel partners. They have also invested in data centre infrastructure and have commitment to offer value added services to the local partner community.”
Developed in partnership with Zenith Infotech, ARCA is a network-attached storage device for Windows Servers preloaded with backup, recovery and virtualization software aimed at small to medium enterprises. The ARCA offers the ability to recover everything from a single file, database or mail message, up to a full production server, in minutes using its instant Standby Server Virtualization. The ARCA also offers a Bare Metal Restore to dissimilar hardware.
The technology is aimed at IT solution and service providers who deploy an ARCA at each client’s site, which connects via broadband or leased line to a centralised ARCA-Vault that manages off-site backup and restoration of data at multiple sites in a highly scalable and cost effective manner. Each ARCA appliance protects between 2 to 15 local servers depending on configuration, while each ARCA-Vault, like the units installed at Backup112’s datacenter can manage up to 25 remote ARCA site appliances.
“Our agreement with Backup112 in Denmark is part of a push by us in 2010 to establish distributors in key territories across Europe,” comments Fossen, “Our goal is to acquire a pan European network of midsize, storage centric, value added distributors who share our vision that recurring service revenues are key to building and sustaining a viable business model for data backup and recovery.”
A-Server will be working closely with Backup112 to develop a local partner certification and training program for Denmark which will be announced later this year. “We are keen to create programs in each territory that match local language, cultural, regulatory and market conditions to ensure that Backup112 and other subsequent regional distributors across Europe are able to meet the needs of local partners,” Fossen adds.
A-Server’s other Backup and Data Recovery appliance (BDR) which is aimed at smaller business will continue to be distributed directly to the 350 registered channel partners across Europe. A-Server recently launched a new three tier channel programme for BDR in February which includes a scaling discount rate based on certification level, a program of live and web based training, demonstration units and marketing development funds.
For more information on ARCA, existing or prospective partners should visit http://www.zenitharca.com
About A-Server NV
A-Server is the European division of the international group Zenith Infotech. The European headquarters is based in Belgium and has 40 employees. A-Server has a focus on providing standardized and scalable managed IT services to the reseller channel. The service is oriented exclusively to the SME segment.
The portfolio of services is a perfect complement to the activities of the IT reseller. These services are offered through the network operations center in Mumbai, India, where about 600 people support the managed services infrastructure and global customer portfolio.
The services include backup and business continuity solutions for SMEs, Monitoring and Management services for desktops and servers, and more recently the management of an overall SME IT environment via Style Smart Office, an innovative cloud computing solution for network computing. 40.000 sites currently managed by IT resellers 4.000.
More information can be found on www.aserver.com
