The Best MSP Backup Tools: Data Protection for Managed Service Providers

8 min readNov 2, 2023

In today’s IT landscape, Managed Service Providers (MSPs) play pivotal roles in providing their clients with data security and production continuity solutions. MSPs face the responsibility of choosing the right backup tool that provides robust data protection while also creating profitable opportunities.

A disruptive event can occur at any moment causing data loss, downtime, and in some cases, irreversible damage to your organization. Having a reliable backup and recovery solution is the only way to guarantee data recovery and business continuity.

In this article, I collected some of the top MSP backup solutions that are currently available on the market. Every solution here has its own strengths and weaknesses, so you might want to compare them directly before making a final decision.

The Essentials of MSP Backup

Before looking into the different data protection tools and solutions, you should understand the importance of MSP backup for an organization.

The key thing here is the constant threat looming over data and infrastructures. The list of dangers threatening an organization includes:

Hardware malfunctions
Software errors
Power outages
Natural disasters
Hacking attacks
Ransomware infiltration

These and other issues caused by either human errors or external circumstances can result in data loss and system downtime, which are unacceptable for any organization nowadays. Therefore, a data recovery plan and the tools to implement it are vital to maintain the organization’s availability, stable revenue, and reputation among clients and partners.

N-able Cove Data Protection

The first solution on the list is N-able Cove Data Protection, a solid choice for MSPs. When dealing with smaller volumes of data, this solution is excellent. However, in their online reviews, users mention some of the solution’s disadvantages when backing up and recovering large datasets. To boost the efficiency of data protection further, the option enabling physical backup storage in addition to cloud could be valuable even with an additional payment is required.

To conclude on N-able Cove Data Protection, the solution can suit smaller MSPs that don’t process terabytes of backup data regularly. However, larger service providers might want a more efficient price/functionality correlation that some other tools in this list may offer.

NAKIVO Backup & Replication

NAKIVO Backup & Replication is among the leaders in the MSP backup solutions market. This is a comprehensive tool providing MSPs with powerful features for backup-as-a-service (BaaS) and disaster-recovery-as-a-service (DRaaS) offerings. The NAKIVO solution is already popular among managed service providers worldwide.

One of the main advantages of NAKIVO Backup & Replication is the set of multi-tenancy features. As an MSP, you can create up to 1,000 isolated local or remote users (tenants) within a single solution deployment. Tenants do not have access to the environments of other tenants, while you can manage their backup and recovery workflows via a single console. Additionally, the interface customization enables aligning the solution with your brand, increasing its recognition among clients.

NAKIVO Backup & Replication offers other features that place it as a top contender in theMSP backup tool category:

A self-service portal that enables offloading data protection tasks to clients, providing you with more service flexibility and resource management opportunities.
Tenant resource allocation, with which you can dynamically assign resources of your infrastructure to clients and redistribute them on the go whenever necessary to maintain stability.
Multi-platform support for VMware, Hyper-V, cloud, physical, and hybrid environments.

With immutable backup copies providing reliable ransomware protection, versatile recovery options, and qualified 24/7 customer support available via direct chat in the solution’s interface, the NAKIVO solution stands out from most competitors. The pricing model is also flexible, thus the solution can suit both entry-level and enterprise MSPs.

MSP360 Backup

The next solution on the list is MSP360 Backup. The solution is promoted as “designed for service providers” due to the following features: file and image-based backups, centralized management, multi-platform support, monitoring, reporting and web-based access . With the flexible pricing model and licensing, monthly billing without upfront payments, and rebranding opportunities, MSP 360 Backup looks like a worthy option. The 24/7 customer support is a pleasant bonus here.

However, MSP 360 offers only cloud storage options which may be a deal breaker for many organizations that require ultimate reliability with on-premises storage. Plus, user reports note that recovery times require improvement, especially those for critical situations.

Barracuda Intronis Backup

Barracuda Intronis Backup is a software-only solution that promises to go beyond file-and-folder and to deliver secure hybrid backup services. The combination of cloud and local backups is a strong feature on its own. The support for multi-platform (VMware and Hyper-V) image-based backups and bare metal recovery add some points to the final mark for Barracuda.

Barracuda Intronis Backup is an efficient player when performing in smaller network environments, which means the solution is considerable for SMBs and organizations without complex IT infrastructures. In case your environment consists of multiple nodes in various network segments and different levels, the solution becomes less preferable. The Linux core, with the lack of user access plus the intricacies of backend operations, can significantly complicate troubleshooting.

BackupAssist

BackupAssist is positioned as a backup and recovery solution for SMBs, which puts certain limits for one’s expectations. The set of features and functions includes local and cloud backup storage, application-specific backups for Microsoft Exchange, SQL Server and Hyper-V, full and granular recovery, backup encryption, verification, and compression. Along with bare-metal recovery and multiple licensing options, the solution can be a choice to consider for smaller organizations.

However, some BackupAssist users have experienced issues with their backups: after the solution’s update, backups were not functioning properly. Additionally, online reviews show that the solution is stagnating and needs improvement to compete with the competitors who’ve gone far ahead.

Comet Backup

Comet Backup offers robust data protection solutions with multiple backup destinations, well-developed management for all users, and per-device pricing. Backups are incremental, encrypted, and secure, adding value to the solution among clients. Free customer support can be an additional advantage for smaller MSPs.

On the other hand, Comet Backup has some downsides, particularly regarding storage vaults. The analysis of online reviews’ analysis shows that the solution has issues with connecting local vaults and UNC files. Sometimes, the interface can be confusing and require additional staff training for efficient use. In addition, the solution’s customer support is not always working properly for users in different time zones.

CloudAlly

CloudAlly is a reputable backup services provider that is feature-rich and reliable enough to satisfy the needs of small and enterprise organizations. The opportunity to create immutable (which means ransomware-proof) backups on demand or automatically and send the copies to AWS S3, Azure, GCP, or more AWS-compatible destinations is an undisputed plus. CloudAlly can also enable MSPs to encrypt backups, log and monitor data protection activities to ensure regulatory compliance, and audit preparedness.

The downside here is the complex user interface and non-intuitive functionalities, which require staff training and complicate sharing the solution with unprepared users. Additionally, the network requirements here can be notably higher than average, causing performance issues in case the user’s internet connection is not strong enough.

NovaBackup

NovaBackup offers backup to local and cloud storages, centralized monitoring opportunities, disaster recovery, straightforward licensing that enables upfront costs reduction, among other features for MSPs. Multi-tenancy and multi-user access add flexibility to your service provisioning capabilities, improving client experience and enhancing data security.

However, NovaBackup offers backup job setup and scheduling as separate managed functions, which may not correlate with the users’ needs. Plus, backup jobs can take too long to complete. Finally, some users reported that the solution is overpriced compared to what it offers.

Honorable Mentions: CommVault, Datto MSP, and Syncrify MSP

Though not explored in detail, CommVault, Datto MSP, and Syncrify MSP are also worth noting when you are considering an MSP backup solution.

CommVault is a comprehensive tool that includes the majority of available technologies. However, this is a complex solution that is difficult to learn and use, plus the single management console has not been implemented yet.

Datto MSP is a fully integrated solution providing backup and recovery services almost without initial setup, which can be beneficial for users who aren’t that tech-oriented. Cloud and on-premise storage plus the variety of DR functions in this all-in-one solution are an additional benefit to consider. However, Datto won’t compress encrypted backups, can’t restore file permissions, and doesn’t offer the recovery granularity that modern users may desire.

Syncrify MSP offers client backup management from a centralized web-based platform, data encryption in-transit and at-rest, and storage destinations in your or clients’ LAN. One-time payment for perpetual license, branding opportunities, cloud or on-premise deployment, and scalability options are additional pros here. On the negative side, Syncrify has limited integrations with external management frameworks and doesn’t enable moving backups between mount points within a server. Lastly, deduplication is unavailable in Syncrify, and users also report that the Linux version is not properly optimized.

Conclusion

To conclude, choosing the right MSP backup tool is crucial for your business since it could make or break most of your deals. Every option mentioned above has its pros and cons, and your choice is the solution that correlates with your requirements and financial considerations. You can always install free versions or trials of the MSP backup solutions listed above to try them out and ensure that they fit you seamlessly. Keep in mind that the reliability of your MSP backup tool defines the overall data security, recoverability, and business continuity for you and your clients.