Nerds On Site, which solves technology headaches for South African SMEs, has added Gabsten Technologies’ CloudProtect solution to its line-up, bringing a much needed cloud backup and recovery capability to its clients.
CloudProtect is cost effective, easy to use and super secure – ideal for the small and medium enterprise (SME) that needs to keep their data safe and minimise risk.
“CloudProtect addresses a clear and growing need in this market segment. It will add immense value to our customers in terms of increasing the security and recoverability of their data, especially as the recent spate of ransomware attacks continue to take their toll,” says Nerds On Site South African director Francois Castelyn.
Nerds On Site offers a broad spectrum of services to SOHO, SME and small corporate clients, applying best practices. One such best practice is a zero tolerance approach to risk when it comes to our customers’ data. “We have a 3-2-1 system in place: we insist on every client having three copies of data on at least two different types of media, one of which needs to be offsite,” explains Castelyn.
“The offsite component was proving challenging as storing large amounts of data offsite in South Africa is not cost-effective, logistics can be complex and security is not always guaranteed. However, failure to store a current copy of company data offsite is exactly the kind of weakness that cybercriminals will exploit, which is what the spate of ransomware is all about.”
Ransomware is a type of malware that infects a computer, encrypting files and systems and rendering them inaccessible. To unlock files, users are compelled to make a payment.
To assist our clients, Nerds On Site took action to find a solution that would meet their needs, explains Castelyn. “Our key requirements were that the solution be easy to use, cost effective and super secure. Gabsten Technologies’ CloudProtect met all those requirements.”
Says Iniel Dreyer, MD of Gabsten Technologies: “Our CloudProtect solution is seeing significant uptake in the local market since it is tailored for local conditions and backed by an excellent service ethic.
“CloudProtect offers a predictable cost model with no hidden costs, covering everything from backup to support and recovery. We also offer worldclass encryption capabilities, compliance with Protection of Personal Information Act (PoPI), interfaces and processes that are straightforward, and 24-hour technical support in a variety of languages.
“We work hand in hand with Nerds On Site and directly with their customers to ensure their data is safe and the service meets their requirements, whether their risk profile demands hourly, daily or weekly backups.”
Notes Castelyn: “For the Nerds on Site people working onsite at clients, Gabsten’s responsiveness is a critical factor. Our customers just don’t want to deal with technology; they trust us to do it for them, so having a team at Gabsten standing by to assist us, or them, is great. The service itself is excellent too – we simply sign up the client and within minutes the client directory is created and ready to go.”
Nerds on Site’s independent contractors received training on use of CloudProtect in December 2016 and the service is already receiving good uptake among clients.
“We are very excited to be able to offer this solution to our client base and to be working with Gabsten – they are a ray of light on the data management landscape in South Africa for our clients.”