Datto's BDRfacts.com Website: Some "Facts" Are Wrong

Datto, the backup and disaster recovery (BDR) company, is striving to raise its profile among MSPs (managed services providers) while also developing some positioning  statements vs. potential rivals like Axcient and Zenith Infotech. A new Datto-driven website, called BDRfacts.com, attempts to offer “facts with no marketing or sales spin” about various BDR platforms. But a quick check of BDRfacts.com website shows that it contains key factual errors. It’s the latest chapter in a strange competitive showdown between Datto and Axcient.

Check Datto’s BDRfacts.com site for the BDR Comparison page. There, Datto says…

Multiple sources who have viewed the BDRfacts.com comparison page tell me it contains additional technical errors.

The Axcient-Datto competition is no stranger to controversy. Datto CEO Austin McChord wrote an open letter to Axcient CEO Justin Moore back in September 2011, claiming that Moore made misleading statements about Datto. Moore denied the claim.

Careful With the Claims

Of course, “vendor-neutral” comparisons can be incredibly valuable. And I know many MSPs are trying to get their hands around the BDR market, especially as Zenith Infotech navigates a bond default in India.

But Datto has to be extremely careful with efforts like this. Frankly, there’s no such thing as “unbiased” information on the web. Everyone — myself included — has a bias. Our biases are revealed based on the information we choose to share — or not share.

Equally important, when you share “factual” information it better be accurate. At this point, I don’t think that’s the case on BDRfacts.com. I’ve left a message at Datto to see if the company plans to make specific changes to the site.

Datto: Updates Coming?

In the meantime, I’ll give Datto the benefit of the doubt. The BDRfacts site certainly does not “attack” competitors. And the home page states:  “Should any vendor find incorrect information on this site, please email [email protected] and we promise to make the necessary corrections within 48 hours.”

Memo to Datto: The clock is ticking.