eFolder Launches Cloudfinder for Box for Cloud-to-Cloud Backup

Business continuity and cloud file sync services provider eFolder, has announced the release of its production version of Cloudfinder for Box, a dedicated cloud-to-cloud backup, search and restore service for Box. The company rolled out the production version of the offering following Box’s (BOX) long-anticipated initial public offering last week.

The production version of Cloudfinder for Box builds on a Freemium version that was available last year.  eFolder completed its acquisition of Cloudfinder in Q3 of 2014.

The Cloudfinder for Box service is the most recent addition to eFolder’s Cloudfinder platform, which aims to solve a key problem for companies that use the cloud.  Because cloud services often lack adequate service level agreements (SLAs) for data retention and restoration, particularly in industries with compliance requirements, Cloudfinder provides cloud-to-cloud backup that MSPs can bundle in to provide customers with additional value.

“One of the main problems MSPs will be dealing with in the coming year is data loss in cloud applications,” Ted Hulsy, VP of marketing at eFolder, told MSPmentor.

The trouble with tiered cloud services

Hulsy said many software-as-a-service (SaaS) providers offer tiered services and the least expensive version of them that SMBs typically choose don’t protect against data loss.

“The other big challenge MSPs are facing is how to make money in a cloud-focused future,” Hulsy said. “When they deploy Office 365, Microsoft doesn’t give the partner much revenue share.”

Hulsy suggested that MSPs can add value by providing managed Office 365 and other managed cloud services by bundling in services such as Cloudfinder.

Cloudfinder support

Cloudfinder currently supports the following cloud-based services: Microsoft Office 365 (and Outlook), Google Apps, Salesforce.com and now Box. Husly said eFolder hopes to eventually support dozens of applications with Cloudfinder.

“The big risk in using SaaS providers is not downtime,” he said. “The big risk is data loss.”

At the basic level, for instance, Microsoft 365 and hosted Outlook only retain email for 60 days. Cloudfinder is designed to fill the gap by providing cloud-to-cloud backup.

Admin console, pricing

The service provides an administrative console for all backups that is searchable. Administrators and MSPs can search, find and restore. Restoration is granular and can be for individual emails, entire email accounts and more. It can also be used for cross site data migration, Hulsy said.

Cloudfinder retails for $3 to $5 per user per month. The Cloudfinder for Office 365 retail price is set at $3 per user per month. Discounts are available for partners and volume commitments.