NAME : Adriano Villeroy (CEO)
COMPANY : iCOM BACKUP ONLINE DE DDOS
YEAR ESTABLISHED : 2006
WEB : www.icombackup.com
iCom is Ahsay's MSP partner from Brazil. The features iCom like most on Ahsay are: recoverability, data compression ratio and people (technical support).Learn more about how iCom works with Ahsay backup to win the market from Adriano Villeroy, CEO, iCom.
1. Company history and background
iCOM was established in 2006. We were the pioneers in Brazil in offering online backup services. By then, the technological scenario was much different than today. Broadband was very nascent, and we had to preach the importance of appropriate data backup, especially for small companies with a massive lack of information security awareness.
In 2012, we forged a successful partnership with PRIMUS DATACENTER in Porto Alegre, South Brazil, and began offering dedicated managed hosting. This marked the beginning of our fruitful relationship with Ahsay System Corporation from Hong Kong, monitored by MyClientGlobal from New Zealand. Over the years, we have tested various services and products, leading us to what we consider the perfect mix: Ahsay's reliable and effective solutions.
We believe perfection is just humans' ability to find solutions for day-to-day complications. Once we have to deliver assurance to your customers, we have to find valuable partners to count on along the way.
2. The most successful case you have experienced
A few years ago, driven by new legislation, notaries were mandated to backup their data externally using robust 256-bit encryption tools. We introduced AhsayOBM to backup their systems hosted on Linux servers. After rigorous testing, AhsayOBM emerged as the best solution among six other software options. These customers have been with us for over six years now, and we continue to attract new ones, a testament to the success of our partnership with Ahsay.
3. When did you start your relationship with Ahsay?
We started our relationship with Ahsay in January 2007 and bought our first licenses in June of that year from our former name, Leb Shama.
4. What is the importance of Ahsay's products in your business mix?
Ahsay's products are not just important to us, they are a cornerstone of our business. Today, online data backup represents a significant 20% of our business, with 90% of it relying on AhsayOBM and ACB. This underscores the value and relevance of Ahsay's solutions in our business mix.
We started our relationship with Ahsay in January 2007. Bought our first licenses in June of that year from former name Leb Shama.
5. What are the three key features of Ahsay that you like most?
The features I like most about Ahsay are Recoverability, Data Compression Ratio, and People (Technical Support).
6. How do you compare Ahsay's products and services with those of other similar products?
We have tested many products over the years, most of which are full of meaningless features. AhsayOBM, ACB, and CBS(OBS) are simple to use and trustworthy. I understand they focus on what really matters, and it makes a very positive difference compared to other software!
7. What is the mix of your customers? (e.g., home, small business, hosting company, etc.) What are your sales and marketing tactics for each market?
100 % of our customers are businesses.
80 % of SME's
20 % of Large corporations
Our sales capture mid-market prices, while marketing is focused on delivering real commitment to customers. For instance, we DO guarantee customers' systems will work properly on our infrastructure by testing them before implementation. Also, backup users' data will be accessible from a secondary site if the primary becomes unavailable.
8. What are the difficulties marketing your backup service in your market? How do you tackle them?
Potential customers easily get confused by the "tons" of offers on the Internet. Often, regardless of fairness in comparing services, prospects are driven to buy dubious services. Even in the light of fair play, we cannot ignore the rise in PCP (pay-per-click). So, we decided to offer different websites that vary in linguistics to approach non-technical to highly skilled engineers, each with its own PCP strategy.
9. How can Ahsay build stronger relationships with our partners, including your company?
The best approach is to keep communication channels open. Creating an external customer's committee would allow Ahsay to interact more effectively with larger issues.
10. What are the opportunities/threats in the recent backup market?
The ability to offer backup services based on external storage clouds will undoubtedly introduce significant competition in the market. We anticipate a rapid increase in the number of backup companies in the coming months. However, we also see this as an incredible opportunity to grow our businesses by leveraging our unique strengths. It's crucial to stay agile and innovative to stay ahead in this dynamic market.
11. Do you have any other suggestions to tackle those opportunities/threats?
Once we understand we have similarities based on product, we must seek differentiation. And if the differentiation your company can offer is yourself (your team), I'd suggest you go and develop the best quality service you can!