Many solution providers have not heard of Stage2 Data, based in Oakville, Ont., but they will be soon as the company is switching gears to become a value-added distributor of premium storage in the cloud.
Stage2 Data was a solution provider but after gaining North American authorization for Attix5 they have changed their model to a VAD and are actively looking for resellers, managed service providers and OEM partners.
“It’s a 180 degree turn in direction and it looks like we’re throwing the market a curveball but the Attix5 solution made us change,” said company president Jeff Collier.Attix5 is suited for data centres, ISPs, remote sites and mobile users. It is designed to protect data on constantly changing and growing networks. Attix5 enables solution providers to create customized solutions around networking needs. Collier said that Attix5 is the next generation of disk-to-disk technology and will enable the channel to offer premium cloud storage and backup services. For example, the Attix5 functionality can ensure that more than one copy of a customer’s data or files are stored safely on the cloud.
“This is better than the one-point-of-failure approach currently on the market. This type of solution is something you can bank your business on,” Collier said.
Attix5 creates a grid-lie solution where multiple copies of data can be stored on the cloud.
Stage2 Data is offering 100 per cent margins on its products, which comprise not just Attix5 but also Nexsan and E-Vault along with Dell and HP for servers.
According to Collier, he negotiated pricing for North America from Attix5, which is based in Ilford, U.K., to between 50 and 60 cents a gigabyte and typically solution providers offering this solution at $1 to $1.10 a gigabyte. “This is a high-end solution,” Collier added.
The prime markets for Attix5 or premium cloud storage is healthcare, legal, logistics and education. Stage2 Data strategy is not just a cloud based solution only as its can provide enterprise class software that goes against Symantec, Legato, IBM Tivoli and HP Data Protection solutions. Stage2 Data will build the solution and give solution providers the opportunity to sell it and deploy it.
The company is looking for managed service providers along with solution providers in tier 1 and 2 cities across Canada including national VARs.
Stage2 Data history started in Oakville as E-Vault. E-Vault was acquired by Seagate in 2007. Stage2 Data spun off of that in 2009 with 16 people and two locations. The have data centres in Hamilton, Ont. and Mississauga, Ont. and do not plan to open a warehouse and stock product like other distributors, Collier said.
