Datto has introduced the next generation of its flagship SIRIS BDR appliances and an updated release of its direct-to-cloud PCs continuity solution.
The new SIRIS 5 series, which is available immediately, contains a number of upgrades designed to improve performance, reliability, and simplicity, according to Director of Product Management Chris Duffy.
“We’ve really dug in here to ensure that we are delivering the best quality we possibly can,” he says.
Powered by Dell server hardware, SIRIS 5 devices offer up to 4X better performance than their series 4 predecessors, Datto says, thanks to upgraded RAM and a speedier CPU. The new units feature redundant power supplies and enterprise-grade SAS hard drives as well.
“In addition, we now have RAID-protected OS drives to reduce single points of failure,” Duffy says.
Enhanced diagnostic capabilities in the new appliances significantly reduce false positives that can produce unnecessary returns, Datto says. The company has adopted a more rigorous burn-in testing period at the factory as well to identify flawed systems before shipping.
To simplify the purchasing process, Datto has reduced the 25 SKUs in the previous SIRIS series to 13. “It was confusing to you to determine what the best fit for your particular end client was,” Duffy says. “With the SIRIS 5, you don’t have to worry about that.”
Buyers can choose among six chassis types, ranging from two mini-PCs to a 1U half-depth form factor with two to four TB of capacity to a 2U system with up to 60 TB of storage. The new products can accommodate larger data volumes as well if needed.
“We’ve designed the SIRIS 5 platform to meet these higher capacity use cases in a more modular fashion,” Duffy says.
Other changes include the introduction of an affordable one-agent minimum on the entry-level SIRIS 5X and a new seven-year data retention period. “This is great to help address auditing standards, especially those for accounting firms that need to maintain records dating back seven years per [the Sarbanes Oxley Act],” Duffy says.
Reporting enhancements include the addition of Microsoft Power BI support, a redesigned device audit report, and a new “hero report.”
“This report allows you to quickly and easily show the value of the BCDR services you’re providing directly to your end clients,” Duffy explains. “It’s ideal for that ad hoc meeting with your client or for your next scheduled QBR, where you can really sit down and review their environment and have that deep conversation.”
First introduced during Datto’s 2019 DattoCon partner conference, Cloud Continuity for PCs is an image-based solution for Windows workstations that sends backups directly to Datto’s cloud. The new edition unveiled today offers multiple enhancements inspired by partner feedback, including faster bare metal restores.
“Our bare metal restore is now working five times faster than it was previously,” says Conor Bowler, a senior product manager, adding that bare metal restores are less vulnerable to failure due to Wi-Fi issues and support volume resizing as well.
Unlike previous Cloud Continuity agents, new ones installed from today forward will back up all of a user’s drives instead of just the OS drive, typically the C drive, by default.
“Existing agents will continue to back up the OS drive only, and we’re currently working on a feature in our partner portal to allow you to turn on and off protection for individual drives,” Bowler says.
Another new feature lets partners delegate access rights to specified end users. “This allows you to give administrative level users at your clients the ability to manage their agents without the need to go through you as the MSP for every level detail,” Bowler explains.
According to Duffy, the products Datto showcased today are proof that it will continue to innovate while its recent purchase by Kaseya for $6.2 billion moves toward closure.
“We at Datto are committed to build and deliver superior solutions that are driven by our true North Star of protecting data and making that data accessible as quickly as possible wherever and whenever you need it,” he says.
Russ Morton, Datto’s vice president of product, also briefly addressed concerns about how the Kaseya deal will affect Datto partners.
“The answer is business as usual for Datto, business as usual for our MSPs,” he said. “Datto will continue to operate independently from Kaseya in all ways until the closing of this transaction.”
Kaseya CEO Fred Voccola discussed the same topic both in a recent interview with ChannelPro and at the recent Robin Robins IT Sales and Marketing Boot Camp.
