After its brand arrived here in Canada earlier this year with the help of solution provider Modest Mycyk, hosted backup provider Datto has decided to expand its presence in this country by opening up shop and working directly with solution providers.

According to Shannon Kohn, director of marketing and channel relations at Datto, the decision to head north itself came after “an overwhelming response” to the formal launch of the brand in Canada.

“We didn’t really anticipate that, and it led us to decide that there’s so much demand, so much need for this kind of service, that it makes sense for us to make it a direct relationship and provide first-class service and support to our Canadian MSPs.”

The hosted backup and DR service now has a dedicated Canadian team, including reps in the United States and one in Canada. The Canadian team member appears to be Marlene Mullowney, formerly account executive with Datto Canada (the distributor), and now Canadian account executive for Datto Inc.

The service from Datto will use the U.S.-based technical support team, but will host Canadian companies’ data in Canada through a partnership with Vancouver, BC-based managed hosting giant Peer 1 Hosting. The company says this way, Canadian partners get “best-in-class” support just like it offers existing American solution providers, but data stays in Canada, helping to ease customers’ potential concerns with the US Patriot Act and other legislative challenges.

To support growth into Canada, the company has introduced a Canadian partner program, one that Kohn said is designed to help “get them in the door and set up for BDR with Datto.” Kohn describes the program as tiered in the way an airline’s frequent flier program is tiered – the more devices a solution provider is supporting through Datto, the more benefits and the stronger the relationship.

“Our philosophy is that the volume isn’t the important part, it’s the quality of the partnership,” she said. “We’re looking for serious MSPs looking to grow their businesses. It’s about their drive and their willingness to partner.”

The first steps of building those relationships is getting the word out. Kohn said Datto has been historically very active with community groups including HTG, the ASCII Group, and CompTIA, and will be turning to those groups to get the word out and find the right partners her in Canada.

For existing partners who’ve been working with Mycyk’s franchise, Kohn said the choice is theirs whether to continue to work with Mycyk and his team, or move over to a direct relationship with Data. “We still have a great relationship with [Mycyk,]” she said.