N2WS makes a sexy announcement expanding NoSQL support around Amazon DynamoDB, a solid announcement expanding support for Amazon Aurora databases, and a RESTful API announcement that will be of particular interest to channel partners.
CHICAGO – N2WS, an AWS-focused IaaS data protection provider that Veeam acquired in January, and which has been operated since as a standalone company, has announced version 2.3 of their flagship Cloud Protection Manager product. It is a significant release on several levels. They have extended their serverless computing support with automated backup and recovery protection for the Amazon DynamoDB managed NoSQL database service. They expanded their support for Amazon Aurora relational databases to include cross-region and cross-account disaster recovery capabilities. In addition, they announced new RESTful APIs to increase integration between Cloud Protection Manager and other applications.
Veeam announcement of the N2WS acquisition in January was described at the time as a particularly significant investment for a comparatively small $42.5 million price tag, that would boost Veeam’s presence in the AWS cloud. N2WS has continued to operate as a separate organization since, under the Veeam umbrella.
“We are 100 per cent dedicated to AWS, and don’t do anything outside it,” said Ezra Charm, N2WS’s VP of Marketing. “We have focused on doing one thing very well. While other companies that support AWS have become toolset companies, we have been laser-focused on AWS storage, and manage backups inside of AWS. We are number one for backups within AWS.”
N2WS sold primarily through the AWS Marketplace before the acquisition, but now have a flourishing hybrid model.
“We work with all the top AWS resellers,” Charm said. “We certainly don’t have 55,000 partners like Veeam, but we have the ones who have engaged deeply with AWS, like SHI, 2nd Watch, Accenture and CapGemini. A very early checkbox that you need before a cloud migration is backup and recovery. You aren’t moving to the cloud without it. So we are an early part of that conversation. It’s one reason we were so interesting to Veeam – not just for the technology, but for the revenue opportunities. All Veeam resellers have to think about AWS at some point, and we can offer a clear path towards revenue.”
The new support for DynamoDB addresses a growing market, in which a recent N2WS survey found that over 25 per cent of respondents now leverage Amazon DynamoDB. The support lets Cloud Protection Manager customers create policy and schedule-based backups for Amazon DynamoDB tables, and provides increased confidence needed to move critical data into Amazon DynamoDB.
“The DynamoDB news generates excitement, because it is serverless, and that’s attractive, and it’s NoSQL, and that’s also attractive,” Charm said. “However, while DynamoDB has that sexy element, Aurora is a really significant piece of news. Its market is just exploding. While Aurora is a relational database rather than NoSQL, it is also moving into serverless, and it has a lot of value for customers and for partners.
“The other exciting piece in the announcement is the new API set,” Charm said. “It’s very important for our channel providers.” The API set will better enable a channel ecosystem where some partners resell and support other partners who provide managed services to their own customers.
“We will also be introducing a new reporting set, which is another thing that the channel appreciates,” Charm said. “This is in beta now. It will make it very easy to run audit reports and consumption reports. We want to make things very easy, and the reporting is key to all that.”
Version 2.3 also adds a new AWS CloudFormation template. It shortens Cloud Protection Manager’s time-to-value with a 1-click launch capability.
The enhanced version of Cloud Protection Manager will enhance N2WS’ ability to strengthen Veeam in the AWS market, Charm stated.
“The VeeamOn event has been great for us in talking to Veeam partners – but less so for Veeam customers, because VeeamON is still mainly an on-prem customer crowd. However, it is very different when we go to AWS events with Veeam. At those events, we are well known, and Veeam is much less well known. It’s very cool to drive introductions and business for this huge company that is much bigger than us.”
