Security | Threat Detection | Cyberattacks | DevSecOps | Compliance

To reduce the risk of data loss, organizations rely on proven backup strategies. In this guide, we explain what the 3-2-1 backup rule is, how it works, and how to apply it correctly. Topics discussed in this piece: click to expand What is the 3-2-1 backup rule? Three data copies Two different media One off-site copy Is the 3-2-1 backup rule still the industry best practice? Ever heard of the 3-2-1-1-0 backup rule? Alternative 4-3-2 strategy How do these compare against each other?

When Microsoft ended support for mainstream Windows 10 in October 2025, there was panic in many industries. Fearing that Windows 10 would be unprotected and therefore exposed to cyberthreats, organizations raced to migrate to Windows 11. But in operational technology (OT) environments, that narrative is a little misleading. Upgrading prematurely can introduce far greater operational risk than staying on a well-controlled Long-Term Servicing Channel (LTSC) platform.

Microsoft 365 is both powerful and challenging for managed service providers (MSPs). It's nearly ubiquitous at client sites, which means MSPs don't have to worry about managing multiple business suites. Unfortunately, protecting Microsoft 365 isn't easy. Microsoft's own level of protection is limited by design, and MSPs often have to cobble together a collection of unintegrated tools to keep Microsoft 365 data safe for clients. Technicians end up stretched thin as tickets pile up.

One thing is certain for manufacturers: Cyberattacks on your operations will succeed. Improving detection and prevention capabilities is critical, but at some point, your operational technology (OT) environment will face a significant incident. What matters most is how quickly you can recover and resume operations.

DevOps has become an important practice for companies looking to efficiently meet customers’ expectations, accelerate software delivery, and optimize resources. Companies that embrace the DevOps culture can smoothly merge their development and operations teams, resulting in faster releases and better development.

Summary Microsoft 365 is mission-critical for SMBs, but managing it with fragmented backup and security tools creates complexity, security gaps, and shrinking margins for MSPs. Disconnected solutions increase manual work, operational overhead, and risk across email, data, identity, and compliance. A unified Microsoft 365 protection approach consolidates backup, XDR, email security, archiving, security awareness training, and posture management into a single multi-tenant platform.

Summary Microsoft 365 is the operational backbone for email, collaboration, and business data, but it does not provide true backup — only availability and short-term retention. Once retention windows expire, deleted or compromised data may be unrecoverable, creating significant risk for organizations. Backup-as-a-service (BaaS) for Microsoft 365 closes this protection gap by delivering independent, point-in-time backups, granular recovery, and long-term retention.

VMware is a market leader in virtualization solutions, and VMware ESXi is a renowned type 1 hypervisor. Increasingly, individual users and organizations are deploying ESXi servers in their environments to run virtual machines. An ESXi hypervisor is provided as part of VMware vSphere, which, in turn, comes with different licensing options for each edition. Each VMware vSphere edition has its own price, but VMware also provides a free version of ESXi.

Staying compliant is essential for protecting your organization from unexpected costs and reputational damage. As regulations grow more complex, businesses must ensure consistent adherence to security and data protection standards. With the rise of hybrid and remote work, solutions like Acronis Protected Workspace provide a secure, controlled environment designed to help organizations meet evolving compliance needs with confidence.

Managing today’s complex and distributed IT environments requires more than traditional monitoring tools. MSPs need intelligent and automated systems that can detect issues early, streamline service delivery, and strengthen security across every endpoint they manage. That is where AI RMM software becomes essential. By providing a centralized platform, AI RMM software enables managed service providers to monitor client endpoints and perform remote management efficiently.