Briggs founded Warwick-based SafeData in 2005 to provide backup services to small and midsized businesses. In June 2010, he sold SafeData to a national company, Data Storage Corporation.
He is now the executive vice president of Data Storage and continues to manage the SafeData unit in Rhode Island.
PBN: It’s been about nine months since the acquisition. How has the transition been? What kinds of adjustments have been made at SafeData?
BRIGGS: The transition has been interesting. We have developed some new cloud based hosting options and added significantly to our technical team. We now can host a client’s application on our equipment in our data center, so the only thing the client needs is an interface to our cloud network, eliminating all the maintenance, and support required to host their own systems.
We have added five new technical engineers in Warwick office and are looking to expand further. We are also adding account executives and building our distribution channel.
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PBN: SafeData provides data and telecom recovery services. Have you seen this industry grow and change over the past eight years?
BRIGGS: Absolutely. Most clients don’t address inbound and outbound voice services. In a disaster, most companies will not be able to communicate well. Our Telecom recovery is an inexpensive virtual service that can help users with any telecom system they may have installed at their location.
PBN: Right now, cloud computing is a hot topic. Have you lost any customers to low-cost services like Mozy?
BRIGGS: Mozy is great for very simple data backup. We specialize in full recovery and use more enterprise type tools.
PBN: What are small businesses’ biggest Achilles’ heel when it comes to data recovery planning?
BRIGGS: Most companies just backup to tape and that leaves them vulnerable. A complete recovery solution needs to be off site, with access to systems for recovery.
PBN: How do you see data recovery as an industry developing over the next five years?
BRIGGS: Data protection and off site recovery will be growing overall as a requirement for most companies. This is being driven by more pressure due to compliance issues and the fact that companies need increasing availability. Prolonged down time is just not an option from most companies today.
Some of the compliance issues are: Sarbanes–Oxley, HIPPA and the new encryption requirements that many states are mandating.
