VMblog:  How excited are you that VeeamON is back as a physical event this year?

Chelsea Rodgers:  We're thrilled to be able to finally engage with both our partners and customers in-person! There's something special about being immersed in a high energy event like VeeamOn. As a brand focused on bringing the heat, we certainly won't be holding back at this event!  

VMblog:  Why should a VeeamON attendee add you to their MUST SEE list?

Rodgers:  Sessions highlighting the new V12 features and functionality, as well as fundamental sessions focused on implementing a rock-solid backup strategy are certainly a must. Ransomware is still a huge issue that organizations of all sizes are impacted by every day. Ransomware related sessions at VeeamOn provide incredibly important education on updated best practices for protection and prevention, so those should absolutely be on their list too.

VMblog:  Can you give VMblog readers a sneak peek as to what you will be showing off at your booth?

Rodgers:  Speaking of ransomware, Wasabi is kicking off a new ransomware campaign at VeeamOn that tackles cybersecurity education in a more fun and relatable way for employees of all types. There are some great surprises and giveaways in store, plus our slate of cloud storage experts will be on hand so we encourage everyone to stop by the Wasabi booth and join in the fun! As always, we'll be highlighting how together, Veeam and Wasabi offer an affordable and best of breed solution for backup to the cloud.

VMblog:  Talking about your product solutions, can you give readers a few examples of how your offerings are unique?  What are your differentiators?

Rodgers:  What always stands out about Wasabi first is our pricing. Wasabi is 80% less than our public cloud competitors, and we do that without sacrificing on performance or security. Our partners and customers love Wasabi for its simplicity. We've eliminated the complex pricing tiers you see from competitors like AWS, as well as the unpredictable fees like egress and API requests to allow for simple and predictable pricing. Our cloud object storage is 100% bit-compatible with the S3 API, enabling Wasabi to integrate with the industry's leading applications, including Veeam, so customers don't have to rip and replace their existing solutions. Our deep integration with Veeam also supports object lock functionality for immutable cloud storage, offering an additional layer of protection from security threats like ransomware.

VMblog:  How does your company work with Veeam?  And how does your product fit within the Veeam ecosystem?

Rodgers:  Wasabi hot cloud storage is available for all Veeam. Together, we have grown a sizable joint-customer base and continue to work strategically to further offer our partners and customers a world-class backup service in the cloud. Our continued success is largely attributed to our meet-in-the-channel strategies, where our teams work closely with global resellers and MSPs alike. Our combined solution allows resellers to offer an end-to-end backup solution, ensuring their customers are following the 3-2-1-1 rule of backup to protect their valuable data from security threats.

VMblog:  What do you think we need to do collectively as an ecosystem to strengthen the industry?

Rodgers:  Our mission at Wasabi was to make our storage service affordable and accessible so that organizations, no matter the size, could keep more of their data. Data is the lifeblood of a business and has the potential to transform into additional revenue streams. Over the past five years, we've watched our customers do just that. We built our API based on the defacto standard so that we could integrate with as many applications as possible. Open collaboration and allowing customers to build their technology stack with best of breed solutions enables faster growth and more innovation across all industries. 

VMblog:  We expect to hear about big industry topics during the keynotes, but what does your company see taking shape in the coming landscape?  What would your keynote topic include?

Rodgers:  Our keynote would focus on the enormous potential that cloud storage presents across so many industries like healthcare, education, media & entertainment, smart cities and more. It's no secret that COVID and ransomware have forced a significant increase in cloud adoption. As strong alternatives to hyperscalers emerge, it's now more affordable and easier than ever to not only store data in the cloud, but to access it and apply it in game changing ways. The possibilities are endless!

VMblog:  What is it about VeeamON that makes you want to sponsor?

Rodgers:  Veeam is one of our most strategic partners, so this is an incredibly valuable opportunity for Wasabi to get in front of their customers and partners. VeeamOn is well known within our industry for offering not only an engaging lineup of presenters and content, but for also throwing some epic parties. I can't think of a better way to celebrate being back in-person!