#32 - From The Trenches - Backups, Ransomware & Service that Answer (William Oppenheimer)

🎙️ Backups, Ransomware & Service that Answers – Ep. 0 A 30-year backup veteran, William Oppenheimer, joins Josh to unpack what really matters in modern backup strategy—beyond buzzwords. MSPs get a practical perspective on configuration, testing, ransomware readiness, and why responsive support beats “big-box” scale. ✅ Enjoyed this episode? Like, subscribe, and share your biggest takeaway below. https://beringmckinley.com/bering-mckinley-podcast-blog For MSPs, backup isn’t glamorous—but it’s mission-critical. In this conversation, Josh Peterson sits down with William Oppenheimer (envloch.com) to trace the evolution from 1990s tape rotations to today’s encrypted, cloud-hybrid backups. William explains why the “brains” of any backup is the software—specifically, flexible policies (per-folder cadence, retention windows, images vs. file sets) and clean restores. He also shares a channel-friendly approach for MSPs who want reliable tech, clear reporting, and real humans on call at 2 a.m. 👉 Key takeaways for MSPs: 👉 Build for restore, not just backup: test on clean hardware and verify bytes/paths match expectations. 👉 Use flexible policies: mix rapid backups for hot folders with weekly fulls and thoughtful retention. 👉 Ransomware resilience: keep encrypted off-OS media and hidden targets so malware can’t see them. 👉 Operationalize trust: daily color-coded reports, proactive alerts, and annual recoveries as a service. 👉 Compete on service: responsive support can beat “big” vendors when the clock is ticking. You’ll hear practical stories (what goes wrong, what actually saves clients) and a simple rubric to judge any solution: off-site, end-to-end encryption, and easy, proven restores. If you lead service or vCIO conversations, this episode gives you language and steps to strengthen your BCDR playbook. Visit https://beringmckinley.com  for more MSP resources. 🔗 Resources & Links • William Oppenheimer at Enveloc: https://envloc.com • Bering McKinley MSP Consulting: https://beringmckinley.com ⏱️ Chapters • 00:00 – From tapes to today: William’s origin story • 02:17 – What backups looked like in 1995 • 03:53 – Cloud ↔ local: what to back up (and how) • 05:31 – The “brains” of backup: policies & retention • 08:20 – Reporting that MSPs can act on daily • 10:58 – Restore tests: bare-metal vs. file-level • 12:14 – How often should you test restores? • 13:40 – Ransomware: “invisible” targets & clean copies • 18:19 – The quick test: off-site, encrypted, easily restored • 19:10 – Competing with big vendors on service • 21:14 – Growth via MSP channel & distributors • 25:55 – Marketing lessons (radio → podcasts) • 34:32 – Advice to MSPs: spend wisely, prepare to restore • 35:17 – Where to find William & what’s next 🔍 Primary Keywords msp backup, ransomware recovery, disaster recovery, encrypted backup 🔍 Secondary Keywords backup testing, hybrid cloud backup, bcdR for msps, restore verification 🏷️ Tags MSP, backup software, ransomware protection, disaster recovery, BCDR, MSP channel, restore testing, cloud backup, encryption, Josh Peterson, William Oppenheimer, envloch #️⃣ Hashtags #beringmckinley #bmkvisionpodcast #msp #backup #disasterrecovery #bcdr #ransomware #dataprotection #cloudbackup #itsecurity #itservices #managedservices #vcio #encryptedbackup #recoveryplan