Datto Founder Austin McChord Launches Slide, Aims To Revolutionize MSP Backup And Disaster Recovery Solutions: Exclusive
‘When you look at the MSP solutions on the market today, they’re practically ancient,’ says Austin McChord, co-founder of Slide. ‘The legacy players have been around for decades. The tech hasn’t evolved much in all that time, so we saw a real opportunity to hit the reset button and build something exponentially better.’
Datto founder Austin McChord is launching his newest startup, Slide, aimed at shaking up the backup and disaster recovery space with its latest solution tailored specifically for MSPs. The new company addresses inefficiencies and outdated systems that many MSPs currently rely on.
The product, which embraces a cloud-first approach with flexibility to cater to on-premises environments, is designed to address the increasing demand for faster and more reliable backup systems. Its standout feature is the ability to saturate 10-gigabit network connections, providing backup and recovery speeds that are many times faster than current offerings.
“When you look at the MSP solutions on the market today, they’re practically ancient,” McChord, co-founder of Slide, told CRN in an exclusive interview. “The legacy players have been around for decades. The tech hasn’t evolved much in all that time, so we saw a real opportunity to hit the reset button and build something exponentially better.”
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McChord, who previously founded backup company Datto before it was sold to Kaseya in 2022, emphasized the importance of building a product that was modern, fast, secure and easy to integrate.
Slide is also focused on fostering an open and collaborative approach with other backup vendors and MSPs.
“We’re partnering with everyone, even other backup vendors,” McChord said. “We’re not trying to create a walled garden; we want to work with anyone who can help us make MSPs’ lives easier.”
One of those vendors is Vancouver, Canada-based software vendor ScalePad.
"When Austin first shared his vision for Slide, it was clear they were approaching BCDR [business continuity and disaster recovery] from a fresh perspective,” ScalePad CEO Chris Day said in an email to CRN. “Fast, reliable, flexible and secure backup underpins virtually every successful MSP practice. We are thrilled to be a key launch partner, integrating Backup Radar and Slide to deliver a truly automated, security-first BCDR experience for MSPs and their customers."
Michael Fass, Slide co-founder and CEO, said that the company’s focus on collaboration stems from a desire to “reignite the spirit of teamwork” and customer focus that fueled Datto’s success before it was sold.
"When the company changed hands, we saw core values dissipate, values that were integral to how we treated our team and the MSP community," Fass told CRN. "We felt that magic, and now we want to bring that back."
McChord and Fass aren’t just looking to disrupt the BCDR space today, they’re also focused on long-term growth and continuous improvement. With upcoming features like enhanced billing solutions and new integrations, the company is committed to meeting the evolving needs of MSPs.
"We’re not just solving simple problems here, we’re tackling the most complex, time-sensitive challenges that MSPs face, especially around on-prem and hybrid cloud backup solutions," Fass said.
And the company’s vision is clear: Slide aims to create a comprehensive ecosystem that MSPs can depend on, offering both cloud and on-prem solutions with an emphasis on security and speed.
“Every day, we’re focused on improving our solutions and our support systems," Fass said. “We’re not just a backup company, we’re a cyber company, a security company and we’re here to lead in this space.”
Charles Love, director of operations of Tampa, Fla.-based MSP ShowTech Solutions, said Slide is just what he needs for his company: an adaptable backup solution that doesn’t require long-term contracts.
"It just works,” Love told CRN in an interview. “They’ve taken the time to listen to their partners and fix all the little things that frustrate us. They went back to the drawing board and asked, 'What annoys everybody?' and they fixed it.”
He also highlighted Slide’s commitment to listening to partners, contrasting it with his experience with some other vendors.
"When you need help, you want to talk to someone who gets it,” he said. “With Slide, we’re not just putting in feature requests, we’re seeing changes happen in hours or days."
Devaughn Bittle, vice president of Frederick, Maryland-based MSP CommPutercations Inc., called Slide’s solution best of breed.
“They’re bringing back that old model where companies specialized in one thing and did it well, rather than being part of a larger conglomerate with a diluted focus,” Bittle told CRN. “The backup devices we’re using now are just average and slow, but Slide’s are much faster. The recovery time is significantly improved and our tests have shown great results."
Another key aspect that stood out was the level of support.
"The biggest challenge with disaster recovery is having access to the right support," he said. "Having technicians who truly understand the product is critical. Slide has made it easy for us to get an expert engineer on the phone, which is huge for us.
“Slide is starting the next wave of innovation," he added "The speed they offer in recovery is a game changer. Working with them feels like going back to the early days of the MSP industry, when there were many startups focused on delivering specialized solutions. It’s a nice change."
