Content, Content, Storage

Wasabi CEO David Friend: The ChannelE2E Interview

Wasabi CEO David Friend is seeking to disrupt the cloud storage market -- where giants like Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Platform (GCP) and Microsoft Azure loom large.

Sound impossible? Guess again. Wasabi is growing rapidly, attracting channel partners and MSPs -- and turning heads in financial markets. This morning, the company announced a $30 million financing round led by Forestay Capital.

The big question: What is Wasabi's secret sauce in the very competitive cloud storage market? David Friend shares answers in this ChannelE2E interview -- recorded two days before today's funding announcement:

Video link

The conversation covers:

  • 0:00 - Intros
  • 0:10 - Wasabi's cloud storage services explained
  • 0:26 - How Wasabi stands out from Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Platform and Microsoft Azure
  • 1:30 - Competing against AWS Simple Storage Service (S3) while being plug compatible
  • 2:19 - Wasabi's secret sauce: How the company drives down cloud storage costs
  • 3:30 - Wasabi's company history and business journey
  • 4:50 - Funding clues - Wasabi's latest round
  • 5:35 - Initiatives for channel partners, MSPs and strategic alliances: Momentum, data points and milestones
  • 7:10 - How Wasabi serves as a storage system for third-party backup and disaster recovery (BDR) software platforms
  • 9:06 - The coronavirus pandemic: Implications for Wasabi, partners and customers
  • 11:58 - Wasabi's business priorities for the rest of 2020 and beyond
  • 14;28 - Commodity technology: How to ensure it's a profitable opportunity
  • 16:27 - Where to find more info about Wasabi
  • 17:00 - Conclusion
Joe Panettieri

Joe Panettieri is co-founder & editorial director of MSSP Alert and ChannelE2E, the two leading news & analysis sites for managed service providers in the cybersecurity market.