Losing business data is not a hypothetical risk — it is a daily reality for organisations across New Zealand. Ransomware attacks, hardware failures, and accidental deletions cost Kiwi businesses millions every year. That is exactly why ASI Solutions has invested heavily in its cloud backup and disaster recovery capabilities — and why Veeam Software has taken notice.
At the 2025 Veeam ANZ Partner Awards, ASI Solutions was named the VCSP Rising Star — an award recognising the fastest-growing and most dedicated Veeam Cloud & Service Providers in the Australia and New Zealand region.
What the Veeam VCSP Rising Star Award Means
The Veeam Cloud & Service Provider (VCSP) programme enables technology partners to deliver Veeam-powered backup, disaster recovery, and monitoring services from their own infrastructure. Unlike a standard reseller arrangement, VCSP partners operate and manage the service end-to-end — from storage infrastructure to recovery support.
The Rising Star Award specifically recognises partners who have demonstrated exceptional growth, strong customer adoption, and a genuine commitment to expanding Veeam-based data protection services. It is not awarded for revenue alone. Veeam evaluates the quality of service delivery, the breadth of workloads protected, and the partner’s investment in building long-term capability.
For ASI Solutions, this award validates years of infrastructure investment and a growing base of New Zealand organisations that trust ASI to keep their data safe.
Why Data Protection Matters More Than Ever in New Zealand
New Zealand’s threat landscape has shifted dramatically. According to CERT NZ, ransomware incidents reported by Kiwi organisations increased significantly in recent years, with attackers increasingly targeting backup systems to maximise leverage. The 2024 Veeam Data Protection Trends Report found that 93% of ransomware attacks deliberately target backup repositories — making the quality of your backup provider a frontline defence, not just an insurance policy.
The consequences of inadequate data protection extend well beyond downtime. The IBM Cost of a Data Breach Report 2024 found the global average cost of a data breach reached USD $4.88 million — a 10% increase over the previous year. For New Zealand organisations, even a fraction of that figure can be devastating, particularly for mid-sized businesses and public sector agencies operating on tight budgets.
At the same time, regulatory expectations are rising. The Privacy Act 2020 requires organisations to take reasonable steps to protect personal information, including ensuring adequate backup and recovery processes. Government agencies operating under NZISM (New Zealand Information Security Manual) face even stricter requirements around data sovereignty, encryption, and recovery point objectives. Failure to comply can result in enforcement action from the Office of the Privacy Commissioner and significant reputational damage.
For education providers, the stakes are equally high. Universities and schools hold sensitive student data, research outputs, and administrative records. A ransomware event that destroys this data — or makes it inaccessible for weeks — can disrupt entire academic terms and erode community trust.
These trends are driving more NZ organisations to move from self-managed backup to professionally managed Backup as a Service (BUaaS) — and that is precisely the space where ASI has been growing fastest.
What ASI Brings to Veeam-Powered Backup and Data Protection
ASI Solutions is not a newcomer to IT. The company serves organisations across education, public sector, ports, SMBs, and enterprise — each with distinct data protection requirements.
The VCSP Rising Star Award reflects the depth of ASI’s investment in building a genuine data protection practice, not just reselling licenses. As a Veeam Cloud & Service Provider, ASI operates the full backup infrastructure stack — storage, networking, monitoring, and recovery support — from New Zealand-based data centres. The company’s Backup as a Service offering is built on several key principles that set it apart.
NZ Data Sovereignty by Default
All backups are stored in New Zealand-based data centres. Your data never leaves New Zealand borders — a critical requirement for government agencies, education providers, and any organisation subject to NZ data sovereignty regulations. This is not an add-on or premium tier; it is the default for every ASI backup customer.
Multi-Platform Support Including Veeam
ASI’s backup infrastructure provides native support for Veeam Backup & Replication, along with Commvault, Cohesity, and Office 365 environments including OneDrive, SharePoint, and Exchange Online. This means organisations already using Veeam on-premises can extend their protection to ASI’s cloud without re-architecting their backup strategy.
Immutable and Ransomware-Resistant Storage
ASI uses append-only storage architecture with encryption and immutable backup technology. Even if an attacker compromises your production environment, your backups remain untouchable. Combined with rapid restore capabilities of up to 1–3 TB per hour, ASI can get organisations back online fast when it matters most.
24/7 NZ-Based Support
When a disaster strikes at 2 AM, you need real humans who understand your environment — not an offshore chatbot reading a script. ASI provides 24/7 support from certified Kiwi engineers with a 15-minute SLA for severity 1 incidents.
From Backup to Full Disaster Recovery
Data protection does not stop at backup. ASI Solutions also delivers disaster recovery services built on the Nutanix Cloud Platform, offering geographic redundancy across New Zealand data centres with automated failover capabilities.
What makes ASI’s approach distinctive is cost efficiency. ASI’s disaster recovery infrastructure delivers approximately 50% cost savings compared to major hyperscalers, with transparent pricing and no hidden fees. For mid-sized NZ organisations that previously considered full DR too expensive, this changes the calculus entirely.
The data centres powering these services are carbon-neutral and run on renewable energy — aligning data protection investment with sustainability goals, an increasingly important consideration for organisations reporting on their environmental impact.
What This Award Means for NZ Organisations
When Veeam recognises a partner at the ANZ level, it signals something important to IT decision-makers. It means that ASI has demonstrated not just sales growth, but genuine capability in deploying, managing, and supporting Veeam-based data protection at scale.
The Veeam ANZ Partner Awards evaluate providers across the entire Australia and New Zealand region. Winning against that competitive field — which includes much larger multinational providers — underscores the calibre of service delivery that ASI’s New Zealand team has achieved. It is a reflection of the trust that Kiwi organisations place in ASI to protect their most critical data assets.
For organisations evaluating backup and disaster recovery providers in New Zealand, the VCSP Rising Star Award provides independent validation that ASI is building momentum and capability in this space. Rather than relying solely on vendor marketing claims, IT decision-makers can point to third-party recognition as evidence that a provider delivers on its promises. It is the kind of recognition that comes from customer trust — real organisations protecting real workloads and relying on ASI when recovery is needed.
As Chad Kelly noted in response to the announcement: “Winning an ANZ Award speaks volumes to your capabilities and the trust customers have with you.”
The Bigger Picture: Why Your Backup Provider Matters
Choosing a backup provider is not just a procurement decision — it is a risk management decision. The provider you select determines how quickly your organisation can recover from a ransomware attack, how well your data sovereignty obligations are met, and whether your backup data itself becomes a target.
Too many organisations treat backup as a checkbox — something configured once and forgotten until a crisis hits. The reality is that backup environments need active management, regular testing, and continuous alignment with changing workloads. A provider that has earned Veeam’s recognition for excellence is one that takes that ongoing responsibility seriously.
For NZ organisations, there is an additional consideration: proximity. Having your backup provider, support team, and data centres all within New Zealand eliminates the latency, jurisdiction, and communication barriers that come with offshore alternatives. When you need to restore 2 TB of data at 3 AM, having a Kiwi engineer on the other end of the phone makes a material difference.
How to Get Started with ASI Backup and Data Protection
Whether you are currently managing backups in-house, looking to strengthen your ransomware defences, or evaluating a move to managed Backup as a Service, ASI’s team can help you assess your current posture and design a protection strategy that fits your organisation.
Here is how to take the next step:
- Assess your current backup coverage — identify which workloads are protected and which have gaps, particularly around Office 365 and cloud-native applications.
- Evaluate your recovery objectives — understand your RPO (recovery point objective) and RTO (recovery time objective) requirements for different systems.
- Consider data sovereignty requirements — if you operate under NZISM, the Privacy Act 2020, or sector-specific regulations, confirm that your backup provider stores data within New Zealand.
- Talk to ASI — Book a meeting with the ASI team to discuss your specific environment and get a tailored recommendation.
FAQ
What is the Veeam VCSP Rising Star Award?
The VCSP Rising Star Award is presented at the annual Veeam ANZ Partner Awards to the Veeam Cloud & Service Provider that has demonstrated the strongest growth, customer adoption, and commitment to delivering Veeam-powered data protection services in the Australia and New Zealand region.
Does ASI store backup data in New Zealand?
Yes. All ASI backup data is stored in New Zealand-based data centres. Data never leaves New Zealand borders, ensuring full compliance with NZ data sovereignty requirements, the Privacy Act 2020, and NZISM guidelines for government organisations.
What backup platforms does ASI support?
ASI’s Backup as a Service supports Veeam Backup & Replication, Commvault, Cohesity, and Office 365 environments (OneDrive, SharePoint, Exchange Online). The service also integrates with VMware and Nutanix virtualisation platforms.
How does ASI protect backups against ransomware?
ASI uses append-only (immutable) storage architecture combined with encryption to ensure that backup data cannot be modified or deleted by ransomware. This means even if your production environment is compromised, your backups remain intact and recoverable with restore speeds of up to 1–3 TB per hour.
How do I get started with ASI Backup as a Service?
Contact the ASI team to discuss your backup requirements. You can book a meeting directly or reach out through the ASI Solutions website for an initial consultation and backup assessment.