The company is distinguishing its offering from competitors by doing away with per-user pricing and providing administration, security and management services through ownCloud, an open source file sync and application sharing platform that has amassed a base of more than 8 million users since 2010, and which Datto has offered as an option for two years.
The service provides universal file access, control and management from any device with sharing across all popular desktop and mobile platforms. Users can also collaborate on files in real time using ownCloud and store data where they want with backup and protection in the Datto Cloud.
“We think this is a large, commoditized market that’s overpriced,” said R. Brooks Borcherding, Datto’s chief revenue officer. “We can leverage our own cloud and partnership with ownCloud to bring a rich and scalable product to market at a disruptive price.”