MSP Market is Majorly Driven by AI Adoption : Rajesh Chhabra, Acronis

What’s the agenda and vision for the Acronis TRU Security Day?

Rajesh Chhabra: TRU stands for Threat Research Unit. It’s a global network of Acronis threat monitoring centres, and for APAC, the unit is based in Singapore. These centres operate 24/7 to track global cyber threats and threat actors. The TRU Security Day is an opportunity to educate our partners about emerging threats, best practices, and new functionalities in the Acronis platform. It’s also a platform to showcase recent technological advancements and help partners stay updated and enabled.
Marina Smolyanya: We also use this event to share key highlights of upcoming product releases to ensure full alignment with our partners on future developments.

Most organisations are not fully prepared for cyber threats. How is Acronis addressing this preparedness gap through its solutions and partner ecosystem in India?

Rajesh Chhabra: Acronis is a channel-first organisation, and our partners play a key role in delivering our solutions. Beyond events like TRU Day, we regularly update partners through weekly newsletters from our Chief Product and R&D Officers, covering recent threats and protection strategies. We also run 10–15 quarterly activities, both online and offline, to educate partners and their customers. Our platform includes features like the Smart Protection Plan, which automatically adapts protection layers in response to rising threat levels, ensuring proactive defence.

The MSP market is expected to grow from USD 8.5 billion to USD 15 billion by 2027. How is Acronis aligning its MSP offerings to meet this demand, especially among Indian SMBs?

Rajesh Chhabra: The growth in the MSP market is driven by the mass adoption of technologies like AI and robotics, which accelerate digital transformation. However, this transformation also increases cybersecurity risks, and MSPs are best positioned to address them. Acronis supports this demand through constant innovation and feature enhancements. Events like TRU Day are used to update partners on our roadmap and prepare them to meet customer needs. We focus on ensuring our MSPs are equipped to capitalise on market opportunities.

With the enforcement of India’s DPDP Act, how are Acronis partners adapting to compliance-driven cybersecurity demands, and how is Acronis supporting them?

Rajesh Chhabra: Acronis complies with both global and regional data protection standards. The DPDP Act is modelled after global laws like GDPR, giving individuals more control over their data. Even before full enforcement, we’ve been educating customers on compliance-ready processes. At TRU Day, we hosted a panel on compliance to address partner concerns. Acronis does not act as the data controller—our partners and customers retain control, with data hosted in secure, encrypted Acronis cloud data centres.
Marina Smolyanya: Compliance happens at multiple levels. We help partners achieve compliance themselves and support them in guiding their clients, offering best practices, guides, and process templates to turn compliance requirements into actionable steps.

What are Acronis’ expansion priorities in India over the next 12–18 months, and how will the channel ecosystem evolve?

Rajesh Chhabra: Acronis operates entirely through partners and distributors. Our priority is to strengthen this ecosystem further by investing in training, marketing support, MDFs, and promotional campaigns. India is a strategic focus, backed by strong leadership commitment. We're also exploring partnerships with telecom providers and data centres to expand our reach and offer cost-effective, integrated cyber protection services.

Regionally, are there areas in India where Acronis plans to expand further?

Rajesh Chhabra: Since launching locally in India eight years ago, we’ve established a presence across metros and Tier 2 and 3 cities, with over 500 partners nationwide. The cloud-based nature of our platform eliminates geographical limitations—partners can serve customers remotely using features like remote workload discovery, deployment, monitoring, and disaster recovery. Our SaaS platform enables nationwide service delivery without requiring physical proximity.

For new entrants looking to partner with Acronis, what are the onboarding requirements or strategies?

Rajesh Chhabra: Acronis has one of the most extensive integration ecosystems in the industry. We prioritise compatibility so partners can easily adopt our platform without overhauling existing systems. We support integrations with PSA tools, SaaS apps, hyperscalers, security tools, GRC platforms, and more. Our onboarding process is designed to be seamless—most partners can start quickly without reconfiguration.

Closing Remarks

Rajesh Chhabra: India is a high-growth-focused market for Acronis, both globally and within APAC. We are committed to empowering our partners and investing in the region to support continued digital transformation.
Marina Smolyanya: Acronis offers a fully integrated cyber protection platform—covering backup, DR, EDR, XDR, email security, and workload management. The platform’s interoperability reduces complexity for partners and enables flexible, scalable services. Our "one plus one equals three" approach brings added value through tightly integrated capabilities, reducing operational overhead for partners.

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