Business Momentum for Object First

Object First (US) Inc., provider of Ootbi (Out-of-the-Box-Immutability), the ransomware-proof backup storage appliance purpose-built for Veeam Software, announced its bookings growth and strong business momentum on the first anniversary of the company launch in February 2023.

As the threat of ransomware targeting backups continues to rise, its success is based on delivering a secure, simple, and powerful backup storage solution for Veeam customers that doesn’t require technical or security expertise.

“Object First’s momentum is easy to explain: we have the right technology, right people, and right commitment to customer and partner success,” said David Bennett, CEO. “We’ve made ransomware-proof immutable storage easy to deploy and manage – accelerating recovery, reducing downtime, and minimizing the financial impacts of disasters. In our second year and beyond, we look forward to continuing our expansion in LATAM and EMEA, growing our reseller community to reach even more customers, and continuing to add to the innovation and benefits of Ootbi.“

Ootbi’s Swift Adoption
Since the launch of Ootbi in February 2023, Object First has deployed over 80 Ootbi installations – 6 of which were valued over $100,000 – and achieved bookings growth of over 200% from 1H23 to t2H23. Interest in the solution continues to build, with an over 400% increase in inbound sales inquiries in the same period.

The firm collaborates closely with its customers and partners, helping them implement Zero Trust security principles and protect data with out-of-the-box immutability. This led to winning relationships with technology companies like Mirazon, Centerbase LLC, Prodatix LLC, and Waident Technology Solutions.

As stated by Zach Young, Centerbase, “With Ootbi, we can decrease our RPO by 50%. It’s allowed us to protect our critical infrastructure better, and I can sleep more soundly at night. Ootbi just works, and it’s simple to deploy – just set it and forget it.“

Partner and Channel Focus
As a 100% channel company, the vendor focused on building and investing in its strategic partner network throughout 2023 by providing education resources, sales and marketing programs, and customer support. This led to the team on-boarding over 29 partners in under 9 months.

Object First also received multiple channel accolades for its work, including:

• Named by CRN to its Stellar Startups for 2023 list
• Vitaly Sukhovsky, VP of channel sales, honored as a 2024 CRN Channel Chief

Expanding Global Distribution
In USA, Object First added Arrow Electronics, Inc. to its distribution roster, which also includes TD Synnex Corporation.

It expanded its footprint into several international markets, adding relationships with distributors:

• LATAM: Adistec Corporation, a VAD in Latin America and the Caribbean with more than 20 years of experience delivering 100% IT solutions through channels.
• EMEA: Copaco Netherlands B.V., a distributor in Benelux and France of IT, and Ingram Micro Inc.

Team Growth
To fuel the company’s rapid expansion and innovation, Object First increased its employee base by 64% in 2023, with a focus on adding members dedicated to superior customer and partner experience, technology innovation, and the ability to scale to a global presence.

Notably, the team welcomed several industry veteran executives, including Andrew Wittman, CMO, and Eric Schott, chief product officer.

“Immutable storage is an effective layer of ransomware defense, but not all organizations have the know-how to deploy and manage it,” said Johnny Yu, research manager, storage and computing, IDC. “Object First addresses this with an appliance that has Object Lock by default and is tailor-made for the backup use case through deep integration with Veeam backup software. The result is an immutable backup storage target in a one-box solution – no security expertise required.“

“Ransomware affected 66% of organizations in 2023, with backups a primary target. As the risks increase, Object First and Ootbi are perfectly positioned to help even more organizations improve their security posture in 2024 with immutable backup storage that is secure, simple, and powerful,” said Bennett. “We’re just getting started, and I’m excited to see Object First reach the next level as the best storage for Veeam.“