Back-ups without Hassle for SMEs

Datashelter, a young French startup founded in 2023, has developed an automated backup tool specifically for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

The company focuses on providing a user-friendly and affordable solution for backing up both files and databases. Founder Malo Paletou, himself an experienced DevOps consultant, observed during his work that many SMEs struggle with backups. "I saw various types of infrastructure, and realized that in many cases, SMEs either had no good backup or didn't trust them enough to be sure they could restore in case of need," he explains during the IT Press Tour.

Simplicity and Security

Datashelter aims to stand out by its simplicity and focus on security. It is a cloud solution that does not require SSH access or firewall authorization, unlike many competitors. Moreover, the pricing structure is transparent and predictable, based on a "pay-as-you-go" model. The product's simplicity must convince users: "It's an extremely user-friendly backup solution that opens up the world of backups to non-technical people," says Paletou.

But can simplicity and security go hand in hand, right? "Backups are encrypted on the client side and there is protection against data manipulation," echoes Paletou. The company is currently working closely with another French provider, OVHcloud, for storage, but it is compatible with any S3 provider.

Datashelter claims to have over 50 clients already, including web agency Klapp Agency, which uses Datashelter to secure its client websites, and imajing, a – once again – French software company for "mobile mapping," that relies on Datashelter for its vast amount of image material and large PostgreSQL database. You can tell it's mostly French, but via Google search queries, marketing efforts, and a reseller network of small IT consultancy bureaus, the company hopes to grow further. "For now, our main goal is to reach an size and scale that is big enough to allow us to further develop our product and reduce its price," concludes this young French entrepreneur.