Insights from Experience: An Interview with Data Protection Visionary Stacy Hayes

Stacy Hayes knows the data protection industry inside and out having been at the forefront of innovation for over two decades. As the co-founder of DS3 DataVaulting, one of the early players in delivering backup as a service, Hayes has experienced the highs and lows of building disruptive technology businesses from the ground up. His latest role at Assured Data Protection sees him leveraging that hard-earned experience to once again change the game, this time through the company’s exclusive focus on Rubrik’s industry-leading data management platform. Hayes believes Rubrik’s reliability and flexibility has the power to finally drag backup into the modern era. If anyone knows how to successfully partner with and promote groundbreaking technology, it’s Stacy Hayes – a true pioneer who continues pushing the boundaries of data protection.

1. Please provide a brief introduction of yourself and your professional background.

I am the Co-Founder and EVP of Americas at Assured Data Protection. Before joining Assured Data Protection in October 2016, I was Vice President of Channels and Alliances for Virtustream, a leader in the enterprise cloud management software sector. I started with DS3 DataVaulting, a company that I co-founded to deliver Backup as a Service in the early 2000s. As President, I led DS3 through a successful acquisition by Terremark in 2009. I remained in a business development role through their acquisition by Verizon in 2011. After this, I ran U.S. Civilian sales for Terremark’s Federal Division, leaving the company in 2013 to join Virtustream.

2. Please tell us a bit more about your company – what does it offer, what problem does it solve, and who is your target audience?

Assured Data Protection is a global data backup, disaster recovery, business continuity, and extended detection, and response managed service provider. We aim to make data protection simpler for everyone. For too long backup has been living in the dark ages with archaic processes and convoluted systems.

Being the only exclusive Rubrik-managed service provider globally, our knowledge set truly differentiates Assured Data Protection and sets us apart from other MSPs. Our target audience includes individuals who hold decision-making power in IT or security departments and are responsible for safeguarding business-critical data.

3. What inspired you to start your own business? What was the “aha” moment? 

Assured Data Protection was my second startup. My first was DS3 DataVaulting, a data protection company in the same line of work. My motivation to start Assured Data Protection was to leverage the experience I had gained while running DS3. My “aha” moment was the reliability of Rubrik when it came to restoring data – every time you clicked the button, the data came back quickly. Other technologies couldn’t say the same. I knew right away it was going to disrupt the data protection market.

4. What were some of the biggest initial challenges you faced in getting your business off the ground? How did you overcome them? 

After you’ve secured funding, a good offering, and the ability to deliver – the next obstacle is new business. That first deal (and the four that come after that) can be very challenging. You’ve got to call in a lot of favors. You have to hope someone believes in you, will take a risk, and buy your product before anyone else has.

There has to be an angle, and credibility in you, your company, or your offering. In my case, I had a decade of experience and happy customers from DS3. We also had the success of our selected vendor partner, Rubrik, which helped our credibility.

5. What have been some of the toughest decisions you’ve had to make as a founder? Any stand out as pivotal?

The toughest decision I’ve made is making a hiring mistake. As a founder, with early hires, they’re all personal. When you make a mistake, it’s imperative to fix it quickly. That’s never easy.  The takeaway is when you feel it going wrong it’s unlikely to get better. While challenging, it’s better to take action quickly. Both you and the employee will both be better for the action and decisiveness in the long run.

6. How do you stand out from the competition in your space? What sets your product/service apart? 

The best way to stand out is to have amazing service, a commitment that must start at the top. Amazing service is hard. This is primarily because it’s expensive, and in the early days it’s not easily scalable. But you must invest in the concept from the start, forgoing profits, to set the standard and seed those early customers as referenceable accounts for future use.

7. What have been some mistakes or failures you’ve made along the way as an entrepreneur? How did you recover and learn from them?

Never give up your customers, since they’re the hardest things to get. One of my biggest regrets is selling DS3 and giving up my customers in 2009. If you’re going to give up your customers whether by selling your company, exiting the market, or so on, then you should be at the retirement stage of your career and finished with the business for good.

8. What are the most important skills someone needs to be a successful founder, in your opinion?

Keep up the hard work but maintain a steady headspace. As an entrepreneur, you have to pour in the hours. Running a startup is more than a typical Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. job.   In terms of headspace, I’ve never lost my temper and not regretted it afterward. My advice is that if you’re angry, take a break, sleep on it, give it a rest, and come back to it with a clear head. As much as possible, avoid approaching a hard situation without thinking it through.

9. What advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs who want to start their own company? 

Your idea has to have a market. You need to figure that out before you get too deep in.

Markets come from history – you’ve worked in the space and have had a chance to see a gap or improve on an existing process, product, and more. If you have conviction and work hard you’ll define the market. If you can get pricing right, deliver effectively, and enable the solution for the long-term (reliability) then you’ve got a chance.

Hayes’ journey exemplifies the vision and perseverance necessary to disrupt entrenched industries. Through his work championing Rubrik, he is helping organizations protect their most critical asset – their data – in a simpler, more agile way. Assured Data Protection’s laser focus on the platform reflects Hayes’ belief in Rubrik’s potential to transform the staid backup market. His expertise and passion for the challenges of data risk mitigation shine through in this illuminating discussion.