4/22/2026 | 9 Minute Read
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For managed service providers (MSPs), choosing the right file system is not just a technical decision. It directly impacts performance, scalability, data integrity, and ultimately the level of service you can deliver to your clients. As data volumes grow and workloads evolve, understanding the differences between the default New Technology File System (NTFS) and the Resilient File System (ReFS) becomes critical.
This guide breaks down ReFS versus NTFS, explores real MSP use cases, and helps you determine when to deploy each. We will also cover how modern backup solutions are evolving to support both file systems, including new innovations designed to protect increasingly complex environments.
Before comparing the two, it is important to answer a common question: What is the Resilient File System?
The Microsoft Resilient File System is a modern file system designed to maximize data availability, scale efficiently, and protect against corruption. Usually referred to as ReFS or Resilient File System, it was introduced to address the limitations of NTFS in large-scale and high-performance environments.
Key goals of the Resilient File System include:
In contrast, NTFS has been the standard Windows file system for decades and remains widely used due to its compatibility and maturity.
When evaluating ReFS vs. NTFS, it helps to look at how each system approaches storage.
NTFS remains the default file system for most Windows environments today; however, this may change in the future.
Strengths of NTFS:
Limitations of NTFS:
The Microsoft Resilient File System was built to address these limitations.
Strengths of ReFS:
Limitations of ReFS:
For MSPs managing diverse environments, the following comparison highlights the most important differences.
Data integrity
Scalability
Performance
Compatibility
Despite the rise of the Resilient File System, NTFS remains the best choice in many scenarios.
Ideal NTFS use cases
Why NTFS still matters
For MSPs, NTFS offers predictability and universal support. If your client’s environment prioritizes compatibility over cutting-edge performance, NTFS is often the safest choice.
The Microsoft Resilient File System shines in modern, data-heavy environments.
Ideal ReFS use cases
Why ReFS is gaining traction
Many MSPs are seeing increased adoption of the Resilient File System in larger client environments due to:
Microsoft has also positioned ReFS as a future-forward technology, with indications that it may become more prominent in upcoming Windows versions.
Pros
Cons
Pros
Cons
The shift toward the Microsoft ReFS is not happening in a vacuum. It is being driven by very real challenges that MSPs encounter every day as client environments become more complex, data-heavy, and performance-sensitive. Traditional file systems such as NTFS still play a critical role, but they were not designed for the scale and speed requirements that define modern infrastructure. As a result, more MSPs are evaluating how the Resilient File System fits into their long-term strategy.
Growing data demands
One of the biggest drivers behind the adoption of the Resilient File System is the sheer explosion of data. Clients across nearly every industry are generating and retaining more information than ever before, from application data and backups to logs, analytics, and large media files. This growth is especially pronounced in mid-market and enterprise environments, where datasets can quickly scale into terabytes or even petabytes.
The Resilient File System was designed with this reality in mind. Unlike legacy systems, it can handle extremely large volumes and file sizes without the same performance degradation or management complexity. For MSPs, this means fewer bottlenecks and more predictable performance as environments grow. It also reduces the need for frequent storage re-architecture, allowing providers to scale alongside their clients rather than constantly playing catch-up.
Performance requirements
Performance expectations have also changed dramatically. Modern workloads such as virtualization, database operations, backup repositories, and analytics platforms demand fast, consistent storage performance. Latency and throughput are no longer secondary concerns. They are critical to business operations.
The Microsoft Resilient File System addresses these needs by optimizing how data is written, stored, and accessed. It is particularly well-suited for large file operations and sequential workloads, which are common in backup and virtualization environments. Features such as block cloning and improved allocation strategies help reduce overhead and increase efficiency.
For MSPs, this translates into better performance for key services such as backup and disaster recovery, faster virtual machine operations, and improved client satisfaction. As more clients expect near real-time access to their data, the performance advantages of the Resilient File System become increasingly difficult to ignore.
Future standardization
Another important factor driving adoption is the direction Microsoft is taking with its file system strategy. While NTFS remains the standard today, Microsoft has continued to invest in and enhance the Resilient File System, signaling that it will play a larger role in future Windows environments.
There has been growing speculation and early indications that the Resilient File System could become more prominent, or even default, in upcoming Windows releases. For MSPs, this creates a strategic consideration. Waiting too long to adopt new technologies can lead to gaps in expertise, tooling, and service offerings.
By beginning to support and understand the Microsoft Resilient File System now, MSPs can stay ahead of this potential shift. Early adoption allows teams to build familiarity, refine processes, and ensure their backup and recovery strategies are ready for what comes next. It also positions MSPs as forward-thinking partners who are prepared to guide clients through evolving infrastructure decisions.
Choosing between NTFS and the Resilient File System is only part of the equation. Protection and recoverability are just as important. Historically, many backup solutions fully supported NTFS but lacked robust support for ReFS, creating gaps for MSPs managing modern environments.
New: Backup and recovery support for ReFS
ConnectWise has closed that gap. We have officially released backup and recovery support for the Microsoft Resilient File System within x360Recover, enabling MSPs to protect systems using ReFS alongside NTFS.
This is a significant step forward because:
What this means for MSPs
Key capabilities as of Recover 17.5+ and Windows Agent 3.12+
To take advantage of these capabilities, partners must be running the latest Windows agent.
Why this matters for your clients
Supporting the ReFS allows MSPs to:
The expansion of support for ReFS reinforces a core mission: to eliminate solution sprawl and provide MSPs with a single solution capable of protecting diverse environments.
With the addition of ReFS support, MSPs can now:
This is not just about adding another file system. It is about enabling MSPs to confidently protect everything that matters to their clients.
Expanding protection beyond file systems
The addition of ReFS support is part of a broader strategy to expand protection across modern workloads. Over the past year, ConnectWise has made measurable progress toward our mission to Protect everything that matters with x360Recover by expanding support for:
At the same time, expanded NAS device protection in Q4 2025 addresses one of the most common sources of data sprawl inside small and midsized business (SMB) and mid-market environments. NAS devices often house shared files, backups, and large data repositories that historically required separate tools or point solutions. By bringing NAS protection into x360Recover, we eliminate another operational gap, enabling partners to consolidate file-level and infrastructure-level protection into a single solution.
In addition, our continued innovation in Microsoft Azure VMs and Azure Files protection reflects the realities of today’s hybrid MSP environments. With Azure enhancements, partners can extend x360Recover protection to public cloud workloads, a critical capability as clients increasingly move production systems and data into Azure. This ensures business continuity planning keeps pace with cloud adoption, allowing MSPs to protect both on-premises and cloud environments within a single BCDR strategy.
Together, ReFS, NAS, and Azure protection advancements significantly reduce reliance on secondary vendors and reinforce our ability to deliver comprehensive coverage across endpoints, servers, cloud workloads, and shared storage.
This expansion of data types that x360Recover protects directly advances our mission to eliminate endpoint solution sprawl and give partners one BCDR solution capable of covering diverse customer environments to protect everything.
Geo redundancy
Downtime can cost businesses thousands of dollars per minute, yet many recovery strategies still rely on backups stored in a single location. If that site is compromised, whether by a natural disaster, hardware failure, or cyberattack, business continuity and critical data and are immediately at risk. Doubling down on data protection with geo-redundancy solves this problem by maintaining synchronized copies of backup data in geographically separate locations, ensuring availability even during a regional outage.
x360Recover Geo+ provides resilience, ensuring that if one data center, geographical region, or cloud availability zone goes down due to a natural disaster, power outage, cyberattack, or regional event, business operations can continue with minimal disruption by failing over to another unaffected location.
When deciding between NTFS and the Resilient File System, the right choice depends on your client’s needs.
Choose NTFS when:
Choose ReFS when:
Understanding the Resilient File System vs. NTFS ensures you can align technology decisions with business outcomes.
By understanding the strengths of both NTFS and the Microsoft Resilient File System, MSPs can make smarter infrastructure decisions and deliver stronger protection strategies in an increasingly complex data landscape.
Share:
NAS backup is the process of creating recoverable copies of data stored on a network-attached storage device, typically to another location such as the cloud or an off-site system.
It’s important because NAS devices often store critical business data, and without proper backup, organizations risk data loss from ransomware, hardware failure, accidental deletion, or disasters.
Yes. NAS devices are frequently targeted by ransomware because they centralize large volumes of valuable data. A single successful attack can disrupt entire business operations and force organizations into paying a ransom.
Most NAS devices run proprietary operating systems that don’t support standard backup agents. This prevents traditional endpoint or server-based backup tools from being installed directly on the device, creating protection gaps.
No. RAID only protects against hardware failure, such as a disk crash. It does not protect against ransomware, accidental deletion, or data corruption. A separate backup strategy is required for full data protection.
x360Recover uses a proxy-based approach. A host system, typically either an appliance or protected endpoint, connects to the NAS using secure credentials and performs file-level backups. This allows MSPs to protect NAS data without installing software directly on the NAS device.
x360Recover supports flexible deployment models, including:
Both options provide consistent recovery features and centralized management.
x360Recover provides file-level recovery options, including:
These capabilities enable fast, granular restores without full system recovery.
Yes. x360Recover supports the protection of Azure file shares and other cloud-hosted file systems accessible from the proxy host. This enables consistent protection across hybrid and cloud-first environments, ensuring resilience against ransomware, disasters, and data loss scenarios.
