This week marked one of the most important nationally celebrated holidays in the U.S. Our own independence day – July 4th – commemorating our declaration of independence from Great Britain on July 4, 1776. For Americans, it’s a day spent with family and friends, enjoying barbecues, parades, baseball games and often topped off with a spectacular display of fireworks.

Here at Kaseya, we’re also celebrating independence day with the liberation of more than 4000 managed service providers all over the world who have been freed with the use of our IT systems management solutions. Changing the IT MSP world from a break-fix business to a managed services model one provider at a time. Our automation. Your liberation. May the fourth be with you!

If you were able to join us a couple weeks ago in Las Vegas for Kaseya Connect 2010, you’re now back to the daily grind. If you didn’t make it out this year, time to save a date for next year.

Either way, most of the content from the user conference this year is up at KaseyaConnect.com Be sure to check out some of the great content there.

Sound off in the comments with your favorite session or best takeway.

The words “managed services” might as well be “here be dragons” for those resellers yet to make the move into delivering customer support in a different way, but the experience of those selling managed services is one that should inspire greater adoption.

For the past five years Matt Tomon, chief executive and founder of Green Fields Technology, has been running a managed services business that not only delivers what customers want, but provides a recurring revenue stream that makes running the business much easier for him.

“We have been doing managed services from day one,” he says. “We tried to make it a recurring revenue model and to bring it into line with the connected aspect of business.

“Customers were frustrated with hidden business costs and wanted something aligned to the business with a fixed monthly fee, so the customer could understand the charges.”

The model has worked. Even with no outside investment, Tomon has managed to transform his business into a £4m-turnover operation, supporting 200-plus customers across 25 cities in the UK and Ireland, with just 35 staff across a couple of offices.

The level of awareness of managed services in the customer base has also changed in the past three years or so, with greater levels of understanding about what the technology is and how the business model works.

As a result, Green Fields Technology is now able to go after clients proactively, with the aim of expanding the business fairly quickly.

The other factor spurring growth, apart from improved knowledge of the benefits of managed services, is the timing in the economic cycle, with customers coming out of recession.

“People have been open to new ideas and new technologies and saw it as a utility. But people have been in a holding pattern and they have been taking that attitude for nearly two years, but now it is right so there will be growth,” says Tomon.

Tomon will be Guest Speaker at the this months Revolution Sessions in associated with Microsope in London and Birmingham and although he expects some of the audience will potentially be cynical about the technology, his message will be that they don’t really have any choice but to get involved.

“I don’t really understand what the alternative is,” says Tomon.

CV: Matt Tomon
Matt Tomon is familiar with the US, South Africa and the UK, and before his current role as chief executive and founder of Green Fields Technology was an IT director at a professional services company for five years. Prior to that he worked in the US on the web marketing side of things, landing that job after finishing his education in the US.

A couple of weeks ago I had the privilege of hanging out with Mike from WRLR 98.3 and his show TechTalk.  Mike and Dave broadcast live from northern Chicagoland (Round Lake to be precise) in beautiful Illinois, on WRLR 98.3 FM every Saturday morning at 10 AM CST.  The radio station is always running a live stream of their station on Ustream.com

Radio Show Summary: After geeking out with Jay Garmon on comic book to movie conversion (among other things), Chad Gniffke gets on the line with us to discuss the uber-cool IT Toolkit from Kaseya.  Whether you’ve got 2 computers at home you want to manage, or running a couple hundred in offices across the country Kaseya’s got some great tools to check out.  Oh, and did we mention that their basic IT Toolkit is free, and cool, and was a TechTalk coolsite of the week a few weeks ago?

Thanks again Mike for fun conversations and becoming fan of IT Toolkit and Kaseya Free.

You can listen to radio show from the TechTalk blog or download it.

The folks over at QoS-IT have written a Kaseya integration that works with Windows 7 and Microsoft CRM via Outlook. Their platform leverages Microsoft CRM for customer engagement and tracking, then with the Kaseya Sync incoming emails to CRM can be converted to tickets and associated with agent hardware.

Download it here.

QoS-IT

Hey there MSPs! We are working on putting together a fantastic conference for you this spring! We are going to deliver some amazing technical content and some incredible business content.

Since this is your conference, though, we have a session slot open for MSP’s choice. We want to hear topic ideas from YOU, our msp customers!

Sound off in the comments.

TechnologyNet (an ASCII group company) has launched a vendor neutral IT Provider Directory called IT Locator. ITLocator

Veith states: “we not only broke new ground in the locator space, but created something special that will ultimately become invaluable to the entire IT industry ecosystem. By creating an independent digital network that connects buyers to sellers to distributors to vendors, we’ve not only built a platform where everyone can find each other, but in the process developed a built-in digital distribution mechanism as well.”

Here at Kaseya we are always excited to see new ways for our MSP customers to be found and for our enterprise customers to find help.

Because many service providers are very regional in their focus, having a directory outside of Google provides a great way to be found online by local customers. BTW, Kaseya is a sponsor of ITLocator.com.

Our Sr. Product Marketing Manager, Ben Lavalley continues his series on what’s new in K2! This video is all about the new Info Center (formerly Reporting). Enjoy!

So many people ask us how can I monitor this or that? Or what should I monitor? This video, will walk you through some of the best features of Monitoring inside K2. You can see how monitoring exactly what you want and being alerted how you want is even better in K2. Enjoy!

Continuing in our video series, here is a look at our Patch Management module in K2.

This video will introduce you to Kaseya’s Audit capabilities, Views, and Application Blocker.

Recently, there has been some concern in forums and other postings about Kaseya competing against its partners. Nothing could be further from the truth. Kaseya believes in and supports its MSP partners whole-heartedly.

Let Me Restate Our Commitments Here:

• Kaseya has an express policy of referring potential customers to its MSP partners
• Kaseya does NOT offer MSP-style services directly. Kaseya markets its IT Services only through MSPs for the sub-100 employee market. Kaseya has no interest in providing MSP style services directly to the small or lower-end of the medium-sized business segment where the full, 360° set of services is required. MSPs provide a set of value added services that Kaseya does not and cannot offer. Among the large range of services an MSP offers its customers that Kaseya cannot offer:
  • Local on-site support
  • Local project support
  • Local CIO services
  • Local procurement services
• Our goal is not to take business from our xSP customers. In fact, we expect our efforts to actually increase business for the MSP. Our new products will increase our brand awareness which in turn creates demand for service providers. The Kaseya ecosystem gets larger and as a result everyone within it and around it will benefit
• Our Master IT Service Provider Edition is an enterprise-class app. We intend to keep it that way, with functionality and pricing beyond the reach of small customers
• We have removed ALL automation from our IT Toolkit SaaS offering targeted to the small business customer
• IT Toolkit is a single machine-to-single machine tool and meant to compete for the mind of the IT professional heading home and supporting family and friends in the evening
• IT Toolkit is just as it says. A collection of tools. These tools are valuable to the occasional user of IT tools. Simple to use and no deployment needed. These functions can be secured through other various free, open source applications. Kaseya believes that it would be better for these potential customers to be savvy users of Kaseya products, known to Kaseya as potential prospects to share with our MSP partners.

Kaseya is continuing to provide applications specified by and created for MSPs; for example, the multi-directory services consolidation and policy management module, underscoring our commitment to the MSP business.

Why We’re Committed to MSPs

The MSP market is a large, long-term viable and growing market. Kaseya’s applications are designed for the MSP. In 2009, Kaseya acquired a record number of new channel partners and revenues, in addition to a record number of add-on orders from existing partners. A 2009 survey by MSPmentor found that 75 of the top 100 fastest-growing MSPs rely on Kaseya. Also, on average, their revenues increased 50% by using the Kaseya platform.

Thousands of MSPs worldwide have built their entire businesses on the Kaseya platform because it can be easily modified and customized to accommodate even the most explosive growth. There is simply nothing beyond its capabilities as it transforms businesses from unproductive break-fix models to highly profitable managed services. To support the MSP community, we also:

• Launched The Revolution Sessions, a global educational series led by managed services gurus Gary Pica and Robin Robins. In these sessions, MSPs learned first-hand how to create and grow a successful managed services business.
• Sponsor and participate in many industry organizations, such as HTG Peer Groups, MSP Alliance, MSP Partners, ASCII, CompTia and ITA
• Kaseya invites hundreds of partners each year to its annual user conference where they connect with peers from around the globe to compare notes, share knowledge and build relationships that have a real impact on their business

Our Strategy

Kaseya has been working on the K2 Platform for well over 4 years. It has been an immense project for a company our size and scope. We have the technical capability, but funding the efforts out of our own cash flows requires careful planning.

The goal at the outset was to provide a unified product platform allowing us to compete in all IT market segments, worldwide, including:

• SOHO – generally not a candidate for MSP services but need concise IT tools for concise IT tasks
• Small to lower end of Medium-sized Business – reached through the Kaseya MSP partner network
• Large / Medium-sized Business – generally (there are exceptions) not interested in obtaining managed services from outside the company
• Enterprise and Public Sector – generally have all the expertise needed in-house to manage all IT requirements

We think K2 puts us closer to that goal. Kaseya now has a single code-base providing a rich, multi-tenanted, cloud-based architecture supporting both our SaaS and on-premise offerings. Both offerings are required to be an effective competitor up and down the spectrum of opportunity. Without a concerted effort to compete in all market segments Kaseya and its partners are at risk from a competitor eating up the lower end of the market, undermining our joint business. Kaseya must compete for the minds of entry-level professionals in IT managed services and provide IT professionals at medium-sized companies and enterprises with other ways to secure IT services. Our belief is the best way to do this is to get them familiar with Kaseya offerings as soon as possible.

Our efforts are not complete with the release of K2. Far from it, as we have many new modules being added to the platform this year alone. We have internal initiatives surrounding scalability on Linux/Unix platforms, ITIL convergence and a rich complement of business application support, focused on providing our MSP customers simplified managed services financial management, support for smart devices and generally extending automation into all aspects of the MSP’s life.

Our Intentions

Kaseya does have designs on being a major competitor in Enterprise markets. However, it will never relinquish its commitment to its MSP partner base. Kaseya values its MSP customers and understands that long-term success can only be achieved by supporting our MSP partners.

Gerald Blackie
CEO, Kaseya
February 2010

We’ve been working on a set of videos showing K2 and some of the highlights of new/updated features. Here’s one for Agent Procedures (used to be called scripting) and Scheduling:

Kaseya Master IT Service Edition (MITSE) delivers a proactive, results-based IT service model, enabling service providers to increase productivity and reduce costs

Kaseya has unveiled an enhanced range of features and functionality for its new on-premises Master IT Service Edition (MITSE). A robust framework for managed service delivery, MITSE is a next-generation solution for automating recurring IT tasks to extend service capabilities. It includes the widest range of functionality to provide more services at a lower cost. MITSE is ideal for service providers managing any number of seats that need a consistent interface to manage and automate IT tasks across their clients’ networks with ease.

According to analyst firm AMI Partners, the North American SMB (small and medium-sized business) managed services market is expected to grow over 3.3 times during the next five years. “As businesses have steadily increased their reliance on IT over the last several years, they have also been challenged in managing their growing IT infrastructures and ensuring their high availability. The current economic challenges are forcing businesses to look for more cost effective ways to manage their IT. Managed services offered by 3rd parties provide 24/7 availability of critical IT infrastructure, without increasing the need for internal IT staff,” said Anil Miglani, SVP of IT infrastructure and managed services at AMI Partners.

Kaseya MITSE leverages the next-generation enhancements found in the Kaseya 2 product family, including a re-engineered framework and new applications. Providing complete IT service delivery through an integrated, on-premises automation solution, Kaseya MITSE delivers new features and applications that increase productivity, improve service levels, maximize staff utilization and expand service capabilities while reducing cost. MITSE’s features and applications include:

• New user interface and navigation
• New organization, group and department structure
• New users, roles and scopes security model
• New scheduler with Wake On LAN
• New reporting interface
• New agent procedure interface
• New Kaseya Live Connect for one-click instant remote desktop access and critical machine functions
• New branding and site customization
• New end-user portal with self service
• Window 7 migration readiness report
• Over 150 SNMP sets for the most common network devices
• Over 100 new features and enhancements for audit, vPro, monitoring, agent procedures, agents, ticketing, patch management and other system-wide functions
• New service desk application with ITIL desks and templates
• New desktop policy management application
• New desktop migration application
• Updated Kaseya Antivirus application
• Updated Kaseya Backup and Disaster Recovery application
• New and updated Web service APIs

“We understand that IT service providers have a serious responsibility in maintaining the availability and integrity of their customers’ IT systems,” said Jim Alves, EVP product marketing and strategy at Kaseya. “With this in mind, we developed Kaseya MITSE to meet service providers’ unique needs in a simple, straightforward way. Our goal is to make the lives of service providers easier through a proactive systems management solution.”

Kaseya IT Toolkit makes Kaseya’s powerful technology accessible and affordable to any IT professional

Kaseya has unveiled Kaseya IT Toolkit. This new offering provides a low-cost solution for IT professionals seeking an easy to use set of IT tools for instant remote access and troubleshooting. This offering is part of Kaseya 2, the next generation of the company’s IT management suite, and is now available on a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) monthly subscription basis.

Kaseya IT Toolkit was designed to meet the needs and budgets of anyone who needs remote access to a computer.  As the name implies, the IT Toolkit consists of a full range of integrated tools required to connect to a machine, troubleshoot and resolve most IT issues quickly and remotely. Access to these tools is available any time through an intuitive online user interface.

“The new IT Toolkit provides me with an easy to use application to support my customers,” said Michael Trivison, Owner of Emberlabs. “Being able to perform maintenance tasks remotely without interrupting the user keeps both me and the customer efficient.”

This new product provides superior remote access and troubleshooting functionality without interrupting the user. With one-click, users can access machines worldwide from any computer and provide personalized remote IT help, including video chat capabilities.

Kaseya IT Toolkit also includes:

• Secure remote control
• File transfer
• Hardware and software inventory
• Command line access
• Registry editor
• Task manager
• Event viewer
• Desktop thumbnail preview

“Kaseya IT Toolkit fulfills the basic needs of everyone who supports computers and their users,” said Tim McMullen, chief operating officer at Kaseya. “It provides secure remote access to quickly troubleshoot and resolve a broad range of routine issues remotely, while not disrupting the end user. Additionally, as IT professionals become more sophisticated and require more

advanced features, they can easily migrate to other products within the Kaseya IT Management Suite. It’s the same base framework used throughout the entire Kaseya 2 product family.”