This newsletter is in BETA, and feedback is welcomed and encouraged.? Anyone who joins in the beta will be included in the launch offer! ?The intention is to deliver a set of actionable insights into the discussions had by the community for vendors to leverage for execution. Does this deliver???
Channel Chatter is the parsing of the listening posts that the Business of Tech podcast has around the MSP community across discussion forums and groups to bring together insights and discussions that I think are worth considering.?? In considering the needs of MSPs by listening to them for the podcast, there are insights specifically for vendors serving the space to be shared.? That is this newsletter.??
The channel was abuzz over Kaseya’s announcement last week, and I noticed the conversations. The MSPs were not overwhelmed.
The company's hype didn't match the announcement, but they succeeded in creating buzz. They've hinted at something big for a while, proving that to get attention, you need to generate it.
The announcement's price point is disruptive, offering an Express license excluding MDR for $1.75 per endpoint. However, the value shouldn't be overstated. Kaseya claims K365 subscribers will see a 30-50% profitability increase per endpoint, despite providing more services.
Kaseya suggests MSPs could reduce prices to outdo competitors. However, this isn't recommended. Their pricing advice shouldn't be taken as they're a software product company, and their structure differs from service structures.
Kaseya has also addressed criticism, making policy changes in response. One such change is client loss protection, adjusting your bill if you lose a substantial customer – a simple, yet effective solution.
Their latest move puts pressure on competitors. Unlike other services, Kaseya includes EDR, eliminating the need for customers to ensure its inclusion. That removes a sales objection.
Would I use Kaseya’s software? Possibly, if it meets my requirements and offers a good contract deal. Personal opinions about the CEO are irrelevant to contract terms.
The CEO's past statement of an industry-transforming announcement was overhyped. The announcement was nothing new or different, showing the danger of overhyping. However, their ability to get everyone talking is undeniably effective marketing.
This section is a high-level summary of the major topics of discussion within the community during the time period. This gives you a sense of the questions the community is raising and what they are discussing.
- E-signature Service Recommendations:
- File Share to SharePoint Migration:
- Managed Threat Response Services:
- Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) Tools:
- Vendor Relationship and Distribution Changes:
- Marketing Cybersecurity Solutions to MSPs:
This section is intended to highlight “gaps” that appear to exist in the market, where a specific weakness or need is highlighted in terms of product offerings. This can also include potential gaps in the market. If you wondered what MSPs “wish things did”, that’s this section.?
- Comprehensive Migration Tools:
- Managed Threat Response with a Human Touch:
- Vendor Management and Optimization Platforms:
- Specialized Compliance and Security Features:
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This section is designed to give you insights into who was “discussed” this week. These are vendors that were mentioned or commented upon, and not necessarily a specific set of complaints about the vendor. This may be a good opportunity to learn about a new name, or get a sense of who is in the zeitgeist.?It’s long. It’s intentionally long, to give you the firehose.
- Acronis: Discussed as an excellent alternative to Sophos, praised for its integrated EDR, backup, patching, disaster recovery, and competitive MDR rates.
- Action1: Recommended for handling all patches in a conversation about outsourcing managed patching services.
- AppRiver: Recommended for its spam filter and built-in impersonation protection in a discussion on email security solutions.
- Arrow: Mentioned as a distributor some participants have used for Sophos products instead of Giacom.
- Arctic Wolf: Mentioned as an okay option for managed detection and response, acting as a middle-man with IT.
- Atera: Noted for its billing model that charges by technician rather than by device, which might be beneficial depending on the MSP's staffing model. However, concerns were raised about the scalability and cost-effectiveness of this model for MSPs needing flexible technician access.
- Augmentt: Mentioned as an alternative for managing Office 365 environments, though noted for being more alerting and auditing focused.
- Automox: Suggested for great patch management and vulnerability source integration.
- Avanan: Praised for having a product that sells itself, suggesting minimal need for aggressive advertising. Also recommended for comprehensive security features.
- AvePoint Opus: Suggested for archiving files out of SharePoint/OneDrive into colder storage to save costs.
- Barracuda Email Defense Gateway: Discussed in the context of failing to prevent a phishing scam, and the options provided for enhancing security measures.
- BD (Bitdefender?): Mentioned as a vendor someone is glad they stuck with instead of moving to Sophos.
- Blackpoint Cyber: Recommended for its managed threat response capabilities.
- Cisco XDR: Mentioned by another MSP in the Netherlands as their choice for extended detection and response.
- ConnectWise: Recognized for its scalability and comprehensive feature set, making it suitable for larger MSPs or those with complex needs. However, some users expressed dissatisfaction with its user interface and reported bugs.
- Countersign: Recommended for simple e-signature needs but with a recent security concern mentioned for Dropbox Sign/HelloSign.
- Datto RMM: Identified as a known provider of SOC services, with the user seeking alternatives.
- Dell Secureworks: Identified as a known provider of SOC services, with the user seeking alternatives.
- Dropbox Sign (HelloSign): Initially recommended but had a recent security incident that made users cautious.
- Huntress: Praised for its effectiveness on workstations and for valuable content creation in MSP marketing.
- Infinigate: Newly announced distributor for Sophos, cited as a possible reason for the split with Giacom.
- ITByDesign and Proval: Mentioned as MSP vendors that provide patch management services.
- Kaseya: Noted for its competitive pricing for endpoint backup and for acquiring Datto.
- Mikrotik: Discussed for its ability to dynamically generate address lists for threat mitigation.
- Microsoft: Mentioned in various contexts, including for partnerships and as a vendor providing cloud and management solutions.
- NinjaOne: Praised for its ease of use, integration capabilities, and device-based pricing model.
- Nuvolex: Mixed with Avanan, seen as a management application.
- OneSpan: Used widely by financial and auto dealerships, implying strong security.
- PandaDoc: Mentioned for its easy use, audit logs, and flat monthly fee.
- Proposify: Noted for its high cost but suitability for the volume of contracts managed.
- Quoter: Highlighted for being MSP-focused, not charging by user, and meeting all listed requirements.
- Securemark.io: Brought up in the context of discussing Azure Sentinel as a tool for threat response.
- ShareGate: A migration tool recommended for its capabilities in handling non-supported characters, long file path/names, permission checks, and pre-stage migrations.
- SharePoint Online (SPO): The target platform for the migration from File Share.
- Signable: Preferred for its pay-as-you-go plan.
- SignNow (Airslate): Recommended for its cost-effectiveness compared to DocuSign and Adobe, ease of use, security, and detailed logs.
- SignRequest: Praised for its affordability and comprehensive features.
- SMAT (SharePoint Migration Assessment Tool): Used for assessing potential migration issues.
- Sophos: Central to a discussion about its unexpected split with Giacom and the implications for MSPs.
- SPMT (SharePoint Migration Tool) and Migration Manager: Mentioned as tools for SharePoint migration, with a comparison highlighting limitations of SPMT compared to ShareGate.
