New Kaseya Module Has MSPs Seeing Green

The new Kaseya User State Management (KUSM) module was designed to give MSPs the ability to remotely manage desktops, including power options that let an administrator power down machines when not in use. In addition, it includes an automated desktop migration solution to help define and deploy group profiles, which provide the tools to integrate power management into Kaseya's advanced systems management console, according to the company, based in St. Helier, U.K.

The KUSM module integrates technology that Kaseya acquired through the purchase of Versora in June 2007 and makes tasks such as providing reporting, backup and deploying user accounts, application settings, user settings and system settings manageable remotely and transparently from a single point, according to Dan Shapero, senior vice president of marketing for Kaseya.

"There's more computers outside than inside the data center, but more interest has been on energy [savings] within the data center. On the desktop, not a lot of attention has been given," said Dan Shapero, senior vice president of marketing for Kaseya.

KUSM combined with Intel's vPro technology allows IT professionals and MSPs to execute power management without compromising system management, Shapero said.

"What happens when you try to backup when you're powered down? We can manage power policy, but it creates the additional challenge of how to securely boot up the machine and deliver a managed service, like backup or patch management," Shapero said. "That's where our 2008 platform support for vPro comes in. It gives us the ability to securely poke that machine awake, deliver the service and politely turn it back off again."

But end users do not need vPro to take advantage of the functionality, Shapero said. In addition to environmental benefits, the new functionality also improves backup, disaster recovery or setting departmental profiles on new machines, he said.

"It's one more tool in the bag in justifiying managed services SLAs with customers. There's not many opportunities where you get to do a good deed, help save energy and get a more proactive, more efficient business model to save you money too," he said.