Kaseya Updates Software, Adds Security Features To IT Management Platform

Kaseya has rolled out an update to its platform on the heels of its recent acquisition of Scorpion Software, the cloud-based IT management software company said Tuesday.

The Release 8 update adds a slew of new security features to the platform, including secure remote client control, identity and access management, cloud application administration and service-level management.

The release will be available to Kaseya customers Sept. 30.

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Much of these new additions center around the company's acquisition of Scorpion Software last month, which gave access to capabilities such as single sign-on, multifactor authentication, compliance, password automation and more. In particular, the next generation of the AuthAnvil product adds two-factor user authentication and access management to the Kaseya portfolio.

The latest update is part of a revived focus by the company on "rapid innovation," CEO Yogesh Gupta told CRN.

Before, he said it was clear that customers felt Kaseya wasn't getting capabilities out to the market fast enough. That caused problems around missed market opportunities, he said. Since Gupta joined the company a little over a year ago, the company has sped up internal growth and ramped up its release schedule to three times a year, he said.

"I think we're seeing that expectation in the marketplace," Gupta said. "That pace is really changing the game and our customers are realizing that this is really impressive."

This latest release is mainly focused on security and compliance, Kaseya Vice President of Product Marketing Tom Hayes said. Security is key for Kaseya, Gupta said, with a "mindboggling" amount of breaches hitting businesses. Gupta said that Kaseya's job is to "keep the IT systems humming and doing the right thing by business," so security was a logical step for the company.

"We saw a lot of demand. Over the last six to twelve months, security has become more important," Gupta said. "Our strategy is very simple: We want to be the one stop shop for all IT management and security needs."

The other capabilities added in the upgrade include integration of the Kaseya Traverse Service Level Management offering with VSA service desk, enhanced management of Office 365 and SharePoint and new training through Kaseya University. Hayes said that the updates to the Learning Center through Kaseya University are "huge" for partners. The update added new curriculum as well as certifications for Kaseya Certified Administrator and Kaseya Certified Technician.

"We've upped our game on learning," Hayes said. "We're just trying to make our customers as successful as they can be."

Ben O'Dwyer, director of business development at Proactive Technologies, said that his New York City-based company is focused on security because it works with clients in investment management. That focus has been at an all-time high ever since the Securities and Exchange Commission held a roundtable and released a memo focusing on cybersecurity preparedness earlier this year, he said.

For that reason, he said any additional security features that Kaseya can bring to the table are much appreciated by its partners.

"Anything that comes with increased security is good for us," O'Dwyer said, adding they liked the AuthAnvil product brought to Kaseya by the Scorpion Software acquisition. While the Office 365 add-ons aren't as applicable to their specific business, he appreciates the additional training opportunities offered by Kaseya.

Scott Ruggiero, service desk manager at Proactive Technologies, echoed that sentiment. Going forward, Ruggiero said he hoped the next upgrade for Kaseya would add more mobile device support and training opportunities.

"That’s an important piece -- the mobile device enablement. Whether we recommend it or not, clients are working more and more on devices and less and less on conventional workstation PCs. Our business is the support so were going to be providing that service regardless of the device," O'Dwyer said.

On a strategic level, both Proactive Technologies executives said they felt positive impact from Kaseya's strategic shift, particularly around improved support. They said they felt it made Kaseya more competitive in the marketplace and looked forward to more upgrades to the solution.

PUBLISHED SEPT. 30, 2014