Managed services software maker Atera has equipped the billing module of its combination RMM/PSA/remote control system with a benchmarking feature that shows MSPs how their rates and earnings compare to those of peers across the industry.
The new feature, which is part of a larger solution refresh launched today, draws on data supplied by the business intelligence platform Atera introduced in May. Known simply as the Benchmark, that system calculates a variety of financial and operational averages based on data collected anonymously and in near real time from hundreds of Atera users and the hundreds of thousands of end points they manage.
The new billing module uses ticket, timesheet, and contract data, among other figures, from the Atera PSA module to arrive at a given MSP’s effective hourly rate, and then compares it to what other providers earn each hour, using totals from the Benchmark.
“This is all based on actual, real data, not surveys and not assumptions,” says Atera CEO Gil Pekelman, who adds that data collected by the Benchmark since its debut suggests that more than half of MSPs are undercharging for their services.
“These are small companies,” Pekelman notes. “They don’t have big consulting companies to give them competitive information like that.”
In addition to the new benchmarking capabilities, Atera’s revamped billing module also comes with enhanced tools for setting prices, tracking time, and producing invoices. It integrates directly now with the Xero and QuickBooks accounting solutions as well.
The broader update issued today features enhanced remote connection functionality, new online backup features, and a new Microsoft Windows PowerShell repository with over 50 commonly used administrative scripts.
Originally developed in Israel and available earlier in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, Atera’s solution only began selling in North America at the beginning of this year. It features an unusual pricing scheme in which MSPs pay on a per-technician rather than per-seat basis, with fees starting at $59 monthly for an entry-level edition of the solution and topping out at $139 a month for the most complete version.
Atera is one of several IT management vendors currently making business intelligence a point of emphasis. The LOGICnow unit of SolarWinds MSP introduced a predictive analytics tool named LOGICcards last year, while the dual RMM/PSA system introduced by Autotask Corp. in April includes a unified analytics engine that correlates diagnostic information with service records to show, for example, which devices require the most and least maintenance.
