A key theme emerges during conversations about the channel with senior leadership at Kaseya: The world depends on managed services.
Every modern device, workflow, application, and piece of data requires management. As a result, the first generation to grow up as digital natives, Gen Alpha, is more dependent on outsourced IT than ever before.
“MSPs are responsible for the availability of 70% of our global economy and are key to maintaining economic stability,” said Fred Voccola, CEO of Kaseya. That responsibility becomes even more significant when you turn on the nightly news. Economic downturns, natural disasters, and other crises that happen so regularly that they don’t feel remarkable anymore.
Greg Jones, Kaseya vice president of business development in the EMEA region (Europe, Middle East, and Africa), echoed Voccola’s remarks, calling it a “golden age” of opportunities for MSPs.
“There’s a real desire from the MSP community to engage, expand their businesses, and grow — a real hunger to elevate their game,” observed Jones. “The question is, which companies will MSPs partner with to achieve that? Our goal is to be partner first and exceed their expectations. I urge all MSPs to challenge their vendors and ask how they can help their businesses beyond just selling products or more licenses.”
The Price of a Complete Approach
Kaseya has long touted the “completeness” of its product set, with more than 40 products designed to support MSP growth. But for months there have been rumblings about something bigger and bolder that would augment the current offering.
At Kaseya Connect Global earlier this year, attendees got the big news: Kaseya 365. It’s a single-subscription package of the company’s most important (and MSP-friendly) services at an aggressive $3.99 per endpoint per month price.
Adding to the surprise was the name itself. Several MSPs noted the similarity to the name of Microsoft’s productivity suite, Microsoft 365.
“We were back and forth between 360 and 365 because what we’re offering is an every day, persistent toolset,” explained Mike Sanders, chief marketing officer at Kaseya. “We believe endpoint management is the baseline going forward and we wanted something that aligns to that idea.”
Mike Sanders (left) and ChannelPro Executive Editor Jonathan Browning
Chicago-area MSP and Kaseya partner Kristofer Luck, president of Quest Network Services, shared what excites him about the new offering. “I’m always looking for things that are affordable and that work as well as advertised. I want to do my job without being stuck in an endless cycle of comparison shopping.”
Voccola added: “[Kaseya 365] is changing the unit economics of the industry. We’re enabling MSPs to get their profit margins up consistently by 10 to 15%. To get them north of 40% overall is a game changer.”
Additionally, the price point ensures that cybersecurity isn’t out of reach for small and midsized businesses.
“It’s cool because MSPs no longer have to make a tough choice: allow a stubborn customer that doesn’t understand the realities of the risks they’re facing to decline security services because it’s ‘too expensive.’ An MSP no longer has to lose money just to do right by the customer,” said Voccola.
The Partner First Pledge
In virtually the same breath as the Kaseya 365 announcement, Voccola dropped another piece of news: The company’s Partner First Pledge. The idea was to reduce stress on MSP partners and enhance their profitability beyond the attractive Kaseya 365 sticker price.
The Pledge includes five key initiatives:
- All products are offered in 1-year and 3-year agreements.
- It’s now easy to shift spending from one product to another.
- Kaseya will provide direct assistance in the event of catastrophic client loss.
- A price lock guarantee.
- Month-to-month contracts for Datto BCDR.
“This formalizes the support we’ve always provided to our partners,” Sanders said. “It’s an extension of the approach we took during Covid; we offered financial assistance to help MSPs keep their staff. Making this widely available and formal ensures everyone can benefit without hesitation. It fosters loyalty and long-term relationships.”
It feels like Kaseya truly is listening to MSPs’ needs, according to Andrew Baca, CEO of Albuquerque, NM-based Abba Technologies. “MSPs have pain points and Kaseya is methodically checking through the list to make sure we’re taken care of.”
Reducing Costs with AI
Kaseya’s partner-first approach extends to its investments in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning. Voccola pegged Kaseya’s innovation spending at $14 billion, with an eye toward reducing each MSP’s operational costs and boosting security.
More AI products are coming, but the Kaseya team emphasizes that the future is already here.
“Cooper, our AI and machine learning intelligent engine — which sits in IT Complete — watches over all the products MSPs consume from us, and makes recommendations based on industry trends,” Jones explained. The ability to automate frees up time that MSPs can spend building their own businesses.
The AI-rich feature is a powerful time saver, Sanders noted.
“If an MSP has a BCDR plan in IT Glue, what devices are part of it? Where does the backup reside? Which appliance is doing the backup? By gathering the data automatically, we can offer suggested and related information about the BCDR plan,” Sanders explained. “It’s all right there, no hunting.”
These targeted applications of AI demonstrate Kaseya’s pragmatic approach, focusing on practical, measurable improvements. It also reinforces Kaseya’s view that partner satisfaction is perhaps the most important measure of the organization’s success.
