IT automation software: Atera offers all-in-one MSP platform
Atera targets MSPs with a platform that incorporates remote control, remote monitoring and management, and professional services automation; more IT channel news from the week.
Atera, an IT automation software vendor, has signed up hundreds of managed service providers since releasing its all-in-one managed services platform in January.
The company's platform combines remote monitoring and management (RMM), professional services automation (PSA) and a remote connection tool in a single, software as a service-based offering. The IT automation software product is available under a 30-day free trial. Gil Pekelman, CEO at Atera, said he studied the MSP market a few years ago and found that tools for running companies were fragmented -- MSPs need to purchase three sets of tools -- and costly.
"All the legacy tools are just too complicated and expensive," Pekelman noted.
As a consequence, many value-added resellers, IT support providers and MSPs don't use any tools to operate their businesses, apart from Excel, Outlook and a remote control product, according to Pekelman. That lack of tools is particularly apparent among smaller MSPs, he noted. But larger MSPs, he added, struggle with complexity and increasing costs. As for the second point, tool vendors typically charge per device so MSPs incur more expense as they grow their customer bases and have more devices to manage, he explained.
Per-technician pricing
Atera's IT automation software pricing is based on the number of MSP technicians using the company's SaaS offering. For example, at Atera's Professional pricing tier, the company charges $89 per technician per month, billed month to month. The fee breaks down to $79 per technician per month, if billed annually.
Other Atera features include:
- Check Point firewall integration
- Backup via Atera's collaboration with IASO
- Microsoft PowerShell scripting task automation and configuration framework
- Citrix GoToAssist integration
Pekelman said the company has been growing rapidly, noting "hundreds of trials and hundreds of customers since January."
Atera isn't the only company that's attempting to take on established RMM vendors. Last year, the Comodo Group launched a free RMM tool in conjunction with the MSP Consortium.
IT channel news roundup for the week of March 28
SecureAuth Corp., an adaptive access control technology company, re-launched its SecureAuth Partner Program. The invitation-only program targets channel companies with security practices and offers a revised margin structure. The company is planning its next major product release for the end of April.
BitTitan, a cloud services enablement vendor, unveiled its Migration-as-a-Service offering, which aims to help IT service providers craft revenue streams around Microsoft Office 365 migration. The company said the first workload available through the migration program targets legacy email archives including Veritas Enterprise Vault and EMC SourceOne.
