After several months of testing, ConnectWise has launched a new cloud monitoring, management, and billing solution.
CEO Arnie Bellini made the announcement at the company’s annual IT Nation Europe conference in London. The ConnectWise Unite solution is now available to technology teams around the world. The tool allows teams to manage, monitor, and bill a swath of cloud-based solutions through a single pane of glass in local currency, the company says.
ConnectWise Unite essentially is the successor and expanded version of the former ConnectWise CloudConsole. The shift toward a Unite brand with more features was originally unveiled in November 2017 for Cisco and Amazon Web Services (AWS) and tested by a select group of clients.
ConnectWise Unite: Cisco, Amazon, Microsoft and More...
As of the launch, integrations with Unite now include AWS, Cisco Meraki, Cisco Spark, Cisco Stealthwatch Cloud, Cisco Umbrella, Microsoft Azure and Microsoft Office 365. Additional vendor solutions will be added based on partner needs and feedback, the company said. The service costs $10 per managed end-customer business per month.
Bellini says most MSPs tend to rely on a range of cloud solutions to meet their customers’ needs. “What we’ve done with ConnectWise Unite is give our partners the ability to access these disparate solutions from a single pane of glass and greatly simplify the complexity that comes from dealing with the growing number of solutions they use,” he said.
ConnectWise Security Dashboard: In the same keynote speech, Bellini also told audience members that ConnectWise is preparing to launch an advanced security dashboard with the aim of giving MSPs the ability to monitor client’s multiple security solutions from a single source. The Dashboard will incorporate endpoint security, network security, edge and application security, and testing and reporting, Bellini said.
Chatter about the dashboard first surfaced at a Cisco partner conference earlier this week. ConnectWise has partnered with Cisco to launch the Advanced Security Dashboard with many of Cisco’s security solutions, including Cisco Advanced Malware Protection (AMP) for Endpoints, Advanced Security Appliances (ASA) and Next Generation Firewall (NGFW).
The pilot project is expected to launch in May for a select group of Cisco partners, with a full security dashboard launch slated for September 2018.
ConnectWise International Growth
In the same speech, Bellini announced plans to grow the company’s presence in Australia in South Africa while celebrating ConnectWise’s international growth.
According to the company’s own numbers, ConnectWise solutions are used by more than 22,000 businesses in over 70 countries, with international revenue growing by 23 percent in 2017. “The reception we’ve received outside the United States has been phenomenal, and we’re doubling down on our commitment to ensuring technology teams across the globe have access to our award-winning solutions, stellar support team and amazing community,” he said.
Australia and New Zealand combined accounted for more than 7 percent of ConnectWise’s revenue in 2017, while the company has seen more than a 37 percent increase in the number of partners in Australia in the last two years. To help meet growing demand, ConnectWise opened a new office in Sydney, Australia this month and is increasing the number of colleagues dedicated to the Australia and New Zealand market.
The company is also expanding its outreach to South Africa where it already has several dozen partners. ConnectWise wants to double that number over the next year and has hired a team to support the push, the company said.
Competition on the international front is particularly fierce. Datto's Autotask unit localized its software several years ago to gain traction across Europe and Asia. Moreover, Kaseya and SolarWinds MSP have strong footholds in Europe and Australia, and Continuum has also been building out offices worldwide.
ConnectWise's international growth comes at a particularly important time for the company's leadership team and partner base. David Bellini, formerly president of international operations, stepped down earlier this year for treatment involving an addiction to pain relief medications. Gregg Lalle, VP of international sales and strategy, has been leading the international charge in recent months.
Additional insights from Joe Panettieri.
