Channel technologies, MSP

Kaseya Veterans Launch Pilixo Remo: Remote Control for MSPs

Unitrends MSP’s Mike Sanders: A Kaseya veteran
Sanders
Kaseya Co-Founder Gerald Blackie

Pilixo, a software startup led by former Kaseya CEO Gerald Blackie, is set to launch Remo -- a remote control platform for managed services providers (MSPs). At first glance, Pilixo is heading into a saturated, mature market. But take a closer look and Remo appears to have two major differentiators in terms of pricing and software architecture.

First, a little background. Blackie exited Kaseya after Insight Venture Partners acquired the company in June 2013. By January 2015, he re-emerged to launch Pilixo as the company's chairman and CEO. Numerous Kaseya veterans have joined Blackie on this new journey. Among Pilixo's latest launches: Remo.

An official Remo announcement from the company to MSPs is expected today, Chief Revenue Officer Michael Sanders confirms to ChannelE2E.

Pilixo Remo: HTML5 Remote Control

Remo costs $100 per concurrent IT administrator per year. Under terms of that annual subscription, a service desk technician can remotely manage as many desktops as he or she wants -- without paying any additional fees to do so. Moreover, Remo is based on HTML5 technology -- which means it works on a browser for any PC or tablet. There's no need for the MSP to install a viewer, and there's no mandate to use a specific browser.

With that business model in mind, Remo costs less than LogMeIn and TeamViewer, and it avoids the installation/deployment challenges of traditional report control software, Sanders asserts.

Remo is one piece of the larger Pilixo puzzle that Blackie and his team are piecing together. The others are:

  • MSP Replay -- a video platform that gives admins "instant insight into what happened on a specific computer by recording the desktop and providing HD video playback."
  • Bodi -- a cloud-based employee monitoring platform that improves corporate compliance.

Remote Control: Crowded Market

Admittedly, Remo targets a crowded market. Most of the major MSP software platforms now offer some form of remote control. Examples include:

Still, Pilixo's team has plenty of experience in the MSP software market. Blackie, Sanders and other company leaders have personally attended a range of MSP-oriented summits, conferences and workshops over the past year. In addition to demonstrating Pilixo's software offerings, they've been listening to MSP feedback -- on features, functions and pricing models.

Based on that feedback, Remo is launching today.

Joe Panettieri

Joe Panettieri is co-founder & editorial director of MSSP Alert and ChannelE2E, the two leading news & analysis sites for managed service providers in the cybersecurity market.