MSP, Networking

Kaseya Connect 2016: 5 Questions MSPs Must Explore

Kaseya CEO Fred Voccola
Fred Voccola

When Kaseya Connect 2016 kicks off in Carlsbad, Calif., next week, CEO Fred Voccola will surely communicate signs of progress at the MSP-centric software company. Roughly eight months on the job, Voccola has taken multiple steps to strengthen Kaseya's R&D, software delivery, customer support, partner ecosystem and more.

But is a dramatic Kaseya turnaround underway? Here are five questions for MSPs and conference attendees to probe.

1. The Big Picture: Insight Venture Partners acquired Kaseya in 2013, but the deal stumbled out of the gate. Too many variables -- acquisitions, executive changes and emerging rivals -- initially undermined the deal.

Still, it's only been three years since the buyout. Typical private equity owners hang on to a business for about seven years -- and sometimes far longer. That suggests Insight has a long-term investment horizon, and could remain patient as a Kaseya turnaround potentially unfolds. My question: How is Insight feeling about Kaseya's progress right now?

2. Kaseya PSA-RMM Integration: Kaseya acquired Vorex in early 2016, as part of a push to offer low-cost PSA (professional services automation) functions directly in Kaseya's VSA platform. Vorex's technology is now rebranded as Kaseya Business Management Solution. My question: How many MSPs have adopted the PSA capabilities -- and what are their early experiences with the single dashboard approach -- especially compared to integrated alternatives from Autotask, ConnectWise and SolarWinds N-able, among others?

3. Security: Kaseya acquired Scorpion Software for Identity Management as a Service (IDaaS) in 2014. More recently, Kaseya has partnered closely with Webroot on deeper security integrations. And a lengthy list of security vendors are sponsoring the conference. My question: How are MSPs addressing the four P's of security -- people, policy, process and product -- rather than simply trying to sell endpoint security or firewalls. (Credit: The 2112 Group's Larry Walsh discussed the four P's of security during CompTIA Annual Member Meeting a few weeks ago.)

4. M&A Symposium: Kaseya and its guest speakers say a new MSP reality has arrived -- involving mergers and acquisitions. Hmmm.... I wonder how that topic made the agenda? And I wonder how long the MSP M&A wave will continue to grow before things subside a bit? Wink, wink. Kidding aside, Kaseya's M&A Symposium has some great speakers on the agenda -- including:

If I was attending, I'd carve out some serious time for that symposium.

5. Kaseya Cloud Management: I know Kaseya offers 365 Command for Microsoft Office 365 management, and Traverse for overall cloud management. My Question: How can Kaseya help MSPs to manage and monetize workloads across Amazon Web Services, Azure, Google and more?

6. Bonus - Kaseya's Own SLAs: Now that Voccola has been running Kaseya for roughly eight months, how is the company performing against it's own SLAs, service and support goals? My Question: Has the R&D pipeline delivered more predictable, more timely upgrades over the past year? And are Kaseya support lines and online forums responsive enough to MSP inquiries?

Bottom Line

Overall, I sense Kaseya has made progress with its business over the past eight months or so. But there's a difference between stabilizing a business and returning it to growth with high-value partner offerings. We'll be poking around and checking in with attendees for their thoughts as the conference unfolds.

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.