Established in 2008, these awards are centered on six categories highlighting our MSP community’s expertise and success: Automation, Community, Cybersecurity Innovation, Fastest Growing, Rising Star and MSP of the Year.  

We received over 100 submissions across the categories, all anonymously reviewed by a group of Kaseya executives. Entrants for the MSP of the Year Award were required to submit entries for two categories in addition to the titled award submission.

We are proud to announce this year’s winners:  

• MSP Automation Award: ASI Solutions 
• MSP Community Award: Lateral Plains 
• MSP Cybersecurity Innovation Award: Silicon Systems 
• MSP Fastest Growing Award: EFEX 
• MSP Rising Star Award: Revolve 
• MSP of the Year: Ever Nimble 

Congratulations to the winners!

The post Announcing the 2023 MSP of the Year Awards Winners appeared first on Kaseya.

In this blog, we’ll delve into the advantages of the cloud and why it has become an indispensable tool for organizations of all sizes and across sectors. Before we discuss its benefits, let’s first understand the cloud, its infrastructure and different cloud service and deployment models.

What is the cloud?

The cloud or cloud computing is a global network of distributed servers hosting software and infrastructure accessed over the internet. It enables organizations to operate efficiently without needing any extensive internal infrastructure. With the cloud, users and organizations can access the same files and applications from almost any device since the computing and storage take place on servers in a data center instead of locally on the user device or in-house servers.

For instance, users can access their Instagram account and emails with all their files and conversation history from a new device, all virtue of the cloud. As cloud vendors update and maintain the servers themselves, cloud computing is one of the most cost-efficient solutions for organizations, helping them save significantly on IT costs and overheads.

How does cloud computing work?

Cloud computing leverages virtualization technology that enables the creation of digital entities called virtual machines. These virtual machines emulate the behavior of physical computers, existing harmoniously on a shared host machine yet maintaining strict isolation from one another.

The virtual machines also efficiently use the hardware hosting them, giving a single server the ability to run many virtual servers. This transforms data centers into highly efficient hubs capable of serving multiple organizations concurrently at a remarkably economical cost. The efficiency also extends to the reliability of cloud services since cloud service providers back up their services on multiple machines across multiple regions to guarantee uninterrupted service delivery.

Navigating the cloud is a seamless experience for users, accomplished through the sophisticated gateways of browsers or applications, regardless of their device. Many elements work in tandem to ensure seamless cloud navigation experience for users. Here are some of the core components of the cloud that help it operate like well-oiled machinery.

Cloud infrastructure

Four integral elements define the backbone of cloud infrastructure:

• Servers: Servers are the core of cloud infrastructure, acting as the computational engines that process and deliver data, applications and services. The servers ensure an efficient allocation of computing resources to support diverse user needs.
• Storage: Cloud storage acts as a dynamic repository, offering scalable and resilient solutions for data management. From documents to multimedia, this cloud component delivers data integrity and accessibility, providing a robust foundation for information storage.
• Networking: Networking ensures seamless communication between servers, devices and users and helps establish the pathways for secure and swift data transfer.
• Virtualization: Virtualization optimizes the usage of hardware resources through virtual machines. The virtual machines ensure efficient utilization, enhance flexibility, and guarantee isolation and security within the cloud infrastructure.

The cloud services come with different service and deployment models, each tailored for specific organizational needs. Let’s unravel their distinct purposes and explore their roles in enhancing organizational efficiency.

Cloud service models

Cloud computing generally comes in one of three fundamental service models: Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) or Software-as-a-Service (SaaS).

Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS)

IaaS provides a foundational layer in which the cloud services provider manages the computing resources, including servers, storage, networking infrastructure and virtualization. It eliminates the need for enterprises to procure, configure or manage infrastructure themselves and pay only for the services they use.

Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS)

PaaS is a complete development and deployment cloud service model that offers a comprehensive platform, including the hardware and the underlying software stack. Along with the computing resources of IaaS, PaaS also offers middleware, development tools, business intelligence (BI) services, database management systems and more. It allows users to focus on developing and deploying applications without concerning themselves with the intricacies of the infrastructure or software updates.

Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)

SaaS delivers fully developed applications over the internet, eliminating the need for users to install, maintain or manage the software locally. The SaaS model allows easy access to a wide range of applications, from productivity tools to enterprise software, without the burden of handling underlying infrastructure or software maintenance. It promotes accessibility, collaboration and scalability, allowing organizations to quickly get up and running with an app at minimal upfront cost.

Specialized cloud services

Along with the basic cloud service models, some specialized cloud services offer distinctive features. Here are some of them:

• Function-as-a-Service (FaaS) or Serverless Computing: FaaS provides a platform that allows users to execute code in response to specific events without managing the complex infrastructure typically associated with building and launching microservices applications.
• Container-as-a-Service (CaaS): In the CaaS service model, the cloud service provider offers a platform for deploying, managing and scaling containerized applications. It simplifies the orchestration of containers for the users, enhancing efficiency and portability in application development.
• Database-as-a-Service (DBaaS): DBaaS offers fully managed database solutions that allow organizations to focus on data-driven applications without the burden of database maintenance.
• Storage-as-a-Service (StaaS): StaaS delivers a flexible and cost-effective alternative to traditional on-premises storage systems through scalable and managed storage solutions.
• AI-as-a-Service (AIaaS) and Machine Learning-as-a-Service (MLaaS): AIaaS and MLaaS empower organizations with access to artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities, allowing them to leverage advanced analytics without any extensive in-house expertise.

Cloud deployment models

There are various cloud deployment models that cater to diverse organizational needs. Here are some of the most common deployment models:

Public cloud

The public cloud is a globally accessible and shared infrastructure offered by third-party providers over the public internet. This model is ideal for startups and businesses with fluctuating workloads due to its scalability, cost-effectiveness and on-demand resource allocation.

Private cloud

Private clouds are dedicated environments exclusive to a single organization. They offer heightened control, security and customization, making them suitable for industries with stringent compliance regulations or enterprises handling sensitive data.

Hybrid cloud

The hybrid cloud deployment model is an amalgamation of both public and private cloud components. The model enables organizations to leverage the flexibility of the public cloud for non-sensitive operations while keeping critical data within the secure confines of a private cloud. The hybrid cloud suits businesses with dynamic workloads and diverse infrastructure needs.

Multicloud

Multicloud deployment involves utilizing services from multiple cloud providers to achieve flexibility, cost savings and reduced risk. This model is ideal for enterprises seeking a diversified and resilient cloud infrastructure.

Community cloud

Community clouds are a collaborative model in which infrastructure is shared between several with common objectives, such as security, compliance and jurisdiction. This deployment model fosters collaboration and resource optimization and is appropriate for organizations working on a similar project, research topic or application.

With the emergence of the modern cloud in the early 2000s, it gained widespread popularity among businesses of all sizes. Most businesses quickly joined the cloud bandwagon, recognizing its importance in fast-tracking their digital transformation journey.

Now, let’s take a look at some of the reasons for the proliferation of cloud computing.

Why do we need cloud computing?

Cloud computing allows organizations to transcend physical barriers and access computing resources on a scale, revolutionizing traditional IT infrastructures. This flexibility allows enterprises to seamlessly scale operations up or down, according to market dynamics.

Moreover, with data and applications residing in a centralized, easily accessible location, teams dispersed across departments and geographical boundaries seamlessly collaborate in real-time. As knowledge and insights flow freely, unhampered by physical constraints, it enhances productivity and fosters a culture of innovation.

Let’s explore the diverse applications of cloud computing and how they play a pivotal role in optimizing operations and fostering innovation for organizations.

Uses of cloud computing

Here are some use cases of cloud computing for modern businesses:

• Data storage and processing: Cloud computing provides a scalable and cost-effective data storage system made accessible by a web services API. It allows organizations to efficiently manage and process vast amounts of data without the constraints of on-premises infrastructure.
• Big data analytics: With enormous processing power and scalability, the cloud has revolutionized big data analytics. Organizations leverage cloud platforms to analyze complex data sets and make data-driven, informed decisions.
• Data backup and archiving: The cloud facilitates seamless data backup and archiving, ensuring integrity and real-time data availability. This eliminates the risk of data loss and provides a reliable mechanism for long-term data retention.
• Business continuity and disaster recovery (BCDR): Cloud computing serves as a robust foundation for business continuity and disaster recovery strategies for organizations. It continually captures any changes to the data and transfers it to the disaster recovery server, ensuring rapid recovery in the event of disruptions or disasters.
• Remote work and collaboration: Cloud computing allows remote workers to access their work files and applications from anywhere, fostering flexibility and collaboration among geographically dispersed teams.
• Testing and development: Cloud platforms offer an agile environment for testing and development of applications. It enables developers to access resources on-demand, experiment with different configurations and deploy applications swiftly.

As the cloud operates through many interconnected networks, it raises security concerns among organizations, with cyberthreats at an all-time high. However, the cloud’s adaptive security protocols ensure that businesses can confidently navigate the digital terrain without compromising the integrity of their data. Let’s understand how the cloud safeguards an organization’s data.

Cloud security

Cloud service providers set an unparalleled standard for safeguarding sensitive data and ensuring the integrity of digital landscapes. They employ a multilayered approach, integrating robust encryption protocols, multifactor authentication and stringent access controls to fortify the confidentiality and integrity of stored data.

Moreover, cloud service providers also adhere to compliance regulations, perform security audits and monitor mechanisms regularly to identify and address any vulnerabilities. With these robust security controls, organizations can confidently entrust the cloud with their critical application, a boon in today’s ever-evolving threat landscape.

With many benefits, adopting cloud computing has become imperative for organizations seeking to thrive in the competitive business landscape. Let’s look at some of the ways cloud computing has impacted businesses.

Cloud computing in business

The inherent value of cloud computing lies in its capacity to transcend traditional constraints, adapt swiftly to market dynamics and optimize operational costs. It propels organizations’ digital transformation journey by unlocking new avenues for innovation, facilitating seamless scalability and helping them navigate future uncertainties with resilience and efficiency.

What are examples of cloud computing in business?

Here are some industry-wise instances of the efficiency of cloud computing:

• Healthcare: Cloud computing has revolutionized healthcare by enabling healthcare providers to leverage cloud platforms for data analytics, facilitating personalized treatments and improving patient care. Telemedicine services have especially witnessed exponential growth by adopting cloud computing, which has ensured broader accessibility of healthcare resources.
• Finance: Cloud computing has helped the financial sector streamline operations and enhance data security. Many financial institutions utilize the cloud for real-time data analytics, fraud detection and risk management. The innovative features of the cloud allow the industry to offer new services and products to customers at a rapid pace.
• E-commerce: E-commerce platforms use cloud-based analytics to understand customer behavior, optimize inventory management and deliver personalized recommendations, enhancing customer satisfaction and retention. It also helps them handle fluctuating workloads, ensuring seamless shopping experiences during peak times.
• Education: Cloud computing has transformed education by facilitating online learning platforms, collaboration tools and resource sharing. Several educational institutions utilize cloud-based services to efficiently manage student data, virtual classrooms and collaborative research projects.

Take advantage of cloud computing with Kaseya

While the benefits of the cloud are aplenty, its management can be arduous if you still rely on traditional endpoint management solutions. In order to leverage the cloud services to the fullest, your IT team needs an advanced endpoint management system that ensures seamless management of diverse cloud-based environments in a single UI.

With Kaseya VSA, you can automate the discovery of all endpoints and network devices, including virtual hosts and virtual machines. VSA is a next-generation, unified RMM solution that maximizes IT operational efficiency with complete IT asset discovery, monitoring and management. It gives you the visibility and functionality you need to manage all of IT in a single UI.

To learn more about Kaseya VSA, Request your demo today!

The post What Is Cloud Computing? Services, Types, Advantages and Use Cases appeared first on Kaseya.

In this blog, we’ll take a closer look at the features and benefits of the Kaseya Help Desk service and discover how it can set your business on the path to higher profitability.

What is the Kaseya Help Desk service?

The Kaseya Help Desk is an outsourced, white-labeled IT support service designed to provide your clients and end users with high-quality technical support. By troubleshooting issues consistently, swiftly and efficiently, the service will ensure seamless operations and uninterrupted productivity for your business on a budget.

Our dedicated Help Desk staff will triage, manage and solve the large volume of L1 and L2 tickets, freeing your technicians to focus on solving complex IT issues that need their attention and expertise. The expert technicians manning the Kaseya Help Desk will amaze your clients with service that is second to none, boosting your credibility and profitability.

The biggest advantage of the Kaseya Help Desk is its 24/7 availability. Your clients or users can dial in at any time of the day or night and have someone address their issues. This function is available to everyone, regardless of the size of your business. If you’re an MSP, a help desk operating round the clock can give your business a significant advantage over competitors, helping you win deals, acquire more clients and scale your business without worrying about operational constraints.

What makes the Kaseya Help Desk different?

As an industry “one of a kind,” the Kaseya Help Desk is here to redefine efficient and high-quality IT support with innovative features.

Maintain compliance with government rules

Keeping compliance and security in mind, the Kaseya Help Desk team operates entirely from within the region. The U.S. office, situated in Orlando, Florida, comprises U.S. citizens, while EU citizens staff the Ireland office in Dundalk. Whether it’s CMMC 2.0 or GDPR, the Kaseya Help Desk will meet all your compliance requirements.

White-labeled for your business’ success

The Kaseya Help Desk is yours by definition. Our technicians will answer the phone and respond to emails as if they were part of your team. They will use your runbooks from IT Glue and remediate tickets that show up in your PSA/ticketing solution, ensuring a seamless resolution process consistent with your policies and protocols.

Skilled staff provides top-notch service quality

The skilled technicians operating the Kaseya Help Desk service are experts at navigating a number of industry-leading solutions, such as VSA, Datto RMM, Vorex, BMS, Autotask and IT Glue. With a three-minute call pickup (SLOs), the Kaseya Help Desk guarantees swift response times, ensuring efficient issue resolution for exceptional end-user experience.

Cost saver and efficiency driver

With the current economic climate getting grimmer by the day, reducing costs and saving money is everyone’s priority. The Kaseya Help Desk service provides unlimited tickets per device model for complete support that unlocks business growth. By leveraging economies of scale, the Kaseya Help Desk ensures that our services cost you less than hiring a technician would. So, while your competitors cut back, you can scale your business and get a leg up without burning through your budget.

Benefits of the Kaseya Help Desk service

These are the top benefits of the Kaseya Help Desk service for your business:

Provide the highest level of service quality

Having technicians repeatedly perform mundane tasks can lead to exhaustion and decreased morale, ultimately affecting service quality. By redirecting their focus and expertise toward more challenging and impactful tasks, you can boost their productivity and morale and foster a sense of accomplishment within the team. As your technicians return to doing things they love, our team will be hard at work crushing tickets with remarkable efficiency and speed.

Accelerate your growth

Incredibly, 81% of organizations are experiencing a shortage of skilled tech workers. A lack of skilled technicians can force you to delay your growth plans and even rethink your long-term business goals. Even if you find the right candidate, you might miss the growth opportunity since onboarding technicians and getting them up to speed can take time. The Kaseya Help Desk has some of the best technicians, equipped with the knowhow to provide outstanding support so you can confidently scale.

Increase profitability

Outsourcing to the Kaseya Help Desk will instantly expand your margin since it is more cost-effective than hiring full-time technicians. This will immediately reduce your overhead expenses associated with maintaining an in-house staff while also giving you access to a diverse pool of technicians.

Decoupling sales success from operational woes for MSPs

Although many MSPs have a powerful and effective sales process, growing the support team becomes unaffordable. With Kaseya Help Desk, your operational efficiency and potential are virtually unlimited, enabling you to onboard clients and users without overloading your operations team. This seamless scalability ensures that your service quality remains uncompromised even during periods of rapid growth or increased demand.

Better work-life balance

Despite constant efforts to improve the work-life balance of IT professionals, increasing workloads and limited resources do little to solve the problem. A staggering 70% of MSP executives and 62% of IT technicians at small and midsized businesses (SMBs) reported working on a holiday or weekend.

IT professionals are being asked to do more with fewer resources every day, leading to acute burnout and stress. By significantly reducing the strain on their schedules, one of the outcomes of the Kaseya Help Desk service is to help IT professionals enjoy a healthier work-life balance. Eliminating burnout and stress leads to a decrease in technician churn, creating a more stable and satisfied workforce.

Elevate your IT support experience with Kaseya

The Kaseya Help Desk is a best-in-class IT support service designed with a focus on empowering MSPs and small to midsize businesses (SMBs) to exceed their highest growth targets. Partnering with Kaseya to manage your IT service delivery will help you streamline your help desk process, giving you opportunities to scale and grow.

Outsourcing your mundane tickets to our help desk will not only strengthen your process but also make it more cost-effective. Moreover, you can uncover more gains by channeling the skill and time of your technicians towards long-pending, high-priority IT projects. Gear up to see a dramatic improvement in your budget and technician workload. To find out more, click here.

The post Maximize Savings & Minimize Stress With the Kaseya Help Desk Service appeared first on Kaseya.

In this blog, we’ll shed light on FIVE hair-raising fears that haunt IT pros day and night, and one powerful solution to overcome them all.

The ransomware menace

The biggest fear that tops the charts for IT professionals is the fear of a ransomware attack. As per the 2023 Cost of Data Breach report, ransomware incidents account for 24% of malicious attacks and the global average cost of a ransomware attack cost surged 13% to a staggering $5.13 million — not to mention the accompanying reputational damage.

While we regular folk only worry about imaginary shadowy figures in the corners of our room, IT pros sweat over end users clicking on infected links, that open the door for ransomware and other nasty cyberthreats. Today, cybercriminals have access to a range of advanced tools and technologies that exponentially increase their chances of launching successful attacks. This makes it increasingly difficult for IT professionals to secure a growing number of devices and types that have greatly expanded the attack surface, making organizations vulnerable. In fact, the average mobile worker globally carries 3.5 mobile devices.

As the risks continue to mount daily, technicians find themselves at a crossroads, facing difficult choices. Should they take a device-centric or user-centric security approach? Would a proactive or a reactive model be better for their organizational structure? And most importantly, do they have the budget for it? With so much happening on the security side alone, fears and worries are bound to arise.

Groundhog day

Though seemingly harmless, the monotony of the daily grind is one of the biggest reasons for technician burnout, unhappiness and churn. Running an IT infrastructure is a round-the-clock job where, more often than not, technicians find themselves extinguishing the same little fires over and over again, leaving them drained.

Imagine spending endless hours addressing password reset requests and repeatedly asking people to reboot their systems. With little time and opportunity to focus on high-value work that would move the needle on revenue, business growth and personal fulfillment, many IT professionals succumb to lethargy and listlessness. The Kaseya 2023 IT Operations Survey found that about 75% of the respondents were unsatisfied with their work-life balance, highlighting that their circumstances had barely changed over the past year.

Any tool that can automate daily tasks and free technicians from the curse of monotony can exponentially boost their productivity and result in massive IT improvements for the organization.

Fear of false perceptions

It’s unfortunate that the efforts of IT professionals frequently tend to go unappreciated, even by the organization’s executives. They are seen as problem-solvers, go-to experts for technical glitches and guardians of the server rooms.

Struggling to quantify and highlight their work, they are often solely evaluated on the volume of tickets they address. This system stifles innovation and creativity, and many technicians fear being labeled underperformers when trying to think outside the box and automate more. The absence of constructive feedback and the sense of isolation adds to the overall challenges they face.

The fact that IT is considered a cost center doesn’t make things any easier. With the fear of layoffs in a weak economy always lurking, IT pros tend to feel like they’re constantly walking on eggshells, which can have a detrimental effect on their well-being and performance.

Fear of the unknown

Even though change is an inevitable part of life, in many instances leading to better outcomes, we tend to equate it with uncertainty and unpredictability. What’s familiar is comfortable, while change means learning new skills and adjusting to a new way of life that can come with a certain amount of friction.

There’s no escaping change in IT, with developments occurring rapidly. It can be something as simple as learning to use a completely new software or as complex as migrating the entire infrastructure to a new platform in case of mergers and acquisitions.

Amid these transitions, tensions run high due to the fear of making even the smallest mistake. Instead of dreading or fretting over these changes, engineers can arm themselves by proactively preparing for what’s to come.

Resource crunch

The pressure to do more with less can cause IT technicians to experience intense cycles of anxiety and stress that can negatively impact their performance. Budget constraints, a shortage of skilled personnel and inadequate hardware can make meeting deadlines more challenging.

By investing in the right tools and solutions, organizations can help IT technicians supercharge their productivity and meet all their IT needs on a budget.

Conquer your fears with Kaseya VSA

As the number of endpoints continue to rise, the resources available to manage them are dwindling. But fear not! We have the perfect solution for you.

Kaseya VSA is a cutting-edge RMM solution that redefines endpoint management and monitoring. It empowers you to handle both leading-edge and legacy endpoints effortlessly, supercharging your productivity with industry-leading automation. Patch management, ticketing and routine tasks? Automated. Easily manage and patch even remote endpoints for complete control and security.

VSA offers the largest out-of-the-box script library and real ticket auto-remediation capabilities, allowing you to automate more everyday tasks and proactively stop ransomware-level threats. Our solution prioritizes security and is designed to eliminate risk with a secure framework. Once the job is done, use our executive reporting feature to showcase the value of your work and earn recognition for it.

In these tight economic times, budgets matter. That’s why VSA is priced 30% lower than other solutions in the market, so you get all the features you need at a price you can afford. Put your fears to rest with a demo of VSA today.

The post Top 5 Fears That Keep IT Professionals Up at Night appeared first on Kaseya.

Whether you are an MSP providing a host of IT services to clients or a small and midsize business (SMB) with big ambitions, having a smart and reliable help desk plays a significant role in ensuring business continuity. It’s a service that your clients and users turn to when flustered by something as simple as a forgotten password or as critical as server issues before an important project delivery.

Through quality technical support and speedy resolution to problems, help desks play a pivotal role in helping businesses maintain uptime, provide seamless service delivery and win the trust of their clients and users. Whether you are looking to start a help desk from scratch or improve an existing one, our blog offers great pointers while also serving as a refresher. Give it a go, you’ll be wiser for it.

What is a help desk?

An IT help desk is a platform or tool that enables businesses to organize customer communication and respond to IT-related queries quickly and effectively. The IT help desk tool helps your IT team track and resolve IT issues generated from different channels from a single console. The tool saves time and promotes faster and more effective resolution of issues, thus enhancing the overall user experience and driving business growth.

What is the difference between a help desk and a service desk?

Although often used interchangeably, help desk and service desk are different from one another. Let’s take a look at what differentiates the two.

Help desk

A help desk provides technical support to end users, troubleshoots customer and user issues, and/or guides them through specific tasks and actions. Help desks can be incorporated with larger service desks or exist as a separate operation. The definitive goal of a help desk is to provide resolutions for user requests as efficiently as possible. Help desks are designed to be reactive in nature and are often considered a subset of the service desk.

Service desk

An IT service desk encompasses a broader set of functions as compared to a help desk. It is essentially a single point of contact between the service provider and the end users. As opposed to a help desk that is focused on problem resolution, a service desk is designed to take care of the overall business needs.

In addition to managing service requests and resolving incidents, a typical service desk also facilitates user communication. It focuses on improving the efficiency and performance of IT technicians, meeting service level agreements (SLAs) and shaping the way IT professionals deliver their services to both internal employees and customers.

What is the function of a help desk?

Most organizations deploy help desk management software to create, manage, process and resolve tickets. Here’s how a typical help desk management software resolves customer queries:

1. A user registers an issue by raising a ticket in the help desk management software.
2. The help desk team is then notified of the ticket via email, push notifications or SMS.
3. Next, based on the rules set by the team, the ticket is either automatically assigned to a technician or manually picked by one based on the skill set and availability.
4. Next is the ticket processing stage, where the technician assigned to the ticket will try to fix the issue. The technician may:
   • Interact with the user by posting replies and updates to the ticket
   • Attach files to the query for more information
   • Escalate the ticket to another team
5. Once the issue is fixed, the technician notifies the end user of the same and marks the ticket as resolved or closed.
6. Depending on the type of the ticket, the issue and its resolution may be posted to the knowledge base to help other technicians troubleshoot the same issues in the future.

Why is a help desk important?

An efficient IT help desk is a quintessential part of any successful organization. The fundamental aim of an IT help desk is to provide swift and effective resolutions for user queries. It is a critical business resource that helps in reducing downtime associated with customer support services, increasing efficiency and enhancing customer satisfaction.

The help desk software prioritizes issues based on category, nature, level of criticality and more, enabling the technicians to multitask. Ticket management, which is the core function of a help desk platform, helps sort customer interactions based on demographics, date and urgency. By automating ticket management, you can easily speed up the process of case resolution.

Having a full-service help desk is critical for businesses to be more holistic in terms of services offered. While a service desk is more strategic in nature, a help desk is more tactical. As such, you need to get the tactical aspect right to build a strong foundation for your business.

What are the benefits of a help desk?

Now that you understand that a help desk is a vital part of any business, let’s discuss some of its benefits:

• Streamlined operations: A help desk solution acts as a one-stop shop to manage all your customer queries, complaints, needs, requests and support. It is essentially a single point of communication between you and your end users and helps resolve any IT issues swiftly and effectively.
• Increased customer satisfaction: Customer experience is at the crux of any business operation. To that end, an IT help desk facilitates a seamless experience for your customers when they interact with your business by providing them a uniform business response and predictable business response times as committed in the SLA. In addition to this, most help desk management solutions today provide similar experiences across various platforms, including smartphones, tablets, desktops and the like.
• Knowledge repository: A library or knowledge base that stores comprehensive information on IT issues and ways to troubleshoot them is an invaluable resource for businesses. An IT help desk management software helps curate this knowledge repository, helping IT teams resolve similar issues quickly in the future. Additionally, your end users can directly troubleshoot their common IT issues with help from the knowledge base. This will lead to lower ticket volumes in the long run.
• Improved ROI: Although deploying a help desk solution involves additional investment, these costs are offset by the high return on investment through higher team efficiency, greater productivity, enhanced product quality and greater customer satisfaction. An IT help desk also helps get real-time feedback on service and product issues, thus eliminating the costs associated with conducting post-release surveys.
• Strong reputation and brand image: As mentioned earlier, an IT help desk provides a seamless customer experience that leads to greater customer satisfaction. Happy customers are loyal to your business and more inclined to recommend your brand to others. As such, deploying an IT help desk can be very helpful in establishing a strong brand image and building a good reputation in the market.

What are some goals and objectives for a successful help desk?

Now that you understand how beneficial a help desk can be for your business, let’s discuss some common KPIs that you must track in order to evaluate how effective your customer support efforts are.

• Average resolution time: The average resolution time is an effective measure of how long it takes to resolve a user query. Evaluating the average resolution time helps you analyze whether you are providing your customers with the level of service promised and identify any potential opportunities to ensure faster and more effective service delivery.
• First response time: The first response time is the average amount of time a technician takes to provide an initial first response to a support ticket or query raised by a customer. It is important to minimize your first response time as much as you can to ensure customer delight.
• First contact resolution rate (FCRR): The FCRR is the percentage of help desk queries that are resolved during the first interaction with the customer. As such, the greater the FCRR, the better the customer experience. As such, it is imperative to continually track and improve your FCRR in order to enhance customer satisfaction and build a stronger brand image.
• Cost per ticket: Another important help desk metric, cost per ticket is a measure of the average costs involved in resolving a request. Tracking this metric will allow you to evaluate the efficiency of your help desk technicians and the resources you most commonly use to fix issues.
• SLA compliance rate: The SLA compliance rate is the percentage of IT incidents that are resolved within the agreed-upon SLA parameters. This metric is an effective measure of how compliant you are with your SLAs and when you must make an effort in order to improve it.
• Customer satisfaction: One of the most important help desk KPIs you must track, customer satisfaction can be measured by providing your customers with a way to rate your services and provide feedback on their overall help desk experience. Tracking this metric will help you ensure that you are delivering help desk services to the best of your capabilities.

What are help desk best practices?

Implementing an effective and efficient help desk is a major challenge that most growing businesses face today. Here’s a list of best practices that you must keep in mind to ensure your team makes the most of your help desk to minimize business disruptions, drive efficiency and enhance customer experience.

• Deploy a robust help desk solution: One of the major prerequisites of building a strong help desk is deploying the right help desk management solution that works for you. The right help desk solution will not only enable you to seamlessly handle large ticket volumes but also help control your overall IT costs.
• Automate common processes: A robust help desk software will allow you to automate common, low-value help desk workflows and processes and free up time for your technicians so they can focus on more critical issues at hand. For instance, by automating ticket distribution, you can ensure that any incoming tickets are automatically routed to the relevant technicians. This leads to faster ticket resolution and greater customer satisfaction.
• Establish your SLAs: Setting your SLAs is imperative to establishing standards for your help desk team and helping your technicians prioritize their work. These SLAs help set timeline expectations for customers and ensure that your support team is consistent with the support offered.
• Measure help desk KPIs and metrics: As mentioned earlier, measuring your help desk metrics and KPIs helps you analyze whether you are providing the best possible help desk support to your users or not. It also helps in identifying key areas for improvement to ensure the most effective and efficient help desk support for your users and enhance overall customer experience.

Help desk services with Kaseya

We understand that building a help desk is easier said than done, especially when skilled technicians are hard to find. Moreover, the constant influx of mundane tickets is an energy drainer, one of the main causes of technician churn.

In today’s environment, outsourcing your IT support services is a smart approach. Outsourcing your daily IT tickets to Kaseya Help Desk Services is a surefire way to provide quality IT services to your end users, accelerate growth and increase profits. Whether trouble comes in the form of economic headwinds, IT staff churn or increasing workload, we will ease the burden on your team by tackling all your L1 and L2 tickets. Our white-labeled service provides 24/7 ticket management, and our industry-leading service level objectives (SLOs) will guarantee satisfaction for all your clients and users.

We deliver a best-in-class user experience at a price that will knock your socks off. We look forward to working with you on your growth journey. Learn more about our services and join the waitlist today.

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Titans of MSP Panel with Host Robin Robins

The Titans of MSP panel, hosted by Robin Robins, CEO, and Founder of Technology Marketing Toolkit and MSP Success Magazine, was a notable highlight of the event. The panel introduced industry leaders nominated by Kaseya as Titans of the MSP industry. Attendees had the opportunity to cast their votes for their preferred titan. The panelists and award winner for this session included:

Panelist 1: Rob Stephenson, CEO of Thrive

Rob shared insights into Thrive, a global MSP with 12,000 employees, predominantly serving clients on the East Coast of the U.S. His key message revolved around the importance of MSP owners having a clear plan for their business, whether for successful long-term operations or strategic growth through avenues like venture capital or private equity.

Panelist 2: Will Slappey, CEO of IT Voice

Will discussed IT Voice’s journey of expansion through acquisitions and the intricacies of managing growth. He emphasized the necessity of clear planning and communication during acquisitions and shared strategies for boosting profitability and confidence.

Panelist 3: Ryan Vestby, CEO of VC3

Ryan provided insights into VC3, a company operating in over 30 states with $50 million in revenue. He highlighted the benefits of capital partners in the MSP industry and the importance of selecting the right partner for successful acquisitions.

Panelist 4: Jason Waldrop, President of Managed Services Red River

Jason spoke about the diverse lines of business at Red River and the cyclical nature of business growth. He discussed the challenges and opportunities related to acquiring smaller MSPs and transitioning from owner-driven sales to dedicated sales teams.

Panelist 5: Jesus Peña, CXO of UDT

Jesus shared UDT’s unique journey in three different markets with $450 million in revenue. He emphasized the need for MSPs to have a clear plan and build businesses capable of independent operation. Strategies to enhance EBITDA and the benefits of offering full platforms to clients were also discussed.

MSP Titan of the Year Award Winner

In an exciting moment, Jesus Peña, CXO of UDT, emerged as the MSP Titan of the Year, based on votes from Kaseya DattoCon 2023 attendees.

Cybersecurity & the Future of MSSP Session by Jason Manar

Jason Manar, Chief Information Security Officer at Kaseya, conducted a session focused on cybersecurity trends and the role of Managed Security Service Providers (MSSPs). Attendees gained insights into past, present and future cybersecurity challenges. Key takeaways from the session include:

• Jason underscored the importance of using data to predict future cybersecurity trends, drawing inspiration from Albert Einstein’s quote.
• The session highlighted cybersecurity threats prevalent in 2021, such as ransomware, social engineering, and credential stuffing.
• Common cyberattacks on MSPs today, including phishing, compromised devices and credential theft, were discussed.
• Jason emphasized the significance of adequate security measures and the frequency of cyberattacks in successful breach attempts.
• The concept of pretexting was explained using a real-world example, illustrating the subtlety and sophistication of phishing attacks.
• The session explored the high costs associated with cyber incidents and the global impact of cybercrime, emphasizing the need for vigilance and preparation.
• Future cybersecurity trends, including the integration of AI and machine learning, were discussed. Jason stressed the importance of secure data management in the AI era.

Closing Remarks by Fred Voccola, CEO of Kaseya

Fred Voccola, CEO of Kaseya, delivered closing remarks that expressed gratitude for the event’s success and reflected on the company’s journey, particularly the merger with Datto. Key points from his address include:

• Fred acknowledged the dedication and effort invested in organizing the event, which marked a significant milestone as the first-ever event held at the home of Kaseya.
• He highlighted the achievements of Kaseya and Datto following their merger, resulting in a fully integrated platform designed to empower MSPs with automation and intelligence.
• Fred reaffirmed Kaseya’s commitment to partner success and encouraged open feedback from the community.
• He hinted at an upcoming major announcement scheduled for the Connect Global event in April, suggesting it would surpass the significance of the Datto acquisition, generating anticipation among attendees.

In closing, we extend our heartfelt thanks to all the attendees who made Kaseya DattoCon 2023 a resounding success. Your participation, insights and enthusiasm have been invaluable. As we continue our journey together, we invite you to stay tuned for more exciting announcements and innovations from Kaseya that will shape the future of the MSP industry. Your partnership and collaboration drive our commitment to excellence, and we look forward to the promising road ahead.

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While many MSPs leverage Cybersecurity Awareness Month to engage with customers, they often miss the mark by not making it interactive or enjoyable. As a result, customer participation tends to be low. MSPs should view this month as a golden opportunity to promote cybersecurity awareness and do so in a way that truly resonates with and involves their customer base.

Ultimately, doing Cybersecurity Awareness Month differently helps garner customer buy-in and sets you apart from your competitors.

But to execute correctly, you need a plan.

Don’t Delay: Seize Your Opportunity Before It’s Gone
MSPs that delay taking action risk missing out on the opportunity that Cybersecurity Awareness Month offers. Avoid throwing everything together at the last minute. Planning in advance, promoting the event, and carefully curating the content can help you make the most out of this occasion. Ensure everyone in your organization is on board and has a role in executing your plan. Create assets ahead of time and ensure you schedule everything ahead of time to avoid forgetting key components of your campaign. Use Cybersecurity Awareness Month to your advantage. 

Turning Cybersecurity Awareness Month into a Memorable Learning Journey for Customers
Adding fun elements to cybersecurity awareness month can make learning about cybersecurity enjoyable for your customers. For instance, you could host a “Spot the Phishing Email” contest, where participants submit fake emails for analysis or engage customers in a lively cyber trivia game. Incentivizing these activities with prizes makes them more appealing and encourages your clients to take proactive steps in bolstering their cybersecurity. Furthermore, interactive tools like word searches, crossword puzzles, and even coloring books or informative videos can serve as enjoyable yet educational means to underscore the significance of cybersecurity.

Distinguishing Yourself in a Competitive Market
MSPs should consider their unique selling points and find ways to showcase them during Cybersecurity Awareness Month. This is where you can differentiate yourself from your competitors. For instance, if you’re offering penetration testing, something many MSPs aren’t doing, then showcase how it benefits your customers and why it’s necessary in today’s environment. While you don’t want to come off too “salesy,” there’s nothing wrong with educating your customers on the issue.

Cybersecurity Awareness Month offers an unparalleled platform to demonstrate this commitment to your customers. By planning ahead, adding interactive and enjoyable elements, and focusing on what makes your services unique, you can transform this month into a memorable, educational journey for your clients.

The post Why Cybersecurity Awareness Month is a Golden Opportunity for MSPs appeared first on Kaseya.

Day one of the event set the stage for an inspiring week that centered around innovation and the promise of new technology in the MSP realm. Below are highlights from Day one of Kaseya DattonCon 2023.

CEO Fred Voccola’s keynote: a year of progress and the road ahead

In the opening keynote of Kaseya DattoCon 2023, CEO Fred Voccola shared the remarkable journey of the past year since Kaseya and Datto joined forces. About a year has passed since this significant merger took place, and the company has made substantial strides. One notable achievement is the tripling of R&D investment, a testament to Kaseya’s commitment to driving innovation.

Last year marked the first interaction with the Datto customer community, shortly after acquiring Datto. DattoCon in Miami was an ambitious endeavor, striving to become the largest DattoCon event to date, with an impressive turnout of 3,500 attendees. This was a substantial accomplishment, considering that the event facilities were not initially designed for such a large crowd, having sold out six to eight weeks in advance.

Fred Voccola emphasized the strong link between the success of Kaseya and that of MSPs. He conveyed the company’s readiness to receive feedback, even when it is critical, as this feedback is essential to strengthen their relationship with MSPs. This mutual benefit underscores a driving principle at Kaseya: “We succeed when you succeed.”

Objectives of the merger

The merger between Kaseya and Datto was undertaken with clear objectives in mind. These objectives serve as guiding principles for the combined company’s direction and actions:

1. Accelerate innovation

One of the primary goals is to push the boundaries of innovation. Kaseya and Datto have added over 300 engineers to the company, expanding their capabilities to create more groundbreaking solutions. They’ve launched over 400 “killer features” across various platforms, with a focus on delivering tangible value to customers and partners. Notably, they have relaunched Datto Networking and successfully integrated all Datto products into IT Complete, Kaseya’s comprehensive suite of offerings. As a result, Kaseya has been able to lower pricing on average by 15%, setting them apart from other vendors who have raised their prices.

2. Datto-ify MSP experience

From the outset, Kaseya recognized the importance of understanding and integrating the unique aspects of Datto’s operation within the MSP community. In the first three months of the acquisition, the company delved deep into how Datto operated and sought to incorporate as much of that valuable knowledge as possible into their own operations. A tangible example of this integration is the transformation of the Datto Partner Program into the Kaseya Partner Program, with leadership from Datto contributing to maintaining cultural continuity. The infusion of Datto culture and product engineering expertise into Kaseya’s operations extends to leadership roles and task forces.

3. Unified partner experience

Prior to the merger, many Datto and Kaseya partners were using various elements of both platforms. By bringing these elements together, Kaseya aimed to create a more unified and streamlined experience for partners. This integration extends to the automation of various tasks and the simplification of the partner experience. One significant undertaking has been the integration of billing systems to provide a unified, straightforward and easily consumable invoicing experience. While there have been some hiccups along the way, Kaseya is actively working to resolve these issues, with the goal of providing a “kick-ass” experience by the end of the year.

Kaseya’s commitment to MSPs is evident in their significant investments, amounting to about $15 billion, to build a platform that empowers MSPs to achieve unprecedented success. It’s an exciting time to be part of the MSP industry, particularly considering the evolving digital transformation landscape.

IT Complete guiding principles

In his keynote, Fred Voccola also introduced four essential principles that underpin IT Complete, Kaseya’s comprehensive suite of offerings designed to empower Managed Service Providers (MSPs) and streamline their operations. These principles are: Complete, Integrated, Intelligent and Affordable.

1. Complete

The “Complete” component of IT Complete signifies its ability to provide all the necessary software tools and modules required to deliver a wide range of managed services to customers while efficiently administering MSP operations. Currently, IT Complete comprises about 40 modules, each addressing a specific aspect of managed services.

During this section of his keynote, Fred announced a new component of IT Complete: M365 Management. Datto RMM is now seamlessly integrated with Microsoft 365, making managing tenants easier than ever.

Fred also revealed an exciting new data backup feature centered on accommodating the dynamic and ever-changing requirements of customers: FLEXspend for Backup. FLEXspend gives MSPs complete flexibility in adjusting their backup spend to whatever configuration is required as they shift workloads to the public cloud, including Microsoft Azure, AWS and beyond.

2. Integrated

The “Integrated” principle focuses on ensuring that the various components of IT Complete work seamlessly together. Integration eliminates issues associated with vendor fatigue and disjointed workflows. Kaseya One serves as the unified management portal within IT Complete, providing single sign-on, simplified billing and enhanced commercial experiences. This integration also facilitates growth management, streamlines merger and acquisition (M&A) activities with the M&A concierge, and simplifies financial complexity with RevLINK, a licensing tool connecting client revenue to software expenditures.

Kaseya recognizes that integrating more than 1,300 tools allows for the creation of efficient and error-reducing automation. The engineering team’s primary focus for the next 36 months is on enhancing workflow integrations, enabling MSPs to work more efficiently.

3. Intelligent

The “Intelligent” aspect incorporates AI-driven insights and automation. Cooper Insights leverages AI data to guide platform usage effectively, with an average of 31 Cooper Insights per user. Now, Kaseya is proud to present its second application leveraging the Cooper AI Engine: Cooper Bots. This business process automation solution harnesses the power of workflow integrations and AI assistance to act on behalf of our partners. With just a click, Cooper Bots can autonomously handle hundreds of repetitive, labor-intensive tasks typically assigned to technicians. The release schedule for Cooper Bots is slated for the end of 2023 and early 2024, and the feature will be offered to partners free of charge.

4. Affordable

Kaseya is committed to affordability, charging a fraction of what competitors do. The goal is to make technology accessible to a wide range of MSPs, ensuring that it is not cost-prohibitive. “ProfitFuel” is an initiative within IT Complete designed to make MSPs the most profitable, automated, and successful in the industry. It requires only four hours of your time to understand the benefits of moving to the IT Complete stack, and partners can contact their Account Manager (AM) to get started.

CPO Ranjan Singh’s State of the Nation: Kaseya & Datto Product Innovation

In his session titled “State of the Nation: Kaseya and Datto Product Innovation,” Ranjan Singh, Chief Product Officer at Kaseya, shared crucial insights from Kaseya’s 2023 Global MSP Benchmark Survey, emphasizing the challenges faced by MSPs.

Key challenges

The survey highlighted that MSPs grapple with significant challenges, with Cybersecurity and Business Continuity/Disaster Recovery (BCDR) topping the list. Other notable challenges include Supporting Remote Work and Meeting Audit & Compliance Requirements.

Dominant themes

Three major themes emerged from the survey:

• Automation: MSPs seek efficiency through automation.
• Cybersecurity: An increasing number of clients face cyberattacks, making security a top priority.
• Integration: Integration between core applications is crucial for streamlining processes.

Kaseya’s Solution: IT Complete

Kaseya’s “IT Complete” platform, built on four core principles (Complete, Integrated, Intelligent, Affordable), offers solutions to address these challenges. Over the past year, Kaseya has continually invested in expanding the platform, introducing new suites, modules, features, integrations, and Cooper Insights. Here’s a concise recap of the highlights:

1. Datto RMM & M365 Integration

A game-changer in the RMM space, Datto RMM’s seamless integration with Microsoft 365 has set it apart. Clients have embraced this innovation for its convenience and efficiency.

2. Datto RMM Web Remote

The introduction of Datto RMM Web Remote has streamlined the connection between RMM and Autotask, saving technicians valuable time and reducing frustration.

3. BCDR Endpoint Backup for Servers

This offering ensures data safety and provides peace of mind, a vital element in today’s digital landscape.

4. One-Click Disaster Recovery

For MSPs and their clients, one-click disaster recovery has become synonymous with confidence and readiness.

5. BCDR Hero Reports

These reports are a powerful tool, combining data from multiple IT Complete modules. They enable MSPs to vividly demonstrate the value of their services to their clients.

6. EDR and Ransomware Rollback

The introduction of EDR (Endpoint Detection and Response) was followed by an invaluable feature: Ransomware Rollback. This addition has enhanced EDR capabilities and is being incorporated into Datto RMM and VSA.

7. Datto Networking Advancements

Datto Networking has raised the bar with a new line of switches and the rollout of its cloud-managed Secure Edge SASE (Secure Access Service Edge) solution. These enhancements offer improved network control and security.

8. Autotask Integrated Billing

Simplifying MSP billing, Autotask Integrated Billing automates the process, eliminating manual tasks and streamlining operations.

9. Autotask Integrated Ticketing

Automation takes center stage as Datto introduces ticketing integration with Autotask for various modules. Graphus, Datto Workplace, Datto File Protection, ConnectBooster – all are doubling down on automation for seamless billing and ticketing within Autotask.

Ranjan Singh’s session served as a powerful testament to Datto and Kaseya’s unwavering commitment to delivering world-class innovations in IT management. With these cutting-edge tools and features, MSPs and IT professionals can navigate the ever-evolving landscape with confidence, efficiency and peace of mind.

Unlocking the Secrets of Innovation with Reggie Fils-Aimé

At his session, “The Innovator’s Rulebook for Breaking the Rules,” Reggie Fils-Aimé, the former President and COO of Nintendo of America Inc., shared invaluable insights into disruptive innovation. While he may not be an IT executive, his 40+ years of industry-shaping experience make him a true disruptor. Here’s a condensed recap of his key principles:

1. Disruptive innovation is a culture, a mindset and consistent work

Reggie emphasized that innovation isn’t the sole responsibility of a select few. It’s a culture that every member of an organization should embrace. Drawing from Nintendo’s history, he showcased how even a playing card company in 1889 could evolve into a global gaming giant through consistent innovation.

2. Disrupt inside out from core strengths

Innovation should stem from a clear understanding of your core strengths. Reggie illustrated this with Panda Express, which expanded from full-service restaurants to high-traffic locations while preserving its commitment to high-quality Pan Asian food.

3. Disrupt with unexpected relevance

To truly disrupt, deliver something unexpected and relevant to your customers. Guinness, known for its pub experience, innovatively brought creamy pub-style stout to homes with a nitrogen-infused can—a groundbreaking idea two decades ago.

4. Disruptors need to overcommunicate with all constituents

Communication is key to innovation. By ensuring that everyone understands your vision, you gain support and alignment. Reggie highlighted the importance of “The Innovator’s Dilemma” and “Blue Ocean Strategy” in guiding innovation.

5. Disruptors truly need to understand their markets

Understanding your market is crucial. Reggie revealed how Nintendo shifted the game industry’s focus from horsepower to user-friendliness and innovation with the Nintendo DS and Wii, both hugely successful.

6. Disruptors fail – learn to fail forward

Failures are opportunities to learn and grow. Reggie admitted the Wii U’s shortcomings led to the revolutionary Nintendo Switch, on the verge of surpassing the PS2 in sales.

7. Disruptive Innovation Requires Leadership

Leadership plays a pivotal role in innovation. Reggie recounted the decision to bundle Wii Sports with the Wii, a move that defined the console’s success.

Reggie’s principles provide a roadmap for innovation in all types of businesses. By applying these lessons and examples, MSPs can embrace disruption and bring fresh perspectives to their clients’ businesses, enhancing their own success in the process.

Stay tuned for more highlights from Kaseya DattoCon 2023!

The post Diving into Kaseya DattoCon 2023: Fred Voccola’s Keynote and Day 1 Highlights appeared first on Kaseya.

What is EDR?

EDR is a modern security solution that protects endpoints from advanced cyberthreats like ransomware, AI-powered attacks and phishing scams. It secures not only your traditional endpoints but also frequently overlooked and unsecured assets, like Internet of Things (IoT) devices and remote endpoints. A cloud-based EDR can also help you oversee the security of virtual endpoints without compromising performance or availability.

The key feature of EDR is its state-of-the-art threat detection and remediation capability that protects you from ransomware-level attacks. How does an EDR stop ransomware and other threats of that kind? It does so by monitoring endpoints 24/7 and collecting and analyzing data for all signs of malicious activity.

Since EDR monitors endpoint behavior round the clock, it can nip threats in the early stages. It also has an excellent incident investigation function that helps identify the root cause of a threat and prevent it from occurring again.

Due to its ability to detect new-age threats, like zero-day and fileless malware, that are stealthy enough to bypass conventional AV and AM solutions, EDR is a must-have in today’s increasingly dangerous cybersecurity environment.

Why is EDR important?

Endpoint security is the first line of defense for any organization. For that, you first need to get visibility into all your endpoints because you cannot protect what you cannot see.

According to a security report, 58% of organizations are aware of fewer than 75% of the assets on their network. An EDR solution remedies this by discovering all the endpoints in your IT environment and providing complete perimeter security.

Does an EDR really make a difference? The 2023 Cost of a Data Breach report revealed that EDR can help reduce the financial impact of a breach by a significant $174,267 from the average total cost of $4.45 million. Not only security, EDR can also help with managing the associated costs.

How does EDR work?

With cybercriminals using advanced exploit kits and generative AI to launch almost undetectable cyberattacks, businesses need to beef up their defenses by investing in new-age tools that are faster, smarter and can put up a good fight.

EDR is one such tool. Here’s how it works. An IT administrator will install an EDR agent on all endpoints to monitor them continuously and enforce company security policies. The agent observes processes, applications, network connections and files on the endpoint to set a behavior baseline. It flags any behavior or pattern outside the established guideline and immediately reviews it for signs of a threat. For example, if an EDR agent detects suspicious file execution on an endpoint, it’ll immediately quarantine or contain the file and raise an alert for experts to review it.

What happens during multiple alerts? EDR tools triage alerts based on severity to ensure that security teams can address the most urgent ones first. Round-the-clock monitoring and real-time alerts notify security experts of suspicious behavior at the first sign so they can prevent it from escalating into a crisis.

Post remediation, EDRs perform forensics to understand the root cause of any incident and take the necessary measures to prevent similar incidents from occurring again. Thanks to built-in machine learning and advanced analytics capabilities, EDR only gets better at detecting and responding to threats with time.

What are EDR capabilities?

This section looks at the essential features of EDR that make it a must-have endpoint security tool:

• Data collection and analytics: EDR solutions collect a variety of endpoint data, such as process creation, driver loading, registry changes, disk accesses, network connections and more, for analysis. Then, it applies built-in threat intelligence to identify Indicators of Compromise (IoC) and Indicators of Attack (IoA) in the gathered data that point to a cyberattack in progress.
• Behavioral analysis: EDR leverages behavioral analysis to actively detect and neutralize malicious attacks. It creates a behavioral baseline for each endpoint so that any activity or pattern falling outside the established norm, which could indicate an ongoing threat, can be addressed immediately.
• Threat detection: EDR enables security teams to detect and respond to complex threats, such as fileless malware and ransomware, in real-time. Instead of waiting for a threat to surface, EDR actively hunts for it, helping businesses stay two steps ahead of cybercriminals.
• Visibility: EDR agents collect and analyze data on every endpoint to ensure none can serve as a doorway for cybercriminals to exploit.
• Automated response: EDR tools can take several different steps to remediate or contain an attack, such as:
  • Deleting files and blocking the spread of suspicious files.
  • Terminating processes.
  • Isolating the endpoint on the network to prevent lateral movement of the attack.
  • Automatic or manual execution of suspicious payloads in a sandbox.
  • Remote script execution on the endpoint.
• Reporting and alerts: Top-of-the-line EDRs have advanced reporting capabilities that help technicians create customizable and easy-to-understand reports in minutes. This feature enables companies to demonstrate compliance with security regulations and build customer trust. Providing real-time alerts with contextual information on severity level and recommended action is another crucial feature of an EDR solution. Security teams are more effective at managing incidents when they can respond to alerts on a priority basis.

What type of threats does EDR protect against?

In addition to several high-level threats, EDRs effectively detect polymorphic malware, which traditional security tools easily miss. In this section, we’ll look at some of the top threats that EDRs can address:

• Multistage attacks: A multistage attack unfolds progressively, with each subsequent stage building upon the previous. In the initial stage, threat actors conduct surveillance of the target company’s IT environment, seeking vulnerabilities to exploit. Following this, they deploy an exploit kit or a sophisticated phishing scam to breach security and establish a foothold within the IT infrastructure. Subsequently, they can leverage this position to steal data, launch a ransomware attack or undertake any other malicious activity detrimental to the business and security of the company. Cybercriminals can even exploit multiple vulnerabilities at a time and launch a big-scale attack.
• Malware and ransomware: Malware (malicious software) is an intrusive piece of software that enables cybercriminals to access and severely damage computing systems and networks. The infection can be a virus, trojan horse, worm, spyware, adware, rootkit or the infamous ransomware. Ransomware is a type of malware that relies on encryption to hold the victim’s sensitive information (files, applications, databases) at ransom. The global cybersecurity community in 2023 is witnessing waves of cybercriminal activity that have placed thousands of organizations in peril. Within the first two quarters, bad actors extorted a little under half a billion dollars from their victims — a 64% increase from 2022.
• Zero-day threats: A zero-day vulnerability/threat is a flaw in a network or software that hasn’t been patched or for which a patch isn’t available. The software or device vendor may or may not be aware of this flaw. The results are less than pleasant once the vulnerability becomes public knowledge or if cybercriminals get to it before the company’s security team. Exploiting a zero-day vulnerability enables hackers to install malicious software, exert remote control over the target’s IT infrastructure, eavesdrop on confidential communications or even disrupt operations entirely.
• Insider threats and malicious insiders: An insider threat is a security issue that arises within an organization due to a rogue employee or employees’ negligent use of systems and data. It may not always be malicious. On the other hand, a malicious insider is often a disgruntled employee misusing intimate information of the infrastructure to launch a cyberattack or to profit by selling credential information on the dark web.
• Phishing and email threats: About nine in 10 cyberattacks start with phishing, making it one of the most effective attack vectors. A phishing email is a specially crafted email designed to deceive recipients into divulging sensitive data, such as passwords, financial data or PII. While a phishing attack targets employees en masse, a spear-phishing attack targets top-level executives of a company with the aim to steal highly confidential and business-critical information to which only the highest-ranking executives have access.
• Advanced persistent threats (APTs): Often, the actors behind APTs are nation-state or nation-state-aligned hackers with access to a wide range of resources to launch sophisticated attacks. These incidents can go undetected for extended periods, allowing threat actors to commit espionage, data theft or spread malware. As nation-state cybercrime grows more common, every business is at risk from APT threat actors who are more than happy to exploit vulnerabilities to do the dirty work that enables them to strike at government and infrastructure targets.

How is EDR different from other endpoint security solutions?

In this section, we will demystify some of the confusion surrounding EDR and other security tools.

EDR vs. antivirus

An antivirus tool typically follows a signature-based system of threat detection, where it matches a file identified as a threat with a database of malicious files. It works well for identifying and stopping known malware and viruses like trojans and worms but not so much for newer, uncataloged threats where EDR thrives.

Threat mitigation should never disrupt your business processes. With an EDR system, suspicious files are promptly quarantined or isolated within sandboxes, preventing them from infecting other files or compromising your data. EDRs can also auto-remediate certain threat activities, saving you time and effort.

Lastly, AV solutions run checks at scheduled intervals, whereas an EDR performs round-the-clock monitoring to ensure complete security.

EDR vs. EPP (endpoint protection platform)

While an EDR is a threat detection tool effective at identifying and responding to advanced threats, an EPP solution takes preventive measures to guard against a threat from entering an endpoint in the first place. An EPP is an integrated suite of security technologies, such as antivirus/antimalware, intrusion prevention, data loss prevention and data encryption, to enhance security measures.

EDR vs. MDR (managed detection and response)

EDR is a powerful endpoint protection tool, while MDR is a full-service cybersecurity solution a third party provides. Also known as a security operations center (SOC), MDR is a cybersecurity service where security experts club their years of know-how with advanced tools and security strategies to provide complete IT protection. EDR is one of the tools found in their toolbox.

EDR vs. XDR (extended detection and response)

XDR is built on EDR to provide monitoring, detection and remediation of not only endpoints but the complete IT environment. It monitors the entire IT infrastructure by collecting and analyzing data from several other security and monitoring tools. For example, XDR will collect and analyze data from your network, cloud environments and even email security systems to give you the complete picture. By providing advanced threat detection and mitigation like an EDR, but at a complete IT environment level, XDR is a formidable tool for those in the security business like managed security service providers (MSSPs), enterprise-level organizations and those overseeing critical infrastructure and sensitive data.

What are the benefits of EDR?

Traditional security solutions struggle to detect advanced threats that EDR detects. As a new-age solution, it has features and capabilities that go beyond merely detecting and mitigating risks, also looking into the why, how and when of an attack to keep improving itself.

While EDR is sufficient as a standalone endpoint security solution, it works best when clubbed with your AV/AM, firewall, network intrusion detection and other security solutions for a layered and comprehensive protection of your endpoints.

With EDR in your security arsenal, you can secure your endpoints from becoming doorways to cyberthreats that can cause havoc on your business, setting you back by millions while damaging your reputation.

Secure your endpoints with Kaseya VSA

Looking for an advanced endpoint management solution that prioritizes cybersecurity? Look no further than Kaseya VSA. It has powerful capabilities focused on keeping you ahead of the endpoint curve as well as safe from cyberthreats. Some of the security-related features of VSA are:

• Patch every endpoint automatically with best-in-class automation and the most extensive software catalog on the market.
• Leverage policy-based configuration hardening to keep bad actors at bay.
• Detect, quarantine and remediate ransomware before it becomes a problem.
• Enhance threat detection with integrated AV, AM, EDR and Managed SOC.

Get a demo of Kaseya VSA and beef up your security in a jiffy.

The post What Is Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)? appeared first on Kaseya.

That’s why businesses need Disaster Recovery-as-a-service (DRaaS) to back up their mission-critical data and emerge unscathed should a disaster occur. In this blog, we’ll provide comprehensive insights into DRaaS, its significance, benefits and implementation.

What is Disaster Recovery-as-a-Service (DRaaS)?

DRaaS is a cloud computing model that simplifies disaster recovery for organizations. It enables them to securely back up their data and IT systems in a third-party cloud environment. In this as-a-service model, organizations don’t need to own and manage all the resources for disaster recovery themselves; instead, the third-party service provider takes care of all disaster recovery coordination. In essence, DRaaS is a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution that ensures quick access and functionality restoration for IT infrastructure for an organization in the event of a disaster.

Many types of disaster recovery solutions are available in the market, such as Backup-as-a-Service (BaaS), disaster recovery and Disaster Recovery-as-a-Service, and users often confuse them with each other. That’s why understanding the difference between these recovery solutions before implementing one for your business is critical.

What is the difference between DR and DRaaS?

While DR and DRaaS have the same end goal, they differ in ownership, deployment, management, cost, scalability and testing. In DR, organizations own and manage their disaster recovery infrastructure, which typically involves substantial upfront and ongoing costs. On the other hand, DRaaS relies on third-party cloud resources and follows a subscription-based model with predictable expenses.

Moreover, DR requires in-house expertise for setup and maintenance, while third-party DRaaS providers handle much of the management. DRaaS also facilitates automated testing and maintenance, simplifying verification of recovery readiness.

What is the difference between BaaS and DRaaS?

BaaS is a fully managed enterprise cloud backup service that primarily focuses on safeguarding critical data, offering scheduled backups and facilitating recovery of individual files or data points in the event of full or partial data loss. It is designed for cost-efficient, long-term and off-site data retention, and is ideal for businesses looking to protect specific data without extensive system recovery needs.

In contrast, DRaaS encompasses comprehensive system recovery, including applications, infrastructure and data. It focuses on rapidly restoring entire IT systems and services, ensuring seamless business continuity after disasters or significant outages.

How does DRaaS work?

Instead of using the organization’s physical location that owns the workload, DRaaS replicates and hosts servers in a third-party vendor’s facilities. Once a disaster strikes and shuts down a customer’s site, the DR plan seamlessly activates within the vendor’s facilities, ensuring minimal downtime and data loss.

A DRaaS provider also continuously monitors the health of an organization’s primary and secondary environments to identify and address any discrepancies or potential issues promptly. DRaaS is also cost-efficient for organizations, with payment options ranging from traditional subscriptions to a pay-as-you-go model.

Now that you know how DRaaS works, and if you’re looking to implement it, you should look at options that suit your business requirements.

What are the different types of DRaaS?

DRaaS primarily comes in three varieties. Each type of DRaaS provides unique advantages, catering to organizations with varying levels of technical expertise and control preferences. Let’s drill into these options, what they offer and points to consider with each approach.

Self-service DRaaS

Self-service DRaaS is for tech-savvy organizations with in-house IT expertise that want complete control over their disaster recovery strategy. While it is the most cost-efficient and flexible option, you are entirely on your own when planning, testing and managing your disaster recovery strategies.

Assisted DRaaS

Assisted DRaaS is for organizations that want to strike a balance between user control and provider support. In this model, organizations share some disaster recovery responsibilities. Assisted DRaaS providers offer expertise in designing, planning and implementing disaster recovery strategies, helping organizations make informed decisions.

Managed DRaaS

Managed DRaaS is a fully outsourced solution where the service provider assumes end-to-end responsibility for the disaster recovery process, from planning and testing to executing the recovery plan and ongoing maintenance. It is an excellent choice for organizations that do not possess in-house IT expertise or prefer a hassle-free, turnkey solution.

What are the benefits of DRaaS?

A quality DRaaS solution brings many advantages and benefits to an organization’s data resilience. Here are a few ways in which organizations benefit most:

• Faster recovery: One of the most significant advantages of DRaaS is its ability to minimize downtime once a disaster strikes. With automated failover processes and third-party vendor facilities in place, DRaaS providers allow businesses to switch to a backup environment swiftly, keeping critical systems and applications running without disruption.
• Cost efficiency: DRaaS eliminates the need for upfront capital expenses for infrastructure and applications. It operates on a subscription-based or pay-as-you-go model, making it a cost-effective solution for businesses of all sizes.
• Resource optimization: DRaaS leverages cloud-based resource efficiency to reduce operational overhead and automate resource management, streamlining disaster recovery processes. Organizations leveraging DRaaS can optimize resource allocation, cut costs and focus on core business functions.
• Scalability: DRaaS solutions adapt to an organization’s specific needs, whether to protect a single application or the entire IT infrastructure, ensuring optimal flexibility and scalability.
• Streamlined compliance: DRaaS centralizes disaster recovery planning and execution, which helps streamline compliance. It also simplifies compliance reporting through automated documentation and audit trails.
• Enhanced security: DRaaS providers often employ robust encryption and security protocols to safeguard an organization’s data during backup and recovery processes, reducing the risk of data breaches.

Is DRaaS suitable for your organization?

While DRaaS is a versatile solution suitable for any organization committed to maintaining business continuity and data resilience, it is especially beneficial for smaller businesses with limited IT resources. It allows small businesses to get cost-effective and hassle-free disaster recovery solutions and ensure business continuity.

However, selecting the right DRaaS provider is crucial for organizations since offerings and costs vary. That’s why choosing the solution that best fits your business requirements is essential.

Key considerations when choosing a DRaaS solution

Every organization should assess its recovery objectives and align them with the capabilities of the DRaaS solution. Here are some of the factors that will help you make an informed decision when choosing the right DRaaS solution for your organization:

• Service level agreements (SLAs): You should scrutinize the SLAs to understand recovery time objectives (RTOs) and recovery point objectives (RPOs) offered by the provider. For instance, you should contemplate what happens to recovery times when the same natural disaster impacts both you and the DRaaS provider. You should also verify whether the provider can meet the recovery-time requirements of your critical applications.
• Responsibility and reliability: Before investing in the DRaaS solution, you should clearly understand the responsibilities between your organization and the DRaaS provider. Also, verify that the provider’s track record and reputation for reliability meet your organization’s expectations.
• Recovery testing: Recovery testing is a critical aspect of DRaaS, which involves regularly simulating disaster scenarios to evaluate the effectiveness of the recovery plan. By conducting recovery testing, organizations can identify potential weaknesses, refine their strategies and ensure that data and systems can be restored within acceptable timeframes. Assessing the DRaaS provider’s support for recovery testing is essential to ensure they deliver on their promises when disaster strikes.
• Recovery capacity: Determine the provider’s capability to handle your organization’s data and system recovery needs, especially if your infrastructure is extensive. Also, ensure scalability to accommodate your future growth.
• License structure and costs: Note the provider’s pricing model. Check whether it is subscription-based, pay-as-you-go or another structure, and evaluate whether it aligns with your budget and needs. Be aware of any hidden or additional costs.

Get DRaaS with IT Complete by Kaseya

Kaseya’s IT Complete offers DRaaS, which is integrated directly into our endpoint management solution, VSA, allowing you to streamline your disaster recovery strategy through a centralized console. With Kaseya’s DRaaS, you get round-the-clock uptime and the world’s best backup, ransomware protection, cloud-based storage and business continuity and disaster recovery (BCDR) services at minimal service delivery costs.

Here are some features of Kaseya’s DRaaS:

• Instant recovery
• Automated disaster recovery testing and RPO/RTO reports
• SLA Policy Automation
• Near continuous data protection
• Intuitive, centralized user interface
• Automatic ransomware protection
• Immutable cloud
• 24/7/365 support
• And many more

Learn more about DRaaS with IT Complete’s Unified Backup suite.

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