Kaseya Prepares 3 SaaS Tools for MSPs
Kaseya appears poised to launch the Kaseya 2 platform this week. The effort includes on-premise and SaaS (software as a service) tools for managed services providers and IT administrators. In fact, I think Kaseya is set to debut at least three SaaS tools for MSPs and IT administrators. Here are some perspectives.
The three forthcoming Kaseya SaaS offerings are…
- Kaseya IT Toolkit: A low-end offering that allows IT managers or MSPs to remotely work in the background on a customer’ system, while the customer continues to work in the foreground.
- Kaseya IT Workbench: A step-up offering for remote control, audit, patch management and more.
- Kaseya IT Center: A more comprehensive offering for proactive IT service delivery.
How soon will the three SaaS tools arrive? I had expected them to debut back in October 2009. Then, January 2010. But now I think Kaseya is set to debut the SaaS efforts as part of a Kaseya 2 launch sometime this week.
Kaseya Executive VP Jim Alves offered an overview of the Kaseya 2 framework in early January 2010. Since that time, I’ve been speaking with beta testers about Kaseya 2 as well as Kaseya’s SaaS efforts.
Pricing, Positioning — and PSA?
Like a growing number of MSP software providers, the Kaseya 2 platform leverages a freemium strategy.
A prime example: A free version of Kaseya IT Toolkit supports desktop access, FTP access, and communications (video, voice and instant chat). The free version (IT Toolkit Free) is designed for only one administrator. Step up to the paid version of IT Toolkit ($9.95 per account; $1.50 per computer) and MSPs gain a range of features, including hardware and software inventory, according to documentation viewed by MSPmentor.
In contrast, Kaseya IT Workbench (for up to 100 computers) appears to be a step-up from Kaseya IT Toolkit. IT Workbench ($19.95 per account/month and $4.00 per computer/month) includes help desk capabilities that allow MSPs to “track, respond and resolve issues quickly and efficiently.” Is that Kaseya terminology for Professional Services Automation (PSA) software? I’m not sure.
Still, it’s clear to me PSA functionality lives somewhere within Kaseya’s SaaS efforts — most likely involving Kaseya IT Workbench and/or Kaseya IT Center (up to 1000 computers; $12.00 per admin/month; $99.95 per account/month; $6.00 per seat/month).
The info above is based on my January 2010 interview with Alves plus some documentation I’ve been reviewing in recent weeks.
Relationships (and Competition) Coming?
Meanwhile, sources say Kaseya is working on a range of relationships with hardware, distributor and software companies. Other than publicly announced deals — such as the ASCII Group relationship — I haven’t been able to confirm specific companies with whom Kaseya intends to work. But I hear at least one big distributor-type deal is in the works.
Ultimately, the Kaseya 2 platform launch is noteworthy for multiple reasons.
- For existing partners, Kaseya 2 provides MSPs and IT administrators with a potential path from on-premise options to SaaS offerings.
- For aspiring MSPs that haven’t chosen a tool yet, Kaseya seems to be responding to a range of competitors (Level Platforms, N-able, etc.) that already have on-premise and SaaS options.
- Moreover, Kaseya seems to have aspirations on the low-end PSA market, potentially setting up competition with Autotask, ConnectWise, Tigerpaw Software and other established PSA software provides.
Ultimately, the MSP space is a subset of Kaseya’s ambitions. The company’s management team seems to see the Kaseya 2 platform as a modern-day ERP solution designed for IT administrators and service provides, from SOHO situations all the way up to large enterprises — potentially competing with everyone from LogMeIn to HP OpenView along the way.
Of course, it’s important to keep Kaseya’s lofty ambitions in perspective. Kaseya is making some very big statements and promises about the quality of the Kaseya 2 platform — both on-premise and SaaS. Can Kaseya deliver the goods? I expect some answers to start materializing later this week.
Will they be announcing their online backup plans this week too?
Eric: My best guess involves Kaseya announcing the Kaseya 2 foundation this week and all of the components that go along with it (SaaS and on premise). So, my best guess includes online backup as part of the announcement.
Still, I’m not making guarantees. Kaseya has been talking about these efforts since the company’s 2009 user conference. And I originally expected a lot of the announcements to surface in October 2009 and January 2010.
Fast forward to the present, and it sounds like Kaseya 2 — and the components — get their official launch announcement this week. But I would expect a gradual, multi-phase rollout of the on-premise offerings.
-jp