Kaseya CEO Yogesh Gupta says Agile software development will boost MSP software product quality. Plus, upgrades will come three times annually.

Joe Panettieri, Former Editorial Director

February 5, 2014

2 Min Read
Kaseya Hitting Its Development Stride?

Is Kaseya getting more predictable — in a good way? That seems to be the case. The IT automation and MSP software provider now leverages agile software development methods and is delivering three major releases per year — including the recent Kaseya VSA 6.5 platform update. Here’s the background.

Kaseya from around 2004 to 2008 emerged as the leading platform provider to MSPs (managed services providers). But at some point the company, which was self-funded at the time, hit a few walls while trying to balance R&D, software maintenance and the shift from on-premises software licenses to cloud-centric subscription services. 

Big Changes

When Insight Venture Partners acquired Kaseya in June 2013, the move set off a chain reaction. CA Technologies veteran Yogesh Gupta succeeded Kaseya co-founder Gerald Blackie as CEO. Gupta approved multiple acquisitions (Zyrion, Rover App and Command 365); overhauled the company’s management, development and marketing teams; and consolidated offices to make sure R&D leaders could work more closely together.

The results?

  • Kaseya’s new management team, including Chief Marketing Officer Loren Weinberg Jarrett, was largely in place around Labor Day 2013. Other key additions include Tom Hayes, a product marketing leader who previously worked at CA, EMC, 3Com and Motorola, among other locations.

  • Kaseya signed up more than 500 new customers in recent months, including mid-market MSPs and mid-market enterprises.

  • Over 60 percent of new adopters are embracing Kaseya’s SaaS-based platform; the company’s business originally was on-premises only.

  • Roughly 500 customers have already migrated to the new 6.5 platform. It’s a “controlled release” where roughly 500 customers per week will move onto the platform through February. A general release — available for all customers to immediately install — will likely reach the market in February or so. 

Kaseya VSA 6.5

On the agile software development front, Kaseya says it will now deliver enhancements each January, May and September. The new 6.5 release, according to the company, supports:

  • Windows 8.1 & Windows Server 2012 R2.

  • Enhanced Kaseya Anti-Virus (KAV), Kaseya Anti-Malware (KAM), and Kaseya Backup (KBU) integrations.

  • Multiple performance enhancements.

Also, Kaseya Network Monitor (KNM) integration will be ready for beta testing in mid-February. The KNM integration was overdue under former Kaseya management.

Look behind the curtains, and you’ll start to see some acquired technologies — such as Zyrion’s discovery capabilities — are now surfacing in VSA 6.5.

Overall, many MSP software industry companies — PSA, RMM, BDR, cloud backup and more — now leverage Agile software development techniques to speed market innovations.

Gupta and the management team are on message with their R&D work. And it sounds like new customers are signing up for the platform. But I don’t yet have a feel for just how fast Kaseya is growing — especially amid all the recent acquisitions.

Read more about:

AgentsMSPsVARs/SIs

About the Author(s)

Joe Panettieri

Former Editorial Director, Nine Lives Media, a division of Penton Media

Free Newsletters for the Channel
Register for Your Free Newsletter Now

You May Also Like