It’s the last week of June but not everyone has snuck out early for the 4th of July holiday. MSP Success gathered up the activities of those in the channel who are still toiling at work, not at the BBQ grill. Check out the latest from SaaS Alerts, WatchGuard, Auvik, and more. And scroll down to see what emerging technology Forrester says will offer near-term ROI.
Products
SaaS Alerts Aims To Beef Up Google Workspace Security
SaaS Alerts, a SaaS cybersecurity platform for MSPs, added automated remediation capabilities for Google Workspace to its Respond module. The SaaS Alerts Respond module initially launched in 2022 to allow MSPs to automatically remediate SaaS security threats in Microsoft 365.
Using Respond, MSPs can configure rules that automatically take action when a certain behavior is detected. SaaS Alerts partners can copy their existing Microsoft Respond rules over to Google Workspace. New users can take advantage of a library of prebuilt templates to get started.
“More than 3 billion users rely on Google Workspace for its SaaS-based applications and data storage. Unfortunately, despite its innate security features, the platform remains highly vulnerable to attacks,” said SaaS Alerts CEO Jim Lippie, in a press statement. “In 2023, SaaS Alerts logged more than 360 million events in Google Workspace, including more than 4 million critical alerts. Respond for Google Workspace enables MSPs to quickly identify and remediate these threats before they can cause serious damage.”
Respond for Google Workspace is immediately available worldwide as part of a SaaS Alerts subscription.
Keeper Security Adds Zero-Knowledge Remote Browser Isolation
Keeper Security’s Connection Manager has a new component, Remote Browser Isolation. Connection Manager offers teams instant access to RDP, SSH, databases, web apps, and Kubernetes endpoints through a secure web browser.
With this update, Keeper Connection Manager now supports launching web sessions directly within the Connection Manager interface through the use of Remote Browser Isolation technology. Just like any other Keeper Connection Manager connection type, these sessions can be shared in real time, recorded, and audited.
According to Keeper, Remote Browser Isolation can securely and automatically inject credentials, submit forms, and control the target web application without ever sending the credentials to the user’s device. The Remote Browser Isolation feature also provides an extra layer of protection against cyberthreats associated with malicious websites. The website never executes locally on the user’s device, so the user is immune to many different attack vectors such as reflected cross-site scripting vulnerabilities, cross-site request forgery, and API abuse.
WatchGuard Rolls Out AI-Driven NDR and Compliance Reporting
The first in a new ThreatSync+ family of products, WatchGuard Technologies’ ThreatSync+ NDR automates and simplifies continuous monitoring, detection, and remediation of threats. It utilizes an advanced AI engine with a dual-layered neural network approach, a key technology from WatchGuard’s acquisition of CyGlass in 2023. The AI engine in ThreatSync+ correlates and presents anomalies as risk-scored and prioritized incidents, giving MSPs and IT security pros a dashboard that includes incident location, devices, users, and timelines.
According to the company, attackers cannot see ThreatSync+ NDR because it uses AI to search out the attackers’ actions buried in the network traffic. At the same time, attackers cannot hide because they must use the network to expand their attack.
The new WatchGuard Compliance Reporting puts the network controls activated from ThreatSync+ NDR to work with automated or manual reporting. Compliance reports that come out-of-the-box include FFIEC, NIST-171, CMMC, GPDR, IEEE, and more. The reports can also be configured in compliance with custom standards.
People
Auvik Appoints Mark Ralls as President and Bryan Getz as Chief Sales Officer
Auvik, a cloud-based IT management platform, appointed Mark Ralls as president and Bryan Getz as chief sales officer.
“I am thrilled to welcome Mark and Bryan as the newest members of Auvik’s leadership team,” said Auvik CEO Doug Murray, who joined Auvik in 2022, in a press statement. “Their respective track records of building successful SaaS businesses are impressive, and their experience will play an instrumental role in Auvik’s next chapter.”
Ralls previously served as president and COO of Invicti Security. Prior to Invicti, Ralls held leadership roles at SolarWinds, Social Solutions, and Vista Equity Partners.
Getz has nearly 20 years of sales leadership in Silicon Valley, most recently as VP of Sales at SaaS company Druva.
“Auvik has made great strides over the last year creating a channel program capable of addressing the huge opportunity as the company completes the transition from a single product offering to a more comprehensive IT management platform,” said Bryan Getz. “We are going to build on that momentum and work with our valued partners to paint the world Auvik purple.”
Partner Programs
Compliance Scorecard Unveils Strategic Alliance Program For MSPs
Compliance Scorecard, a governance-as-a-service solution created by MSPs for MSPs, unveiled its new Strategic Alliance Program. According to the company, benefits include API integration, co-marketing assets such as webinars, white papers, and promotional events; and referral programs and licensing agreements to ensure mutual profitability.
“We believe our open ecosystem is a powerful differentiator for delivering flexibility and value to MSPs while providing opportunities for our partners to capitalize and collaborate on new technology,” said Tim Golden, CEO, Compliance Scorecard, in a press statement. “Our program is built on curating top-tier governance solutions from diverse partners, magnifying their effectiveness, and facilitating seamless interoperability.”
By the Numbers
MSPs Who Shift to Strategic Advisors Unlock Significant Growth Opportunities
A new study from Sage, a business management and financial software vendor, finds that SMBs are embracing digital agility, and MSPs that can help them get there stand to benefit.
“Digital agility is the new currency for SMBs, and channel partners play a critical role in enabling businesses to leverage innovative solutions that optimize operations, improve efficiency, and enhance profitability. With technology evolving so quickly, it’s crucial for us to stay ahead of the curve and adopt the correct tools as soon as possible,” said Robert Colelli, managing principal of operations for Cresa Toronto in a research roundtable hosted by Sage earlier this week.
The report, ”Small and medium-sized business demand for digital advisory services fuels IT channel growth,” validates these thoughts: 54% of resellers deem their SMB clients “fairly digitally agile,” with 73% reporting that SMBs understand the importance of investing in digital agility. Additionally, while 58% of resellers and MSPs see AI as one of the most significant factors in bolstering digital agility, 49% are still concerned about data privacy and security risks and 46% have a limited understanding of AI technology.
Finally, over half of respondents (55%) said that they’ve transitioned to a more advisory role with their clients over the last year, so it’s clear that this trend is a significant shift in the channel.
Forrester Reveals Its Top 10 Emerging Technologies For 2024
According to The Top 10 Emerging Technologies In 2024 report from Forrester, generative AI (genAI) for visual content, genAI for language, TuringBots, and IoT security are the top emerging technologies that will deliver the most immediate ROI for businesses within the next two years. Here’s Forrester’s predictions on emerging tech that make take a bit longer to, well, emerge.
Within the next two to five years: AI agents, autonomous mobility, edge intelligence, and quantum security.
Five years and out: extended reality (XR) and Zero Trust edge (ZTE).
“Tech leaders must be able to identify the right use cases and quantify potential benefits, costs, and risks across multiple horizons,” says Brian Hopkins, Forrester VP, emerging tech portfolio, in a press statement. “They need to spread investments out, with shorter-term technologies delivering quick returns and longer-term bets requiring more effort, more foundational investment, and the capacity to manage more risk.”
Alliances
Guardz Expands Into Canada With iON Partnership
iON United, a cybersecurity solutions provider in Canada, launched iON Guardian, based on the unified, AI-powered cybersecurity solution from startup Guardz. This exclusive partnership with iON marks the expansion of Guardz into the Canadian market.
MSP Success staff writer Sarah Jordan contributed reporting to this roundup.
