Outgoing ConnectWise CEO Jason Magee officially passed the baton to new CEO Manny Rivelo (pictured above) at the opening night of IT Nation Connect in Orlando, Florida. Rivelo pledged to continue advancing the company’s strategic vision for the Asio Platform to drive efficiency and profitability for the MSP industry, and announced that ConnectWise PSA is now in the platform.
Asio, which has a unified user interface and user experience (UX), common services, and centralized data for all ConnectWise applications with generative AI and robotic process automation (RPA), has been underway for several years. And now, said Rivelo, “I’m here to tell you that we are at that tipping point. I’m here to tell you that it is ready for prime time.”
Rivelo said ConnectWise believes a platform approach can “change the industry” and address MSPs’ key problems of managing 20-40 tools in a technology stack. “It’s only going to get more complex because the technology continues to come … at an ever-increasing pace,” he said. “We started on this vision a long time ago, that a platform can transform this industry, give it the growth that it deserves and the profitability that it deserves, and there’s better days ahead. And we set out a very simple mission from a business perspective: This is to empower you and to give you unmatched software services and create this community so you can achieve whatever your goals are. This is something that I will continue to honor and we will continue to protect.”
He added, “If you build the right platform, you could also begin to layer on top of it monetization strategies around security, data protection, and the list goes on. All integrated in a simple way for you to consume it, for you to deliver it to the end customer to create a better experience.”
ConnectWise Asio Platform Set to Transform MSP Operations with AI and Cybersecurity
With the addition of ConnectWise PSA, the Asio Platform now includes ConnectWise RMM, ConnectWise Security360, and ConnectWise Backup360. Sidekick, the company’s AI solution, provides visibility across all solutions, offers predictive insights, and proactively suggests solutions and auto remediations.
The company’s strategic plan is to add business intelligence, managed detection and response, business continuity and disaster recovery, and more on the unified Asio Platform, while continuing to be an open ecosystem.
Rivelo noted that today the Asio RMM is on 2.2 million endpoints and it is completing 2.8 million automated patches monthly.
“So it’s come a long way,” he said. For partners using the on-prem or cloud versions of RMM, he said, “It’s in a way better position and it’s ready for you to begin to adopt and look at it and see how it can transform your business so you can grow your business. … There’s also dollars to be gained [by] being much more efficient. So start looking at automation and AI. It is a game changer and it’ll differentiate the folks in this room a lot to create way better experiences.”
PSA in Asio is now in preview in North America, EMEA, and APAC regions, providing partners with the opportunity to utilize their live PSA data within Asio, ensuring seamless integration and visibility of any changes made during the preview experience.
Rivelo did not disclose pricing for the PSA.
New Security Enhancements: ConnectWise Security360 and Backup360 Improve MSP Efficiency
ConnectWise also unveiled some cybersecurity and data protection enhancements to its portfolio. Rivelo noted, “Security to me is synonymous with everything that has to happen in the industry.”
The announcements include:
- General Availability of ConnectWise Security360
Introduced at IT Nation Secure in June 2024, the ConnectWise Security360 attack surface management solution offers a 360-degree view of the security environment by integrating with and leveraging data from leading security tools. These include EDR, networking, email security, vulnerability and patch management, and security awareness training. The solution generates an MSP Security Score that highlights risk exposure across the MSP’s client base. This enables MSPs to prioritize remediation efforts and demonstrate the effectiveness of their security services.
Built on the Asio platform, ConnectWise Security360 comes standard with integrations into ConnectWise RMM and ConnectWise PSA. It also supports Microsoft Defender Antivirus, Microsoft Defender for Business, Webroot Antivirus, Bitdefender GravityZone Endpoint Detection and Response, Acronis Security + EDR, SentinelOne Singularity Control, SentinelOne Singularity Complete, Infima Security, and Proofpoint Email Security. Additional integrations are expected in the coming months.
Additionally, ConnectWise Security360 incorporates ConnectWise Vulnerability Management and ConnectWise Sidekick for Security. This AI-driven digital assistant provides MSPs with the status on open tickets, assesses clients’ security posture for their clients, and aids with efficient threat response.
- Expanded coverage for ConnectWise MDR for Microsoft 365
New enhancements for ConnectWise MDR for Microsoft 365, which launched in June, expand support beyond Microsoft Defender for Office 365 to Microsoft Defender for Identity and Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps. This solution is offered as a standalone service or can be bundled with ConnectWise MDR for endpoint protection.
- ConnectWise Co-Managed Backup Enhancements
The update to ConnectWise Co-Managed Backup enables any partner, including those using ConnectWise Automate and ConnectWise Security solutions, to co-manage backup solutions through the Asio platform. In addition, MSPs can now use Disaster Recovery Runbooks within the platform to automate disaster recovery testing.
- ConnectWise Backup360 Launch
ConnectWise is now evolving its Backup Monitoring and Management solution into a unified 360-degree view. This ensures partners can monitor, manage, and take action if they detect backup failures. ConnectWise Backup360 supports vendors Acronis, Axcient, Veeam, and ConnectWise SaaS Backup, and with the latest update, Datto and SkyKick Cloud Backup—with more integrations to come.
Manny Rivelo Shares Vision for MSP Tools: ConnectWise Asio Platform Leads the Way
Rivelo’s tenure starts ConnectWise’s third decade, and marks the end of Magee’s years at ConnectWise, the last five as CEO, after founder Arnie Bellini sold the company to private equity firm Thoma Bravo. During Magee’s time as CEO, he led the acquisitions of Service Leadership, Continuum, Axcient, and SkyKick. From stage, with bourbon in hand, Magee toasted the IT Nation and said, “This week marks an end to an incredible journey. One that began well over 13 years ago and had become one of the most fulfilling and transformative aspects of my life over these years, especially the last five and a half as the CEO of ConnectWise and leading the IT Nation.”
Magee did not reveal what comes next for him. As for IT Nation, he said, “The work is far from being done and the opportunities ahead are vast. There’s still so much potential waiting to be unlocked and I know that each of you will take the mission and vision forward and continue to make incredible things happen. You’ll seize those opportunities, you’ll overcome those challenges and hit them head on.”
IT Nation Connect continues through Friday.
