Security comes to managed services

With the weight of the small-business world resting on the shoulders of managed service providers (MSPs), we at Kaspersky Lab noticed a glaring problem with MSP coverage. Sure, MSPs take over the tasks that thousands of start-ups and small businesses are not equipped to handle, things like guaranteeing network uptime, handling internal tech support, and much more. But no business can survive long without effective security. As a business grows, the need for cutting-edge security grows along with it.

#Security comes to managed services

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This year has been a big one for business security, with the looming threat of ransomware a particular cause célèbre but no easing of traditional threats such as other malware, phishing, and network intrusion. And, well, the other guys weren’t doing such a hot job securing small businesses through MSP integration.

Small businesses with limited budgets need and expect their MSPs to do it all — including provide state-of-the-art security. In speaking with MSPs and users of MSPs we learned that they were displeased with the level of integrated security currently on offer and very excited at the prospect of stronger security within the management console. In a nutshell, currently popular solutions that include security do so at a level far short of Kaspersky Lab’s state-of-the-art offering.

In independent testing of business and home security, Kaspersky Lab products are practically off the chart

To that end, we were pleased to announce earlier this month a new integration between Kaspersky endpoint security integration with industry-leading MSP tools: professional services automation (PSA) from ConnectWise and remote monitoring and management (RMM) by LabTech (now ConnectWise Automate). We knew we had a great product to fill a desperately desired hole in the market, but to be frank, the response we got at the ConnectWise conference last week exceeded all expectations.

“We understand it’s the services that the MSP community stands behind and positions, not the applications or technologies that formulate their services’ offerings,” explains Joseph Conti, Kaspersky Lab’s head of MSP sales for North America. “Therefore, it’s the MSP’s reputation — and their bottom line — at stake when something goes awry. That’s why Kaspersky Lab has partnered with platform vendors such as ConnectWise and LabTech to deliver the best protection on the planet and back our MSP partners with our award-winning technical support. If you are a MSP looking for a better security offering, we’ve got your back!”

Our product, the Kaspersky Security Plug-In for LabTech, will be available in February of 2017. Our engineers are putting the finishing touches on it now.

Why on earth would we announce a product launch to readers two months in advance? Easy: While we’re polishing the final product, we want to give real users a chance to have their voices heard — with a pilot program.

No matter how many scenarios a team of software engineers anticipates, it can never know the quirks and special needs of every business’s team leaders and day-to-day needs. That’s where you come in: Our pilot program is already running strong, but the more participants we have, the better our initial offering will be. With your input, our 1.0 product can address all of your vital concerns. In addition, pilot program participants will have early priority access to our award-winning support team.

If you’re interested, the time is now. The pilot program will close on February 28, 2017. If you have any questions prior to joining the program, you may contact Joseph Conti — or jump right in and sign up here.