IT Nation Roundup: News From Intel, Kaseya, Axcient And More

With 1,600 attendees and more than 60 vendors on hand at ConnectWise's IT Nation conference in Orlando, there's a lot going on in and out of the board rooms and breakout sessions. Several vendors have announced new products and programs for MSPs. Here's a deeper look at some of the show's news highlights.

*Axcient Demonstrates Cloud Continuity

Axcient demonstrated its newly-announced Cloud Continuity solution to a large group of partners for the first time.

Cloud Continuity lets users create an entire virtual office in the cloud, which lets them recreate the entire image quickly in the event of a disaster, said Justin Moore, CEO of Axcient, at IT Nation.

"We've already started selling it to partners here. They're recognizing it as something revolutionary. It will end business downtime for SMBs. That's a multi-billion problem for small businesses. We can have a real impact," Moore said.

Cloud Continuity starts at $100 per month and is built on HP hardware, Moore said. It should be affordable to any-size business, he added. "You don't have to sell hardware or software. It's a very simple set-up. You don't need to install it on the network. It's super easy to use and administer," he said.

*Asigra Integrates Cloud Backup With ConnectWise

Asigra, a cloud backup, recovery and restore company, announced that it has teamed with Flowgear to integrate its Asigra Cloud Backup with ConnectWise's PSA software.

Through ConnectWise, Asigra MSPs now have a unified view of all their disparate, cloud-based service delivery systems and it allows for the automation of billing and the development of charge plans, according to Asigra. Also, it lets MSPS generate invoices on demand; integrates with QuickBooks and helps enforce naming conventions and standards.

The integrated Asigra/ConnectWise solution is also available through XiloCore, a business continuity in a private cloud solution, according to Alan McDonald, president and CTO of XiloCore.

*Sysform Blends Cloud Storage With ConnectWise

Symform announced it has completed integration of its cloud storage solution with ConnectWise's professional services automation platform, too.

The integration includes server licenses for backing up Windows Servers to Symform's Storage Cloud, user licenses for backing up end-user data on desktops/laptops to the cloud; Symform’s Business Continuity Bundle for Windows Server, SBS, and Workstation, including a StorageCraft license for image-based local backups; and cloud storage capacity used on behalf of the customer, according to Symform.

Symform partners can automatically synchronize new and existing agreements and service tickets based on alerts generated within Symform within Connectwise.

*6fusion Expands iNode Network with Integral Solutions Group

6fusion, a cloud infrastructure management developer, has expanded its iNode Network of third-party data centers with a new Tier IV data center in the Southeastern United States, according to the company.

The new node, a partnership with Integral Solutions Group, is expected to be online in the next 30 days and joins current nodes in Bermuda, Littleton, Mass., Toronto and Calgary, Alberta, according to Al Gossett, vice president, marketing and channel development, Integral Solutions Group.

"As more applications are moved to the cloud, it is critical for businesses to have partners with strong foundations they can trust. We built these foundations with our Tier IV data center services, and now we are adding to those keystones with 6fusion’s game changing software and network," said Gossett, vice president, marketing and channel development, Integral Solutions Group, in a statement.

The ISG iNode, announced at ConnectWise's IT Nation conference in Orlando, will serve key markets including Charlotte, Atlanta, and Florida, according to the companies.

Next: Kaseya Launches Network Monitor 4.1

*Quosal Releases Cisco QPT Integration

Quosal, a developer of sales quoting, proposal and order execution solutions, announced the release and immediate availability of its integration capability with Cisco’s Quick Pricing Tool (QPT), allowing Cisco solution providers to more easily generate quotes based on the Smart Business Architecture and other Cisco solutions, according to the companies.

Quosal demonstrated the Cisco capability for the first time in the Solutions Pavilion at the ConnectWise IT Nation event in Orlando.

’Cisco’s QPT application dramatically reduces the time and complexity of creating approved, fully configured Cisco solutions for Cisco partners,’ said Kent McNall, CEO of Quosal, in a statement. ’With this new integration, Quosal can convert that great QPT bill-of-materials into a state-of-the-art proposal for the end customer, complete with accurate pricing and sourcing information from Cisco distributors. The combined solution dramatically reduces the time it takes to put that full proposal in front of the customer – a winning competitive edge for our mutual partners."

* Kaseya Network Monitor 4.1 Module Launched

Kaseya announced its new Kaseya Network Monitor (KNM) 4.1 module and showcased the solution at its IT Nation booth.

The new module can detect and proactively remediate network IT issues through the integrated Kaseya Framework and utilizes monitoring technology from Kaseya's Intellipool acquisition, according to the company. It monitors networking devices from Cisco Systems, Juniper Networks, Hewlett-Packard and more, and Windows, Linux, Mac, and Unix operating systems, according to Kaseya.

Kaseya Network Monitor 4.1 offers SNMP, WMI, and the extensible Lua scripting and the option to use specialty monitors such as HP’s embedded server management. For the rest of the fourth quarter, it is available free to Kaseya partners with current maintenance contracts "We're giving back to our strong base of managed service providers by incorporating this powerful network monitoring solution into the MSP’s core solution. We are confident that it will help our partners to dramatically improving their monitoring effectiveness, increase their business opportunities and extend their customer offering," said CEO Gerald Blackie in a statement.

*Intel vPro Ultrabooks Coming Late In 2012

Intel wasn't showcasing its upcoming Ultrabooks at IT Nation, but Eric Townsend, SMB market development manager at Intel, said MSPs will be happy to hear that the second round of Ultrabooks will include vPro technology, which allows service providers to remotely access the machines to perform repairs and updates.

"Our vPro Ultrabooks will come out in the second half of 2012. That will be a game changer. From a partner perspective, you'll be able to go back to a customer and say not only can you get great software from Microsoft, inn Windows 8, but there's a hardware opportunity too," Townsend said.

Further, in 2013 Ultrabooks will include screens that turn around and more tablet-like features, he said. "Ultrabooks is going to be an innovation we haven't seen in a long time. Just as the all-in-one changed the desktop form factor, you'll see Ultrabooks do that in 2012," he said. "This is a jumping of the chasm."

Solution providers should play up the vPro angle when they start to sell Ultrabooks to customers, Townsend said. "If you see that logo, it's the processor, chip set, network connection and firmware that make up vPro. If you just see Core i7, it's just the processor. We want to make sure partners understand they get vPro and can manage systems even when they're turned off or in blue screen," he said.

Next: OS33 Now Integrates With ConnectWise

*OS33 Also Integrates With ConnectWise

OS33, a cloud-based IT delivery automation platform, also announced its integration with ConnectWise's PSA platform and spent time advising MSPs how to begin selling cloud services.

ConnectWise is the first PSA solution to integrate with OS33's cloud platform, said OS33 president Jacob Kazakevich.

"Most of our partners run ConnectWise. We had lot of requests from our existing partners about adding functionality into Connectwise. Given the hardware they're consuming, they want to send that info into ConnectWise," Kazakevich said.

The integration supports the following OS33 features in ConnectWise: automated agreement creation, on-click billing with usage data collected by OS33, company sync, service desk integration and a service ticket sync that allows customers to track and update service tickets directly from OS33 Webtop

"The response we've gotten [at IT Nation]has exceeded our expectations. For many of them, it's difficult to adjust to a cloud-based model," Kazakevich said. "When they see cloud resources and units in their ConnectWise PSA, existing partners are thrilled and it's great to show to prospects."

*Doyenz Promises Quarterly Updates

Doyenz CEO Ashutosh Tiwary told partners at IT nation that it will begin quarterly release updates for its cloud-based backup and recovery solutions. Previously, updates were sporadic, which made it hard for partners to plan, Tiwary said.

"Our new rCloud is the starting piece. We're improving new capabilities to partners so they can better prepare themselves and their customers. They will know what challenges are going to get addressed and have much better visibility," Tiwary said. Details of the first quarterly update will be released in a about a month, he added. "There will be significant new capabilities and much more extensive, broader virtualization support," he said.

*GloStream Introduces Ex-Autotask Execs

GloStream, maker of electronic medical record and practice management applications, introduced two new executives at IT Nation: former Autotask executives Mark Crall and Steve Luby. Both are co-directors at GloStream and joined the company to lead its partner team, according to GloStream.

Crall and Luby will focus on helping partners establish healthcare IT practices and will report to Brenda Hodge, gloStream's executive vice president of partners and practices.

"We are 100 percent partner driven and we're lucky to have two guys who have run their own MSPs," Hodge said.

Indeed, Crall and Luby are former MSPs themselves and feel they know what it will take to build gloStream's partner program.

"They have a real vision to solve problems that probably affect everybody. They want to do a better job delivering health care," Crall said at IT Nation. "My primary goal is to get the right partners in."

"I was impressed at the beginning with their partner program. But they blew me away with how dedicated they are to support partners," added Luby.