Managed Services, Backup And Recovery, And Networking News From September 2015

By The Business Solutions Network

Each month, Business Solutions reports news on business in the channel. This month in managed services, backup and recovery, and networking news, LogicNow introduces data analytics and machine learning, AffinityLive adds asset tracking to its PSA software, Continuum and Vorex announce platform integration, ESET updates its security for Microsoft Exchange Server, Check Point unveils a new threat protection solution, Ingram Micro launches three financing programs, and Carbonite brings remote deployment and management to SMBs.

LogicNow Unleashes Data Analytics And Machine Learning On MSP Community

LogicNow recently launched LOGICcards, an enhancement to its IT service management platform designed to change the way in which MSPs deliver service to their clients. LOGICcards gives IT service providers access to real-time data-driven insights derived from billions of data points collected from the millions of devices managed by the tens of thousands of MSPs that depend on the MAX RemoteManagement platform.

The collective intelligence derived from a community of MSPs and delivered through LOGICcards enables MSPs to improve services and increase the value they provide without the huge investments and timescales that data analytics and machine learning on this scale demand.

“In essence, LOGICcards embed a data science capability within every one of our MSP customers; it’s like having an analyst in your business who works 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to identify improvement opportunities,” says Alistair Forbes, GM of LogicNow. “Like cloud before it, the impact of machine learning for MSPs will be revolutionary and should not be underestimated. This moves beyond the traditional understanding of automation for MSPs to a new generation of business optimization opportunities. The confidence that the operational activity is undergoing continual improvement will free up MSP business owners to understand and address the major challenges they will face in the years to come.”

AffinityLive Adds Asset Tracking To Its PSA Software

PSA software manufacturer AffinityLive recently added asset tracking functionality to its software. The company’s new Assets Module allows you to create your own “mini-database” of information about your IT clients’ assets, storing data, for example, on computers, servers, routers, or software. It features the ability to customize fields for different asset types, so you can track details such as hard drive space on a computer. Premium accounts also have the capability to make fields visible only to users who are granted access, enabling you to store sensitive data you don’t want to share with your whole team.

The module also allows you to query and filter using these custom fields. For example, you could find all clients running a certain OS that needs a patch, or you could search for users who use a particular solution and have the end of their fiscal year approaching. MAXfocus and Kaseya users also have one-click import of assets from the RMM tool to AffinityLive.

Fields aren’t limited to tracking IT assets, and, as AffinityLive points out, MSPs not only use AffinityLive but they can also resell it. The company has received feedback that the Asset Module is helping advertising agencies track inventories for billboards and accountants and lawyers track their clients’ end of fiscal year or entity type. 

Continuum, Vorex Announce Platform Integration

PSA vendor Vorex recently announced an integration with Continuum. Continuum now offers its client base an additional option for a PSA solution, and Vorex users have access to an integrated, remote monitoring and management platform. Because the Vorex and Continuum integration is cloud-based, setup is quick and requires no hardware or software installations.

As you’d expect, the new integration streamlines processes and supports business scenarios such as creating a ticket in Continuum while initiating correct workflows in Vorex as well as creating a ticket in Vorex and having it assigned to the help desk team at Continuum.

Vorex is the first Continuum-compatible PSA that uses the IT services provider’s application programming interface. The integration adds Vorex as the fifth PSA platform option available to Continuum users and enables synchronization of tickets and workflows between the two platforms.

ESET Updates Its Security For Exchange Server

ESET recently released its new generation of ESET Mail Security for Microsoft Exchange Server with a completely redesigned user interface, enhanced anti-spam engine, and antivirus with optional cloud-powered scanning. Supported by ESET Remote Administrator 6, the product provides a secure email experience with malware protection, spam filtering, and e-mail scanning.

“The 2015 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report showed that e-mail phishing links and attachments are the top two attack vectors, with nearly 23 percent of email recipients opening phishing messages and nearly 11 percent clicking on attachments,” says Jan Balaz, product manager at ESET.

This new version includes anti-phishing capabilities which scan the content of e-mail messages for links or scripts that might mislead users or trick them into visiting malicious websites. To make it easier for company administrators to more efficiently manage company mail flow, ESET introduced Local Quarantine Management. This tool blocks what it finds as malicious but gives the mail recipient an option to access messages as needed. If a legitimate message is blocked, individuals can retrieve the email, allowing workflow to continue uninterrupted.

Additionally, Local On-Demand Scan decreases required server resources by allowing admins to choose which specific databases and mailboxes to scan.

Check Point Unveils New Threat Prevention Solution

In the ongoing battle between hackers and security professionals, attackers are increasingly utilizing more sophisticated tools such as new zero-day attack methods and custom variants of existing malware to circumvent traditional sandboxing technology and slip into their victims’ infrastructures undetected. To meet this need, Check Point Software Technologies recently announced Check Point SandBlast, a new advanced threat prevention solution that uses CPU-level threat detection to uncover threats at the pre-infection level, identifying zero-day threats before malware has an opportunity to deploy.

Key features of Check Point SandBlast include:

• Identification of malware at the exploit phase, before evasion techniques can be applied.
• Combines the power of CPU-level detection with OS-level emulation to evaluate content in a broad range of file types, including MS Office, PDF, flash, executables, and archives, among others.
• Promptly delivering safe versions of data files with the integrated Threat Extraction capability, enabling real-world deployment to block malicious content, without introducing significant delay.

Ingram Micro Launches Three Financing Programs

Helping channel partners expand their business resources, Ingram Micro recently announced three new turnkey financial services programs designed specifically for channel partners in the U.S. Open to qualified Ingram Micro channel partners, the new financing programs remove many of the barriers businesses and IT service providers face when purchasing and leasing technology, says Kelly Carter, senior director, credit development, Ingram Micro.

Available now, the new Ingram Micro financial services programs include:

• Ingram Micro Lending Club: Available exclusively from Ingram Micro and Lending Club, the new program offers channel partners access to an unsecured line of credit with flexible payment terms and term business loans up to $300,000.
• Ingram Micro NOWaccount: A capital access program helps channel partners generate more sales, increase inventory, be more competitive, go after bigger clients, and offer customers extended payment terms.
• Ingram Micro Lease- IT!: A completely refreshed Ingram Micro-branded leasing program enables channel partners to offer flexible terms and conditions to their customers.

Carbonite Brings Remote Deployment & Management To SMBs

Carbonite recently unveiled the latest version of its workstation backup solution, Carbonite Pro. With this release, Carbonite Pro Prime administrators can remotely deploy and manage backups for all of the workstations in their organizations.

Also, administrators can now create backup policies defining what should and should not be backed up and deploy that policy from a centralized web dashboard, saving time and preventing user errors in setting up backups. Administrators can manage policies on an ongoing basis to ensure the right business data is being protected at all times.