Dell Kace, Bomgar: Free Remote Support, Managed Services?

Dell KACE Bomgar

First, the details. In a prepared statement, the two companies said Dell KACE K1000 Management Appliance customers will receive two free licenses for either Bomgar’s hosted Remote Support solution or Bomgar’s on-premise solution which requires purchase of an appliance (new Bomgar customers only).

Dell and Bomgar claim IT managers will be able to “more quickly diagnose and resolve end-user issues, centralize support processes, and strengthen security and compliance. In addition, users can request immediate remote support directly from a service desk ticket confirmation email.”

Bomgar has a loyal niche following in the MSP market, where a lot of managed services providers quietly applaud the company’s remote support solutions. Dell KACE, meanwhile, is widely considered a successful acquisition for Dell. But here’s the strange part (at least to me): The Dell KACE partner program largely targets VARs, IT resellers, systems integrators and solutions providers. That’s fine but KACE really doesn’t position itself for MSPs — a potential missed opportunity for KACE and the channel.

The situation will get extra-interesting once Dell completes the Quest Software buyout. That deal includes Quest’s PacketTrap MSP and PSA software, plus a boatload of Quest’s own IT management software. So there are plenty of potential MSP-centric synergies going forward.