Trend Micro Integrating with Kaseya

Trend Micro is integrating its Worry-Free Remote Manager security dashboard with Kaseya’s remote monitoring and management tool, two sources confirm. Here’s the news, along with some bigger-picture managed security services trends involving Trend Micro and market competitors.

Worry-Free Remote Manager is a free monitoring tool for Trend Micro’s channel partners. The tool gives Trend Micro VARs and managed service providers (MSPs) a single dashboard for remotely monitoring customers’ security status. According to a tipster located 9,935 miles (15,989 kilometers) away from MSPmentor’s headquarters, Trend Micro has completed some initial integration work involving Kaseya‘s RMM tools.

Trend Micro confirms the work. “We are calling it beta but the functionality is all in there now,” says TJ Alldridge, a product marketing manager for small and medium business at Trend Micro. “Worry-Free Remote Manager can feed email tickets into Kaseya today. We won’t start publicly touting [the capability] until February [2009], but you can do it today.”

The Bigger Picture

Trend Micro’s MSP-oriented moves aren’t surprising. Alldridge in a September 2009 podcast series disclosed Trend Micro’s strategy to gradually integrate with multiple RMM tools.

Trend Micro has also been working with key members of VAR- and MSP-oriented peer groups — including HTG Peer Groups — in an effort to raise the security company’s profile within the recurring revenue IT channel.

Meanwhile, multiple strategies are emerging in the managed security market. A prime example: N-able recently announced plans to give away endpoint security software licenses to its established managed services partners. N-able CEO Gavin Garbutt says the strategy aims to help MSPs increase their penetration rates within the small business market. N-able partnered with Panda Security to develop the free offer.

The “freemium” strategy has been gaining momentum across the managed security market. Another recent example involves Sophos, which is giving away data loss protection software with its endpoint security.

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