DattoCon: SaaS Alerts, Kaseya a 'Great Combo'

KASEYA DATTOCON — Kaseya's decision to buy SaaS Alerts results in a "great combination," according to the software-as-a-service security platform's CEO.

SaaS Alerts chief executive officer Jim Lippie appeared on stage at DattoCon Tuesday before hundreds of MSP owners and employees to discuss his decision to sell the endpoint management provider to Kaseya, one that will allow Kaseya to include it within its newly revealed 365 User subscription service.

The initial version of Kaseya 365 debuted in April, packing data protection, security, management and automation into a single subscription service for MSPs. The new security-focused User version offers what Kaseya says is comprehensive data protection for small businesses.

Lippie said he and Kaseya CEO Fred Voccola share a number of common interests, including the notion of changing the "human economics" in how MSPs are compensated with regard to products. The human economics of the MSP was a main theme that Voccola tackled during his opening remarks at DattoCon.

SaaS Alerts' Jim Lippie

When asked why he was selling SaaS Alerts while it was profitable, Lippie responded by saying the sale could seriously change the MSP industry.

"In your career, you only have so many opportunities, if any, to change an industry. I believe [Kaseya] has found this path to change the industry, and the time is now. The question is whether or not you're going to take advantage of the time that we have right now."

Related:DattoCon: Kaseya Debuts 365 User Version, Buys SaaS Alerts

The Future of SaaS Alerts

Lippie is sold on Voccola's vision of the Kaseya 365 subscription model, noting how SaaS Alerts offers additional functionality to the User-focused model announced on Tuesday. But partners should not expect any change from SaaS Alerts in the near term.

"Nothing changes tomorrow," Lippie told Channel Futures. "The sun's going to rise in the east and set in the west, and we're going to protect our customers, just like we did yesterday and today at the same exact price. I'm still the CEO of SaaS and will continue to be for the foreseeable future. So that's not really changing. The only big difference is the fact that we're now embedded in the 365 User subscription, so people want to buy us through that mechanism."

Lippie confirmed that SaaS Alerts' product line will be available through piecemeal purchase methods as well as through Kaseya 365. SaaS Alerts also intends to expand the number of employed developers and enhances its integrations with Kaseya and other providers.

SaaS Alerts is planning a number of updates that it hopes will help MSPs make more money, Lippie said. These include better endpoint detection and response (EDR) integrations.