Autotask Acquires CentraStage for RMM

Autotask Corp. has gained its own cloud-based remote monitoring and management (RMM) tool after buying an endpoint management platform well-known to channel partners. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The East Greenbush, New York-based professional services automation (PSA) platform provider on Wednesday announced its acquisition of CentraStage, a software as a service (SaaS)-based RMM platform for managed services providers (MSPs).

Headquartered in Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom, CentraStage enables MSPs to manage the endpoints of connected devices, including servers, desktops, laptops, tablets and phones.

On its website, Autotask, which was a acquired by private equity firm Vista Equity Partners in June, said the acquisition places its customers in a better position financially by enabling them to scale through the addition of RMM and endpoint management.

The company additionally stated that it “will develop a joint product roadmap to provide solutions that meet the evolving needs of all our customers.”

“CentraStage shares our vision of providing a superior customer experience, demonstrated by their exceptional satisfaction and retention rates,” Autotask President and CEO Mark Cattini said in a statement. “The unique value of our combined businesses will provide customers improved ROI and real-time visibility across their clients’ entire computing environment.”

Christian Nagele, CEO of CentraStage, said in a statement: “We are incredibly excited to join the Autotask team as we continue to redefine endpoint monitoring and management, and believe together we will deliver best-in-class solutions that focus on technology-enabled business outcomes.”

ConnectWise responds

Autotask is not the first PSA company to invest in an RMM vendor. ConnectWise took an equity position in LabTech Software, an RMM platform company, in February 2010. ConnectWise, LabTech and Quosal Community Director Amy Hodge told MSPmentor that Autotask’s move was not unexpected.

“This did not come as too much of a surprise, especially given the investment by Vista [Equity Partners] into Autotask, and our own firsthand experience of the value of this type of partnership,” she said. 

“ConnectWise recognized the value of an end-to-end business management platform hinged on Professional Service Automation (PSA) and Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) early on. Competition is great for the channel, it gets pricing and support where it should be and creates massive innovation.” 

More competitors are entering the PSA market, including Vorex and AffinityLive. 

Follow CJ Arlotta on Twitter @cjarlotta and Google+ for further updates on the story above — or if you just want to say hello.