ConnectWise Responds to New Barbs From Kaseya CEO

A ConnectWise exec argues that PSA-to-PSA migration is more complicated than simply "moving a business’ database from one system to another."

Aldrin Brown, Editor-in-Chief

November 22, 2016

3 Min Read
ConnectWise Responds to New Barbs From Kaseya CEO
User interface of the ConnectWise Manage professional services automation tool.

Speaking from Kaseya Connect Europe in Barcelona, Spain, Kaseya CEO Fred Voccola offered the following remarks last week when announcing the availability of his company’s new PSA-to-PSA migration tool:

ConnectWise has misinformed the market that migrating among PSAs is a Herculean task. It’s just a structured database. It’s not that hard…I’ve done it. What we’ve done is invested a lot of money on building our PSA…data, workflows and getting (MSPs) off of a first-gen, legacy product like ConnectWise.” 

This morning, ConnectWise vice president of product Craig Fulton issued the following statement:

Today, technology solution providers (TSP) have more options than ever when choosing software for their business (historically a PSA provider). This is good. More choice means they are more likely to find a provider that better fits their specific business needs.

Craig Fulton, VP Product, ConnectWise

This is especially important when a TSP reaches the point where it’s time to move beyond a PSA to a complete business management platform that gives them the ability to increase efficiency and productivity – as well as grow their business – in a way not possible with a less functional, limited feature application that really is not much more than a database.

We’re finding that some TSPs worry about the complexity of moving from their current PSA system to a complete business management platform. Part of this worry is likely because of the amount of misinformation out there about how complicated the migration can be when it comes time to move databases.   

To be honest, moving a business’s database from one system to another is a straightforward process. The challenging part of a migration – and what some PSA providers fail to discuss – is the time required to develop new processes, the time required to train the people, and the time required to add more automation that is available with a more robust solution.   

The software and database is one part of a complete solution – there also must be consulting, implementation, training and support to make a complete solution.

So as companies think about making a move from one system to another, we always like to remind them that it’s not the database that drives business. It’s the processes that drive business.

For a TSP to grow, its new application must take advantage of so many functional areas – marketing, quoting, sales, procurement, professional services, service and help desk, finance, accounting, automation, and remote control – that go way beyond a PSA solution.

These functional parts rely upon business automation to be efficient and deliver an exceptional customer experience throughout the entire journey of any practice area. The new system also should support a variety of TSP practice areas, including VAR, MSP, systems integrator, software development, project work, and more.

This is why we always recommend selecting a solution that you imagine being in your business five years out. It needs to not just solve today’s problems, but also must be able to solve future challenges as your business grows. 

 

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About the Author

Aldrin Brown

Editor-in-Chief, Penton

Veteran journalist Aldrin Brown comes to Penton Technology from Empire Digital Strategies, a business-to-business consulting firm that he founded that provides e-commerce, content and social media solutions to businesses, nonprofits and other organizations seeking to create or grow their digital presence.

Previously, Brown served as the Desert Bureau Chief for City News Service in Southern California and Regional Editor for Patch, AOL's network of local news sites. At Patch, he managed a staff of journalists and more than 30 hyper-local and business news and information websites throughout California. In addition to his work in technology and business, Brown was the city editor for The Sun, a daily newspaper based in San Bernardino, CA; the college sports editor at The Tennessean, Nashville, TN; and an investigative reporter at the Orange County Register, Santa Ana, CA.

 

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