Secure the Total Network: Data, Devices and People

The demand for security services--specifically in the SMB sector--has not slowed. But to take advantage of this market opportunity, MSPs must be able to prioritize security and have the security capabilities to respond to the new market demands and changing security needs of SMBs.

October 20, 2017

3 Min Read
Spider's web

If you’re in the business of securing networks for small and midsize businesses (SMBs), there is a volume of new challenges you’re most likely tackling. Cybercrime such as ransomware is more pervasive than ever before, with employee error contributing to the risks. The growing number of connected devices in the workplace has only added to the number of endpoints that need to be managed, and this is made all the more challenging by an industry shortage of cyber skills.

The upside is that the demand for security services–specifically in the SMB sector–has not slowed. In CompTIA’s IT Industry Outlook 2017 report, 43% of IT industry executives believe security may outperform market categories, like the cloud, in the year ahead. The report also noted that the expected growth of managed services is predicted to be 30%, which is on par with high-growth market categories like the internet of things (IoT).

But to take advantage of this market opportunity, managed service providers (MSPs) must be able to prioritize security and have the security capabilities to respond to the new market demands and changing security needs of SMBs.

These are all factors that influenced our Avast Business product portfolio, and today you’ll see this reflected in our new Avast Business Managed Workplace remote monitoring and management (RMM) solution.

Avast Business Managed Workplace

Starting with antivirus protection, we’ve integrated our strongest endpoint protection to date—Avast Business Antivirus Pro Plus—right into our new Managed Workplace RMM solution. Our RMM capabilities now include integrated antivirus, uniform antivirus policies for workstations and users, site security assessments, patch management, network management, backup, monitoring and alerting, and reporting.

We’re now providing the advantages of both strong endpoint protection and network management in one central RMM platform.  

Take a look:

NEW Antivirus Pro Plus  

  • Integrates seamlessly with Managed Workplace: Install, manage and update Pro Plus on sites and devices within the RMM

  • Includes upgrades to antivirus policies and powerful new antivirus reporting tools

  • Keeps any end user who is connected to the network safe from viruses, malware, and other online threats

  • Delivers automatic software updates, data shredding to permanently delete files, and extra security for Microsoft Exchange and Sharepoint servers

  • Provides data and identity protection to secure users and connections in open and public networks.

NEW Antivirus Reporting

  • Four new antivirus protection reports for devices under management, including Device Details, Executive Summary, Antivirus Summary, and Aggregate Site Summary

NEW Site Security Assessment

  • Real-time site security assessments to determine the security health of client networks, improve security, and validate MSPs’ work

  • Data is automatically consolidated into reports that are easy to generate and read, showing actionable steps for issue resolution.

What does this mean for our channel partners?  

The new release of Avast Business Managed Workplace offers our channel partners a new competitive advantage with the right tools to differentiate their business, save money and win new customers.

But don’t just take our word for it. Security Analyst Eric Ogren at 451 Research may have summarized it best here:

“Small and medium-sized businesses face the same volume of security threats as larger enterprises, but don’t have resources to deploy a broad range of security products. Avast is addressing this gap with its Avast Business portfolio that integrates new endpoint protection from the Avast-AVG merger with its managed service platforms to deliver both stronger antivirus and network management in one platform. We believe this combination of security and operations features provides a good option for those MSPs prioritizing security in their service portfolios and making the transition from solution provider to security provider.”

You can learn more about Avast Business at: https://www.avast.com/business, or check out our Managed Workplace What’s New for more details on the new features.

Ryan Vallee is Director of Product Management, AVG Business by Avast.

Guest blogs such as this one are published monthly and are part of MSPmentor’s annual platinum sponsorship.

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