The DattoCon Download — 2 Product Updates and Security Galore
Here are the top five key takeaways from the virtual extravaganza that was DattoConNow 2021.
October 13, 2021
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Datto’s CEO Tim Weller addressed why MSPs globally suddenly find themselves in the security business and why security and the cloud present a once-in-a-generation new opportunity for the industry. Weller addressed key topics such as SaaS defense, data continuity for Azure, top trends around remote work and digital transformation, the shift to the cloud, and the cyber threat landscape.
“It’s important to stay ahead of the curve,” said John Roland, director of software engineering, Datto,. “The investment that you’re making in the channel, providing us with the tools to deliver real service, and products that our customers need, is fantastic. Second, I think security is absolutely key. Digital transformation for us is [also] being accelerated following what we’ve gone through in the last 18 months. That’s where our IT is dedicated. It’s happening, and it’s happening now. To be ahead of the game [is crucial], and provides us with the opportunity to do add-ons to secure the services that we’re providing.”
Datto launched two new cloud-based security offerings — Datto SaaS Defense and Datto Continuity for Microsoft Azure.
“MSPs are in the security business,” said Weller. “The value of companies increasingly lies in their digital assets — both applications and data — and those assets are moving to remote and cloud environments, which means a rapid growth in attack vectors. Securing the digital assets of their clients is the primary mission of MSPs. The new world of work brings complexity which creates massive MSP opportunities.”
Weller added that Datto exists to innovate for MSPs and provide them with technology. The company started in security with business continuity and disaster recovery as the last line of defense, and it is extending that for Microsoft Azure workloads. At the same time, it’s unveiling a new first line of defense with advanced security for Microsoft 365, including email phishing and malware protection.
“Datto’s sell-through security solutions are simple, effective, and provide our MSP partners with great margin opportunities,” said Weller.
Datto unveiled SaaS Defense, an advanced cyber threat protection product, live on stage at DattoCon NOW, the largest open-ecosystem MSP-centric event.
Following its acquisition of Israel-based cyber threat detection company BitDam earlier this year, Datto proudly debuted its SaaS Defense security product built exclusively for MSPs. The advanced threat protection and spam-filtering solution provides MSPs with patented technology to proactively detect and prevent malicious malware, phishing, and Business Email Compromise (BEC) attacks that target Microsoft Exchange, OneDrive, SharePoint, and Teams.
“MSPs protect and manage more Microsoft 365 accounts collectively than any one enterprise. This technology will now be put to work to help keep small and medium businesses safe by blocking the number one attack vector — email, and it actually works across the entire Microsoft 365 suite,” said Tim Weller, CEO of Datto. “We were so confident about the impact this technology will have on MSPs that we wanted to own it, and bring the talented minds who created it to work with us on our greater security mission.”
Datto’s Brian Milbier, director of information security, and Cris Sochacki, senior security analyst, talked about the security landscape, a big theme of the event, in terms of how effective or ineffective your MDR platform is.
Seasoned security professionals know that technology has gaps and offers different levels of effectiveness. The session covered how to use the MITRE ATT&CK framework and Adversary Emulation tools to test the effectiveness of partners’ existing MDR platform and understand the true level of assurance their tech stack offers.
Microsoft’s CTO of Global Partner Solution U.S., David Totten (pictured), talked about understanding the opportunity ahead for MSPs and the SMB market.
“Flexible, hybrid work is here to stay, and many companies are experiencing new IT challenges with the transition,” said Totten. “Small and medium-size customers have undergone some of the largest transformations, and most don’t have the skills in-house to provide comprehensive security for their IT infrastructure.”
The session touted insights to help partners start, or grow their business with Microsoft Azure, all with security stacks in mind.
Microsoft’s CTO of Global Partner Solution U.S., David Totten (pictured), talked about understanding the opportunity ahead for MSPs and the SMB market.
“Flexible, hybrid work is here to stay, and many companies are experiencing new IT challenges with the transition,” said Totten. “Small and medium-size customers have undergone some of the largest transformations, and most don’t have the skills in-house to provide comprehensive security for their IT infrastructure.”
The session touted insights to help partners start, or grow their business with Microsoft Azure, all with security stacks in mind.
DATTOCON NOW 2021 — Datto kicked off its virtual event Wednesday with the unveiling of two new cloud-based security offerings. One is Datto SaaS Defense; the other, Datto Continuity for Microsoft Azure.
Even though the event happened from behind a computer screen, DattoCon boasted more than 6,000 virtual registrants spanning 69 countries.
The conference featured key security technology demonstrations, including Datto SaaS Defense, Datto RMM Ransomware Detection, and Datto Continuity for Microsoft Azure. Microsoft executive Tyler Bryson joined the keynote, and Microsoft held a session at DattoCon NOW 2021 called “The MSP Opportunity for Microsoft Azure in SMB.”
The conference also featured breakout sessions on all Datto products, and a best practices track on growing an MSP business. More than 100 MSP vendors joined with dedicated “booths” staffed by experts.
Click through our slideshow above to check out the highlights from one of the most anticipated virtual events of the year.
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