I’m finally settling in after getting back from DattoCon22 in Washington, D.C., and I’m eager to share my thoughts on where things are headed in the months ahead.
First – hats off to everyone at Datto for putting on another amazing event this year. DattoCon has always been our favorite event of the year, and this was no exception. After a 3-year hiatus due to the pandemic, DattoCon came back stronger than ever with great speakers, insight and product news. It also answered a lot of questions that many of us have been wondering about, but I’ll get to that in a minute.
Huge thanks to Datto for hosting this annual event and for remaining dedicated to the channel.
Okay, here are my main takeaways from the event …
1) Big things are coming from the Datto-Kaseya partnership.
After Kaseya acquired Datto in June 2022, there has been a lot of uncertainty among MSPs about what this will mean for Datto’s products and partners going forward.
Being in the tech industry, we’re no stranger to acquisitions and mergers. But as always, our top priority is our clients: i.e. the businesses whose systems we manage and protect every day. So we all want the assurance that there will be minimal bumps in the road ahead.
Thankfully, after DattoCon22, I am convinced that Datto and Kaseya have the potential to be better together than the sum of their parts. And this will be hugely beneficial to Datto’s customers and MSPs.
For starters, the integrations will be huge. They’ve announced massive amounts of integrations between Datto’s and Kaseya’s different systems, including:
- Datto BCDR into IT Glue
- IT Glue panel in Datto RMM
- IT Glue doc in Autotask
- Autotask and Commerce
- Datto EDR (more on this below) into Datto RMM
- Unified login through Kaseya One
- New Cooper Insights
On the MSP end, all of this helps to streamline what we do every day. It will allow us to serve our clients faster and more efficiently, while also giving us better insight into our businesses, from fewer panes of glass.
On the customer end, it ultimately means better service, stronger continuity and more opportunities to add additional solutions without the need to deal with multiple providers.
All that said, time will tell how they execute these integrations. Personally, I am very optimistic about the road ahead, but MSPs will need to hold them to the fire and make sure they deliver.
2) Datto continues to evolve and innovate.
DattoCon22 underscored the fact that Datto has continued to expand its solutions to meet a changing business landscape.
These days, data backup for on-premise servers is just one piece of the picture. That’s because users are no longer tethered to the local network. They connect from anywhere, accessing sensitive data and applications in the cloud and in the office. All of that needs to be secured and streamlined, and that is exactly what Datto has been doing.
Take a look at how Datto has innovated to meet these evolving challenges with protection for every system:
- On-prem servers: Datto BCDR
- PCs: Cloud Continuity for PCs
- Collaboration: Datto Workplace
- SaaS: Datto SaaS Protection
- Public Cloud: Datto Continuity for Microsoft Azure
But the landscape continues to evolve, and that leads us to the new products that Datto and Kaseya announced at DattoCon 2022 …
3) Datto Secure Edge (SASE) will be vital for securing the ‘new perimeter.’
Today’s workplaces are no longer static offices. Employees are all over the place. As such, the network perimeter is no longer confined to the walls of the office, the reach of the Wi-Fi network or the reach of the VPN. The “new perimeter” is comprised of a more complicated (and more vulnerable) infrastructure of decentralized users connecting to various applications and data across multiple networks and Internet connections.
In this new wild west of remote work, organizations must maintain a grip on security. That’s where the new Datto Secure Edge will play an important role …
What is Datto Secure Edge?
Datto Secure Edge is a Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) solution, which will provide secure remote connections to cloud services. This will allow remote workers to access critical applications and data, from anywhere, without compromising security.
Datto says Secure Edge will be easy to deploy and should be available for early access in October.
4) Look for Datto EDR to deliver advanced threat protection.
Another new product announced at DattoCon22 is Datto EDR. We’re particularly excited about this one because it will provide an added (powerful) layer of protection against emerging threats, which aren’t always detected by conventional antimalware solutions.
What is Datto EDR?
Datto EDR is an endpoint detection and response solution. It uses deep forensic analysis and continuous monitoring to detect suspicious activity on endpoint devices. This allows organizations to respond rapidly to a potential malware infection or infiltration at the earliest possible signs.
Datto EDR is built on Infocyte, the EDR solution that Datto acquired in January. It uses rule-based automation to hunt, detect and respond to APTs, fileless malware and zero-day attacks across local, remote, virtual and cloud assets.
Datto says EDR will be released around November of this year, available through the MSP portal and Datto RMM. It’s a solid product that today’s businesses need to fend off the newest strains of ransomware and other threats.
5) Datto SOC will create a comprehensive cybersecurity service.
If it’s not obvious already, Datto and Kaseya see a bigger picture for Datto that extends far beyond data backup. The new Datto-branded managed SOC (security operations center) will be a big part of this evolution, as Datto expands further into cybersecurity.
Along with the new EDR offering, Datto SOC will create a 360-degree cybersecurity detection and response solution.
What is Datto SOC?
Datto SOC is a managed security operations center service that detects malicious activity across three critical attack vectors: endpoint, network and cloud. It provides real-time threat intelligence monitoring, log monitoring and breach detection without the need to deploy additional on-premise hardware.
Datto SOC is built on RocketCyber, the managed SOC service provider that Kaseya acquired in 2021. So this is another exciting product offering that wouldn’t be possible without the combined weight of Datto and Kaseya.
Being able to offer organizations the best in cybersecurity detection, along with the best in BCDR, is win-win for MSPs and their customers. Organizations can get all the solutions they need to prevent and recover from an attack from a single trusted provider: Datto.
6) Datto SIRIS 5 is still the best BCDR solution.
Lest anyone forget: Datto SIRIS 5 is the undisputed leader for data backup, business continuity and disaster recovery. So I was glad to see Datto spend time on SIRIS at DattoCon22, especially since the newest version was only announced a few months ago.
We covered the SIRIS 5 extensively last spring, but one of the biggest updates is the increase in performance. SIRIS 5 delivers 4x greater performance for local virtualization, which means protected applications run even faster and smoother when backups are spun up as VMs. That’s huge for businesses that need to get back to business fast after a major data-loss incident. Plus, the addition of enterprise-grade storage drives means that backups and data transfers are faster too.
Datto also consolidated the number of SIRIS sizes and models (from 22 to 13), which makes it easier for businesses to choose the right SIRIS for their needs.
7) DattoCon22 had another great lineup of speakers.
DattoCon always has good speakers, and this year’s event did not disappoint. I enjoyed all of the keynotes, including internal folks from Kaseya and Datto (like CEO Fred Voccola and Rob Rae), as well as other big names like Mark Rober and Gary Vee, who always brings energy to his talks.
Numerous leaders at Datto shared updates from their various divisions. And, experts from across the industry shared their insight, including leaders from companies like TruMethods, Lime Networks, Thinkgard, Aabyss, Greystone, Net Sciences and others. There are too many to list here, but you can view the full list of DattoCon speakers here.
One of the highlights for me was hearing from Brian Vorndran, who is the Assistant Director of the FBI’s Cyber Division. Vorndran discussed the “threat landscape from an FBI perspective,” providing insight from both a cybersecurity standpoint and a law enforcement standpoint. He emphasized that MSPs and their businesses can do a lot to prevent cyberattacks with relatively simple strategies, like patch management, password protection and phishing training. But he also stressed the importance of building a relationship with federal authorities prior to an attack, so that the FBI can help with the response even faster.
The FBI has been successful in tracking attackers behind some ransomware attacks and also reclaiming ransom payments in certain scenarios. Vorndran emphasized that we are all fighting against the same adversary, so working together is key.\
Conclusion
In my mind, DattoCon 2022 was everything it needed to be. In addition to providing insight into Datto’s newest products and other updates across the industry, it gave a glimpse into the innovation that will come from the Datto/Kaseya partnership in the years ahead. It was great to connect with other MSPs and leaders throughout the industry, and I look forward to seeing you all again at DattoCon23 in Miami!
