Founded in 2000, Kaseya is a well-known name in the IT and security management industry. With more than 24 years of experience, it now caters to more than 45,000 customers in 21 countries. In addition to its VSA RMM platform, Kaseya also offers a lot of other IT solutions, such as PSA, BCDR, cloud backup, email security, and pen testing. This makes it a one-stop destination for all your business’s security needs.
Its VSA is an award-winning RMM platform offering features like device monitoring, IT automation and patching, remote access and control, omni-network SNMP monitoring, and mobile device management. You also get native ransomware detection and 600+ out-of-the-box scripts that help achieve quick automation.
However, a slightly steep price tag and a recent cybersecurity incident may have you wondering if it’s the best network monitoring tool for your business. Read on to find out.
Kaseya VSA: Plans and pricing
As is the case with most RMM platforms, you’ll have to request a custom quote from the Kaseya sales team. However, after some digging, we found out that the prices may fall between $4-5 per endpoint per month, which, in our experience with RMM platforms, is a bit too high.
If you’re a large business with many endpoints, you’ll have good bargaining power. However, there are several other RMM platforms like TeamViewer that cost less than $0.50 an endpoint.
A silver lining when it comes to Kaseya VSA’s pricing is that you get a 14-day free trial. This gives you ample time to try out the platform before committing to a paid plan. It’s worth noting that N-central RMM, another fantastic platform, also offers a free trial (30 days).
Kaseya VSA: Features
Kaseya VSA offers several monitoring and patch management functions, making it a complete RMM platform. You get the benefits of zero-configuration SNMP device monitoring for all your switches, printers, and routers in the IT network.
All you have to do is check a box, and Kaseya will start detecting and responding to alerts to various SNMP IT incidents. You can also automate actions to be taken whenever an alert is triggered. These include creating an alarm or a ticket or sending emails to recipients.
There’s also a VSA Network Topology Map, which shows you all the devices. Here, you can quickly identify an open alert – just look for a red alarm badge.
Kaseya automations can also be used for auto-remediation of IT issues by running scripts. For example, simple tasks like restarting a printer or rebooting a system after installing an application can be automated. There’s also an automation library with 600+ scripts, reports, and monitor sets, which gives you a head start, ensuring you don’t have to build a script from scratch.
IT technicians can remotely access endpoints with Kaseya to resolve any issues with full console access. There’s also a stealth mode remote control tool called Live Connect which gives you access to an endpoint without the user’s knowledge.
You can access the device’s desktop, memory utilization, and file and directory transfer. Feel free to even browse their drive, add, modify, or delete files, and make changes to files locally. The best part is that you can launch multiple sessions simultaneously.
Plus, just like Datto RMM, Kaseya VSA also comes with native ransomware detection, which detects any crypto-ransomware on endpoints using behavioral analysis. It immediately sends a notification to the IT technicians and starts the process of quarantining the affected files. This can come in handy even if you have a dedicated antivirus solution. After all, an extra layer of protection is always good to have.
Kaseya VSA: Interface and performance
Kaseya follows a simple interface with a white background laced with blue headers. All the functions can be accessed from a panel on the left. You’ll find various sub-options under each function, allowing you to quickly access any feature you need. All in all, it’s nothing out of the ordinary, which, by the way, is a good thing!
Although the interface may appear to be too basic at first glance, it’s super effective and gets the job done. There are no lags or technical glitches with the platform, ensuring a seamless experience.
Just like with Datto RMM, you can create custom dashboards in Kaseya as well. This can be done using various widgets and charts. The default dashboard houses important pieces of information, such as system statuses, active alerts, etc. You can also edit each of these widgets – add or remove them as per your priorities.
Kaseya VSA: Security
Kaseya VSA complies with various security standards. For instance, the company conducts SOC 2 Type II audits, which validate the operating efficiency of its internal controls.
They’re also in active compliance with the ISO 27001 standard, which lays down guidelines for the management of ISMS (information security management system). Users can also exercise their data privacy rights under GDPR and CCPA with Kaseya VSA. All communications between Kaseya agents and the Kaseya server are protected with industry-standard AES 256-bit encryption.
Apart from this, the company also conducts regular penetration tests (both internal and external) to ensure there aren’t any unnoticed vulnerabilities in their system. You can also set up various role and scope-specific access permissions and enable two-factor authentications. Overall, Kaseya’s security structure is among the most robust we’ve seen.
With all that in mind, the fact remains that Kaseya was a victim of a ransomware attack this year. However, there wasn’t any damage reported and the attack was neutralized in time. While this incident can be considered a black mark on Kaseya’s integrity, it has only helped the company bolster its security infrastructure.
Kaseya VSA: Support
Kaseya offers technical support through three channels: support tickets, email, and call. Phone support is available from Monday to Friday between 6am and 6pm EST. An advantage of using a global product like Kaseya is that there’s an active global community of users and technicians, where you’ll find answers to all your common queries.
Plus, Kaseya itself offers a lot of documentation, help, how-to articles, and YouTube videos that help you climb the platform’s learning curve.
Kaseya VSA: Final verdict
Kaseya VSA is a feature-rich RMM solution ideal for large IT teams and MSPs. VSA’s network discovery and SNMP monitoring will not let any device go undetected in your IT environment. You can then monitor them and get alerts in real time.
It’s also possible to auto-remediate common alerts with pre-designed scripts. There’s also a stealth remote control tool that gives technicians full access to any endpoint, with the authority to modify files without the knowledge of the end user. The Kaseya dashboard is likable, too. It’s simple and allows you to drill down on various endpoint parameters with custom filters and reports – and you can also add a custom dashboard with widgets of your choice.
However, while Kaseya is certainly not short on features, they’re priced at a premium. Although it doesn’t reveal its pricing, final costs may fall anywhere between $4-5/endpoint/month, which may be a tad too expensive for most businesses.
Plus, Kaseya suffered a cyberattack this year when the Russian ransomware gang REvil exploited a vulnerability in its systems. Although the issue has been resolved, the same cannot be said about the customers’ confidence in the company, which has affected its business as well. With that said, however, the company boasts a beefed up set of privacy and security credentials, which includes regular penetration testing to avoid such incidents in the future.
Kaseya VSA: FAQs
Is Datto RMM part of Kaseya?
Kaseya acquired Datto RMM in April 2022 for $6.2 billion, but it still exists as a standalone RMM platform separate from Kaseya VSA. With Datto, you can natively administer your Microsoft 365 tasks through a single-user management platform.
It also comes with automated patch management for OS and third-party applications, as well as native ransomware detection. There’s also a built-in network topology mapping, which gives you a clear view of all the devices in your IT environment.
Is Kaseya safe?
Kaseya is an experienced IT company that complies with various standards, including GDPR and ISO 27001. Plus, it has established various internal security policies. Despite this, though, Kaseya was attacked by a ransomware gang this year, who managed to exploit a vulnerability in its systems.
However, the attack was quickly neutralized and no damage was reported. In fact, this incident has helped the company further strengthen its security structure. It now conducts regular penetration testing to avoid such incidents in the future.
What products does Kaseya offer?
Kaseya is a multi-product company offering a range of IT solutions. You can use its VSA RMM to manage and monitor all your endpoints. Additionally, the company also offers PSA tools, data backup solution, cloud management tools, and email security suite. There’s also Kaseya 365, where you get multiple product functions bundled into a single solution.
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