IT Pros Turn to the Cloud to Speed the Transition to Managed Security

CloudCare's central portal, by Avast Business, provides SMBs with the key services for great IT Security.

In the race to stay ahead of new cyberthreats and unexpected security issues for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), how can IT specialists and service providers continue to grow revenue, win new business, and compete effectively? Adding security services to your existing portfolio is one way.

With the right combination of security services, this can speed the transition to a more strategic service model and away from break-fix, or reactive services. Managed security services can deliver the protection that SMBs require very cost-efficiently, and at the same time, help differentiate, build, and grow your business.

Many of our channel partners are already delivering managed security or have started to make the transition to this service model.

Dave McPherson at SofTec Solutions is currently moving his clients to a managed security services model and this represents about 25% of his business today.  He explains:

“Moving more of our business away from break-fix services will help us manage our time more efficiently and reduce surprises by putting proactive security programs in place for our customers. The challenge is managing our daily work as we gradually make this transition. With the right technology and tools, we believe we can do it.”

Enter Avast Business CloudCare.

Avast Business CloudCare is a cloud-based administrative portal that includes premium remote control and a range of enterprise-grade security services that can be managed, delivered, and monitored from a single central platform. The subscription-based solution provides a pay-as-you-go service model so services can be customized for each client’s needs.

Scott Feaster at LGK Computers chose CloudCare for its cost-to-features benefits and the ability to provide more security services to more customers and scale his operations. He says:

“Using CloudCare just makes sense for our business model and client base. The services are easy to deploy and manage and the subscription model enables us to offer pay-as-you-go services for cost-efficiencies. Our clients gain the benefits of comprehensive security delivered responsively. Our team gains the operational savings and the ability to easily upsell new services. It’s a win-win.”

CloudCare’s Features:

• Easy-to-read dashboard: View important customer information, such as service subscriptions, systems alerts, scheduling policies, and new service needs— from a central dashboard.
• Comprehensive reporting: Generate detailed activity reports that show your customers the services you provide on a regular basis to keep their business protected.
• Centralized policy management: Manage and deliver pre-set policies to individual or groups of devices based on customers’ subscribed services to streamline service delivery to customers.
• Remote IT control: Connect securely to clients’ machines from any location to remotely resolve issues, perform tasks, reboot, transfer files, and chat with customers.

CloudCare's Services

• Antivirus: Provide Avast Business Antivirus Pro Plus to deliver enterprise-grade protection that keeps customers’ devices, data, and employees safe from the latest cyberthreats.
• Content Filtering: Block access to unsafe websites using a range of features designed to keep clients’ employees safe and productive during work hours.
• Cloud Backup: Ensure all data is protected and available with secure and automated backup for devices, SQL servers, Microsoft Exchange servers, and file servers.
• Email Security: Stop spam and secure emails with services that include Anti-Spam, Email Archiving, and Email Encryption
• Secure Web Gateway: Stop web threats from getting in to your network with DNS-level Network protection, without the need of proxy servers or on-premise appliances.

Using CloudCare, Roger Lehmann at Lehmann Computer was able to put a new service model in place and transition clients to a subscription model where costs are fixed and deployment is much easier to manage. Roger says:

“We have added more service contracts, gained the ability to upsell and cross sell more security services, and increased our CloudCare client base. At the same time, we have been able to reduce the number of customer visits and work faster and more efficiently. CloudCare has allowed us to create a new business model and we can now more easily manage the security needs of our customers.”

With CloudCare, you can manage and deliver security services for multiple locations and/or users without adding more staff or requiring more time.  Operational costs are reduced and with full visibility of your managed security environments from CloudCare’s central portal, you can easily identify opportunities to add new services. Your customers, and theirs, gain the advantages of Avast’s strongest network protection to date and providers have a much easier way to move away from reacting to service needs and putting a proactive managed security services model in place.

If you're interested in what a managed security services model would look like for your company, you can contact us for a free security assessment today: