ConnectWise wants to help technology solution providers (TSPs) become more efficient in driving growth with its latest products and services.
At its partner summit IT Nation in Orlando from Nov. 8-10, the company launched a pilot program for ConnectWise Unity, a new solution that helps automate and streamline billing while also enabling cloud-based monitoring and management. ConnectWise Unity allows partners to access and manage all Cisco Spark, Cisco Meraki, Cisco Umbrella, and Cisco Stealthwatch solutions from a central hub, and is being offered as a free trial with Cisco until Jan. 1, 2018.
ConnectWise Unite is also available for TSPs using AWS for management and billing of virtual machines and storage.
“Our focus and passion for more than 35 years has been to find ways for TSPs to increase their efficiency, enhance visibility into their businesses and grow their businesses,” Arnie Bellini, CEO at ConnectWise, says in a Nov. 9 press release. “ConnectWise Unite does just that by drastically reducing the complexity and costs of managing multiple cloud solutions, while giving businesses of all sizes the ability to quickly reap the business advantages of recurring revenues.”
Coming in 2018
In the new year, the ConnectWise Developer Kit will let development teams quickly and easily connect anything in their ecosystem to the ConnectWise platform with a single uniting “pane of glass.”
“We understand that one-size-fits-all solutions are not practical in an ever-evolving ecosystem as diverse as the one in which TSPs exist,” Bellini explains. “Giving our partners the choice to seamlessly integrate any solution they prefer with the ConnectWise platform allows them to take advantage of the single pane of glass simplicity in a way that makes sense for their unique needs.”
There will also be several new updates to the rest of the ConnectWise suite:
- ConnectWise Automate – this remote monitoring and management software will be transitioning to a web implementation to allow for tighter integration between it and ConnectWise Manage, its business management solution. Computer management and a new network map feature will be the first capabilities to move to the web, and both can be accessed from any device with a browser without having to leave the service ticket. These updates will be available in Q1 of 2018.
- ConnectWise Perspective – this is an addition to remote control functionality and will allow TSP customers and technicians share live video feeds via their smartphones to enhance service delivery. This video service, available in Q2 of 2018, will be able to auto scan barcodes, record session time, and add workstation information into tickets.
“One of the many benefits of Perspective is what it means for our partners when it comes to training and staffing. Junior technicians can operate in the field with a senior technician’s support back in the office,” says Craig Fulton, chief product officer at ConnectWise. “Additionally, Perspective enables a customer to play the role of field technician, in conjunction with the communication back to a technician in the office.”