Choosing a cybersecurity solution is no easy task. Some solutions specialize in one thing, while others take a broader, unified approach. Finding the right balance for your company depends on many factors such as size, price, support, or complexity.
Atera and ConnectWise are some of the most common solutions, and in this article, we’ll compare the solutions head to head, and see which one is right for you, and if there are any alternatives worth considering (There are!)
About Atera
Atera is a cloud-based platform made to help IT professionals. It features tools such as remote monitoring, helpdesk support, ticketing systems, reporting tools, and IT automation.
Atera allows professionals to monitor their networks and devices from anywhere and solve problems before they get worse.
Key Solutions Offered:
Atera’s platform is like a Swiss Army knife for IT management. It’s lets you keep tabs on systems, automate tasks and manage projects.
Plus, it integrates smoothly with tools like Splashtop and AnyDesk for quick remote access and support.
The built-in chat feature also makes it easy for customers to get in touch with technicians when they need help.
For MSPs and SMBs, Atera is an all-in-one platform for IT management. It streamlines and automates patching as well as tasks like ticketing , remote access and remote monitoring. I use atera every day to keep an eye on my staff. It provides frequent customer support and also it is very simple to use and implement which seamlessly integrates with our current tools.
Why People Like Atera:
Atera is appreciated for its simplicity, scalability, and affordability. It’s user-friendly, so even non-techies can use it without much trouble.
Its fixed-cost pricing model means no surprises at the end of the month.
We have been utilizing Atera for all aspects of our department. The system is easy to use, with all aspects of the interface under a single pane of glass.
What Atera Does Best:
Atera shines in its ability to combine RMM, Professional Services Automation (PSA), and remote access into one seamless platform. This makes life easier for IT pros, saving time and money. Plus, its focus on automation means less manual work and more strategic thinking.
About ConnectWise
ConnectWise is a leading software company that supports IT solution providers (ITPs). They offer a bunch of services and resources to help ITPs succeed, along with a vibrant community.
Key Solutions Offered:
ConnectWise’s products are made to help ITPs create and follow efficient processes. They cover things like device management, contract management, proactive monitoring, and fixing problems.
The platform brings everything together in one place, making it easy for ITPs to manage IT services and provide great service to their clients.
Its UI is really nice and it makes it easy to search and access machines. Lots of customisation features available to choose from. I like how it is easy to run cmd in an elevated role just from SC. You can also communicate seamlessly with users from this tool. There are different options that you can choose from to install it on a machine. You won’t usually have any issues with it but if you do their customer support team is awesome.
Why People Like ConnectWise:
ConnectWise is loved for its platform that helps IT solution providers with all their different needs. People like how easy it is to use, the many features it has, and how well it works with other marketplaces. It makes work easier and gives flexibility. Plus, ConnectWise is really committed to making customers successful and always coming up with new ideas, which is why it’s so popular in the industry.
The tool is very useful and handy in the modern Era of Information Technology. It does not even let you connect remotely on user’s machines to troubleshoot, it also allows you to run queries, gather information, and queue things if the client is offline.
What ConnectWise Does Best:
ConnectWise is great at giving integrated expert services like its Network Operations Center (NOC). This handles everyday tasks and fixing problems, so ITPs can focus on big plans.
Their smart monitoring tech cuts down on unnecessary alerts, making fixes faster and keeping clients’ systems up longer. Plus, ConnectWise’s PSA tools and reports are top-notch, giving unmatched info and making things run smoother than the competition.
Atera vs. ConnectWise: Head-to-Head Comparison
When it comes to choosing the right IT management solution, two names often come up in discussions: Atera and ConnectWise.
Both platforms offer a range of features and capabilities tailored to the needs of IT professionals and Managed Service Providers (MSPs). Let’s delve into a head-to-head comparison to see how they stack up against each other.
1. Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM)
Atera: It’s an all-in-one RMM solution that lets IT pros monitor and manage networks and devices from anywhere. It’s all in the cloud and does things like automated IT management, thorough monitoring, and remote access. Atera keeps things simple, which is great for small to medium-sized MSPs.
ConnectWise: It also has a strong RMM solution with smart monitoring tech and dynamic device grouping. Their expert services, like the Network Operations Center (NOC), take care of everyday tasks and fixing issues, making things run smoother and keeping downtime low for clients. ConnectWise’s advanced reporting capabilities and marketplace integration further distinguish it in this category.
2. Professional Services Automation (PSA)
Atera: Atera has a PSA toolset that makes ticketing, project management, and business automation easier. It’s all in one place, which is handy. Plus, its pricing is fixed, and it has built-in remote access, which is convenient. But some users might think its PSA tools aren’t as powerful as ConnectWise.
ConnectWise: ConnectWise is great at PSA stuff with its platform for managing services and automating projects. It works with lots of other tools and has advanced reports that give you a lot of info. But some people might find its pricing a bit complicated.
3. Cybersecurity Management
Atera: It has simple cybersecurity tools like patch management and monitoring to keep clients safe.
It covers the basics for MSPs, but it might not be as advanced as ConnectWise’s cybersecurity stuff.
ConnectWise: ConnectWise is known for its strong cybersecurity tools. They use expert services and AI to stay ahead of threats and keep clients safe.
Their Asio Platform scales up to protect businesses and make things run smoother for IT providers.
Atera Pricing
Atera keeps it simple with pricing. You just pay for each technician, and there are no hidden fees. Each technician can help as many customers and devices as needed.
Unlike other MSP software that charges for each device, Atera’s monthly fee stays the same no matter how big your business gets or how many devices you add to your network.
ConnectWise Pricing
Remote Support One offers a single license restriction for $28, allowing one user to make one connection, ideal for supporting a few end users and small groups of machines.
Remote Support Standard, priced at $43 per concurrent tech, enables one user to make three simultaneous connections, better suited for supporting end users and unattended devices, with additional features like Wake-on-LAN and VoIP audio for meetings.
Atera vs. ConnectWise: How to Choose the Best Solution
When it comes to selecting the right cybersecurity solution for your business, it’s essential to carefully evaluate your options to ensure you make the best decision.
Both Atera and ConnectWise offer cybersecurity management solutions, but determining which one is the best fit for your organization requires considering several key factors.
Security Features and Capabilities:
When picking a cybersecurity solution, first, check what security features it has. Make sure it covers all kinds of threats like malware, ransomware, phishing, and data breaches.
See if it does real-time monitoring, finds threats, handles incidents, and manages vulnerabilities. Also, think about if it can grow and change with your organization’s security needs.
The most effective approach is to reassess the company’s cybersecurity model in terms of two considerations: how the network perimeter is defined and whether application architectures need to be altered for the public cloud. And choices regarding application architecture can guide the incorporation of security controls within the applications. These two key choices also inform one another. A company might opt, for example, to make its applications highly secure by adding security features that minimize the exposure of sensitive data while the data are being processed and making no assumptions about the security controls that are applied to a given environment.
Arul Elumalai, General Manager at F5
Integration and Compatibility:
Think about how well the cybersecurity solution fits with your current IT stuff. Make sure it works smoothly with your network, computers, cloud services, and other security tools you already use.
Check if it connects easily with common platforms and systems. It’s good if it has APIs and SDKs for making custom connections if you need them.
And make sure it follows rules like GDPR and HIPAA to keep data safe and follow the law.
“Similarly, processes can be made more effective. The traditional focus on compliance—adhering to protocols, ticking boxes on checklists, and filing documentation—is no longer suited to the quickly evolving cyberthreat landscape, if it ever was”.
Thomas Poppensieker, Senior Partner Global Risk & Resilience Practice, McKinsey & Company
Ease of Use and Management:
Check how easy it is for people to use and manage the cybersecurity stuff, especially if your organization doesn’t have a lot of IT skills.
Check out how the user interface and admin stuff look. It’s good if they’re easy to understand and use.
Look for things like one place to manage everything, automatic stuff to help, and dashboards you can change to fit what you need.
Also, see if they offer training, guides, and help to get started and keep things running.
Companies must, of course, explore the latest and greatest technologies, but it is also critical that companies establish and maintain good security protocols and practices to supplement emerging technologies—for instance, developing a robust patch-management program4 and phasing out software for which vendors no longer provide security updates.
James Kaplan, McKinsey Principal
Performance and Reliability:
See how well the cybersecurity stuff works and if you can trust it to keep your organization safe. Check if it’s been reliable and available in the past and if it can handle lots of stuff happening at once.
Find solutions with backups, plans for when things go wrong, and ways to check for problems before they happen. That way, you won’t have to worry about things going down or missing threats.
When companies invest in advanced technologies, but do not understand how best to use them or cannot find properly skilled administrators to manage them, they end up creating significant inefficiencies within the cybersecurity team, thereby compromising the cybersecurity program overall.
Jason Choi, Managing Partner & Advisor at Chiron Partners
Cost and Value:
Think about how much the cybersecurity stuff costs and if it’s worth it for your organization.
Compare prices, how you pay, and how much it’ll cost overall. Think about things like subscription fees, setting it up, and keeping it running.
See if they offer extra stuff like updates on threats, checking how secure you are, and help if something bad happens. That way, you can see if it’s worth spending money on.
According to our research, there is no direct correlation between spending on cybersecurity (as a proportion of total IT spending) and success of a company’s cybersecurity program. Some companies that spend quite a bit on cybersecurity are actually underperforming the rest of the market with respect to developing digital resilience.
Jason Choi, Managing Partner & Advisor at Chiron Partners
Atera vs. ConnectWise: What Do Customers Think?
Atera Customer Review
Positive Review:
Atera is an all-in-one solution that’s been quite helpful for the IT support team and ticketing-based services. It’s not only made our internal IT services but also enhanced our customer service through the customized ticketing portal. The user interface is clean and easy to get used to, making it easy for our team members to adapt quickly. Deploying Atera across our assets went quite smooth. We simply distributed the agent and were ready to go live. Plus, the AI features add an extra layer of efficiency and fun.
Negative Review:
Atera doesn’t have their own vision of the product. It’s development is guided by a mysterious “internal feature request list”. The net result of this is a product defined by 3rd party integrations with no discernable unique selling proposition. Although recently there has been a major push to get AI tooling everywhere in the product, none of it is solving problems that make Atera unique or stand out in any meaningful way.
ConnectWise Customer Review
Positive Review:
I like how there are different levels, for example some require the end user to consent to your control, others can choose not to so It’s really nice to have that option.
Negative Review:
When we used it, it was a bit clunky, support wasn’t great, and it wasn’t super easy to navigate.
Heimdal®: The Best Alternative to Both
Heimdal® stands as a robust cybersecurity solution provider, offering a suite of advanced tools designed to protect organizations against sophisticated cyber threats.
At the core of Heimdal®’s offerings lies the MXDR service, built upon the Heimdal® XDR – Unified Security Platform.
This platform integrates various cybersecurity solutions to deliver holistic protection across endpoints, networks, and data, ensuring organizations stay one step ahead of evolving threats.
Heimdal® Suite of Solutions:
Heimdal® offers a comprehensive suite of solutions tailored to meet the diverse needs of organizations:
- MXDR Service: Heimdal®’s MXDR service combines threat detection and response, endpoint security, and data protection into a unified platform, providing organizations with robust defense mechanisms against cyber threats.
- Patch and Asset Management: Heimdal®’s Patch and Asset Management solution streamlines the patching process, ensuring systems remain up-to-date and secure against known vulnerabilities. With automated patch deployment, customizable policies, and comprehensive reporting capabilities, organizations can maintain compliance and mitigate risks effectively.
- Cybersecurity Tools: Heimdal® provides a wide range of cybersecurity tools, including network security, vulnerability management, privileged access management, endpoint management, threat hunting, email, and collaboration security, among others. These tools equip IT professionals with everything they need to deliver top-notch cybersecurity services to their clients.
Why is Heimdal® a Great Alternative?:
- Comprehensive Protection: Heimdal®’s MXDR service offers holistic protection against cyber threats, covering detection, response, endpoint security, and data protection. This comprehensive approach ensures organizations of all sizes and industries can effectively safeguard their assets and sensitive information.
- Tailored Security Features: Heimdal®’s solutions are adaptable to organizations’ unique requirements, making them suitable for multinational corporations, SMBs, and everything in between. IT professionals can leverage Heimdal®’s flexible offerings to enhance their clients’ security posture and mitigate cyber risks efficiently.
- Customization and Integration: Heimdal®’s Patch and Asset Management solution stands out for its customization capabilities, allowing IT professionals to tailor the software to their specific business needs. Furthermore, Heimdal® offers seamless integration with other modules, providing IT professionals with a unified platform to address their clients’ cybersecurity needs comprehensively.
- Ease of Management: With Heimdal®, IT professionals can efficiently manage cybersecurity tasks across multiple clients through an intuitive dashboard and automated processes. This saves time and resources while ensuring clients’ systems remain secure and compliant with industry regulations.
What People Like About Heimdal®
People love Heimdal® for its generous selection of cybersecurity solutions boasting the world’s widest cybersecurity platform with 13 products , unified all-in-one approach, amazing customer support and overall ease of use.
It features highly customizable solutions, meaning that companies of all kind will find the right balance for their needs whatsoever.
Join Our Partner Program: Partner NEXUS
And moreover, Heimdal®’s Partner NEXUS program is now live and you can join in!
NEXUS (Network of Excellence, Unity, and Safeguarding) is a global initiative tailored for MSPs, MSSPs, distributors and resellers that aims at improving customer security and expanding business opportunities.
Why to join in? As an MSP, MSSP, distributor or reseller, you gain access to a comprehensive cybersecurity kit, user-friendly platform that simplifies security management, and extensive training and support for you to focus on growth and turn the tide against cyberattacks. Moreover, you get the best in cybersecurity:
- The most extensive XDR suite in the market.
- Unified management for simplified control.
- Next-level threat intelligence.
- Reliable and efficient cloud-native architecture.
- Innovative telemetry and responsive capabilities.
- Managed SOC services with exceptional support.
Pricing:
Heimdal®’s pricing is flexible and tailored to the specific needs of IT professionals. Organizations can book a call with Heimdal®’s experts to receive more information on pricing plans and benefit from an exclusive demo of the solutions.
This personalized approach enables organizations to choose the right package that aligns with their budget and requirements, ensuring maximum value and ROI.
Conclusions
Atera and ConnectWise offer solid IT management solutions catering to different business sizes. Atera focuses on simplicity and affordability, ideal for small to medium-sized businesses, while ConnectWise targets larger enterprises with its comprehensive platform and advanced features.
However, Heimdal® emerges as a strong alternative, providing comprehensive cybersecurity solutions tailored to diverse organizational needs.
With its MXDR service offering holistic protection, customization options, and ease of management, Heimdal® presents a compelling choice for IT professionals seeking to enhance their clients’ security effectively.
Ultimately, the decision among Atera, ConnectWise, and Heimdal® hinges on the specific requirements and budget of each organization.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What was ConnectWise formerly known as?
ConnectWise was previously known as Screenconnect.
What kind of tool is ConnectWise?
ConnectWise is a business management platform designed specifically for IT solution providers, including MSPs, information technology service providers (ITPs), and technology consultants. It offers a suite of tools and services to streamline various aspects of IT service delivery.
What is Atera used for?
Atera is a cloud-based IT management platform primarily used by IT professionals, including MSPs and small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs), to streamline various aspects of IT management.
Cristian is a Content Editor & Creator at Heimdal®, where he developed a deep understanding of the digital threat landscape. His style resonates with both technical and non-technical readers, proof being in his skill of communicating cybersecurity norms effectively, in an easy-to-understand manner.
