DattoCon: the Experience
Key highlights:
DattoCon 22 was different, but why?
Old friends, good times
On the direction Kaseya is taking Autotask
The puzzling thing about AI Automation
Hello, MSPBot, Giant Rocketship & Others…
Was DattoCon 22 really it? You know the answer.
Wow, did it ever feel good to get out and go to a conference! For me (Steve), it was the first one since DattoCon Paris 2019.
For the past three weeks we’ve been sharing our thoughts on the Epic Vendor floor at Dattocon. (Subscribe to the weekly newsletter and download the DattoCon 22 Epic Vendor Meltdown eBook here). This week I wanted to talk a bit about the actual DattoCon experience: the touch, the taste, and even the smell, if you will.
DattoCon 22 Was Different Indeed…But Why?
This conference was overwhelming on so many levels. First, it was much larger than past DattoCon events, with 2,400+ attendees. Leading into the conference and the opening keynote with Kaseya CEO Fred Voccola, there was much apprehension over the Kaseya purchase of Datto. You could have cut the tension with a knife when Fred took the stage - no matter how good of a job Rob Rae did getting the crowd excited for the week.
But it all had a happy ending…some highlights of which include:
Fred’s keynote talked about investment in Datto products and not eliminating them
Lots of new products and integrations were announced
·The various speakers amazed, informed, and entertained us all
Plus, we got to take batting practice at Nationals Park, gorge ourselves on business development, technical and security breakout sessions and enjoy the learning benefits of peer group sessions with a bunch of MSPs in a room.
Oh yeah, and we got to eat real bacon (we ran out, which I am sure Rob Rae will be hearing about for months). And did we ever let loose at the Datto Elements party featuring the Spazmatics and DJ Diesel (who looked strikingly like Shaq). DattoCon may have a new, permanent home in Miami, but the future looks a lot brighter than it did before the music cranked and the first video played on the megawall.
Seems Like Old Times Again…
As awesome as DattoCon 22 announcements were, the best part was so seeing so many of our friends. While it was difficult to find them in the mass of attendees (the place was huge!) when we did connect, at least something felt like old times again.
It was also great to see the actual people we have been working with for the last three years in Zoom calls alone. And of course, meeting new people who are struggling with the same things we are:
Where is Kaseya taking Autotask?
How to make sure the Techs know what to work on next
How to be free of Service Delivery Issues so the Company can grow and prosper
On the Direction Kaseya is Taking Autotask…
For me (Steve) personally, the direction Kaseya is taking Autotask is a relief. The announcement of integrating Autotask and IT Glue into a single pane of glass was welcome news on several fronts:
Kaseya is going to continue funding Autotask development
The road map brings exciting new features lacking in the current PSA product
And it seems Kaseya agrees with our good friend Ben Spector from Zomentum who says, “The PSA is the Core App for MSPs”
Another area of apprehension for Advanced Global was the claims to AI automation replacing the need for Service Coordinators, Service Managers, and maybe even Techs.
This apprehension was not helped when Fred announced that, based on the data in both Kaseya’s BMS and Datto’s Autotask PSA tools, Techs are only 50% efficient. Advanced Global has been seeing this for years, and we are proud to announce our Clients improve their Tech efficiency by 10-20% in each of our Core Service Delivery Improvement Programs. But this fact also is driving the interest in leveraging AI technology to help the MSP’s Service Delivery Operation to be more efficient.
The Puzzling Thing About AI Automation
What puzzled me the most about AI automation is how a machine could know all the different factors that go into the Triage decisions. Information like:
The relationship with the Client
Incident vs Service Request
Severity or Reasonable Expectations
Skill Set of the Techs
Who is available when
And (most importantly) - what the Client is not telling us about their request (ex: “Help” - does not provide very much information).
It was no surprise to me that once a ticket was Triage, AI could shepherd the Client request from New to Complete and maybe do it more efficiently than a person. But AI is not capable of automating the Intake Process – that still takes a Service Coordinator.
For me, PIA was best of show and happens to be in the Service Desk Automation arena. The product demonstrated at the show seemed robust and focused on where it was most effective. The Client testimonies were convincing that this product is ready for primetime.
Hello, MSPBot, Giant Rocketship & Others…
MSPBot was also there. Daniel W. may have been the smartest person at the conference. He definitely knows AI and how to integrate it in the PSA software. He is also capable of delivering on his promises. What he lacks is a value proposition. While he can do most anything, why you would want some of MSPbots capabilities eludes me. Maybe it would dawn on me if we had more time than just a few booth visits,.
There were a few others, like Giant Rocketship. My guess is they are price competitive as they focus on automating repetitive tasks and providing a consolidated dashboard that combines Appointments, Service Calls, and ToDos, as well as batch updates for Tickets, Tasks, and Projects.
One other automation product worth mentioning is Rewst, which takes Robotic Process Automation and applies it to the PSA tool.
Was DattoCon 22 Worth It, Really? You Know the Answer.
All in all, DattoCon was well worth attending, especially because we are living in a very challenging and constantly changing MSP Vendor landscape.
Whew! That concludes our coverage on Dattocon, but this is not the end of the line for Autotask and our journey into the world of improving your MSPAutomation.
If you need help fully leveraging your Autotask PSA software and driving your Service Delivery Operation to best in class, please reach out to me and I will help you strategize a solution that works: Schedule a Call
Who is Advanced Global, and why should we listen to them?
Recently someone we’ve been in communication with since DattoCon 2018, who was faithfully reading our articles, commented that up until a few months ago, “I really did not know what Advanced Global does.” So here are a few bullet points to let anyone interested know who we are and what we do:
We Are – the Autotask Global Service Delivery Authority
We Help – MSPs thrive
We Solve – Service Delivery issues, inefficiencies, and challenges by making sure:
Techs know what to work on next
Someone is managing all open tickets and driving them to completion
The staffing levels are correct, and the workload is balanced
Real-Time Time Entry is a cultural habit
The Client has a great client experience
Profit is maximized
Autotask is being fully leveraged
The historical data that is in the Autotask software is accessible to benchmark, track & USE effectively
The Service Delivery operations can scale
Projects are completed On-Time and On-Budget
The Company can grow
MSPs know what they don’t know
Our Tools:
Autotask “Best in Class” standard build
Our MSP robust Service Delivery SOP library
Advanced Live Reports
Expertise in providing a transformational experience
Note: We are not philosophers; we are doers with 31+ years of Service Delivery experience, bringing real Service Delivery Improvement change, profitability, and Best in Class performance.
We start by offering a FREE No-Obligation PSA Configuration Evaluation.