Kaseya VSA
IT Systems Management Software for Internal IT and MSPs
4,1 /5 (181 reviews) Write a Review!
Great Product
Pros
Kaseya is awesome in the automation department. I am able to set scripts in place and have them run in the middle of the night. No more staying up after hours pushing out patches and fixes. I can set the patch management to scan for new updates, then push them out on a schedule that I determine.
Cons
The product works great on Windows machines, but updating a Mac can be tricky. I would like to see them move into the Android field more too. There are more and more Android devices coming into the work sphere that having an option to remotely fix androids would be great.
increasing helpdesk staff productivity
-- Tactical Responsibilities
Use remote monitoring and management tool KASEYA to deliver pro-active remote support
Establish monitoring and maintenance necessary for new and existing clients
Monitors Server Windows Operating System performance and takes action to resolve problems
Monitors the Microsoft Exchange Service and resolved any issues regarding the email systems
Monitors Workstation Windows Operating System performance and escalate actions
Monitors network Devices status and performance and escalate actions
Monitors Storage Devices health and takes action to resolve problems
Monitors VMware Infrastructure performance and takes action to resolve problems
Prepare and present service and monitoring reports to management regularly
Documents problems and resolutions on production servers
Completes scheduled audits and provides reports to customers periodically
Pros
Kaseya is one of the best RMM (Remote Monitoring and Management) tools in the market
we have moved from REACTIVE to PROACTIVE and now we are moving to SERVICES
related to "Service Management Maturity model"
thanks to Kaseya we achieved
1. Analyze trends
2. Set thresholds
3. Predict problems
4. measure applications availability
5. Automate (highly appreciable when you handle hundreds of devices)
6. Mature Problem Configuration, change, asset and performance management
7. Increase Security in multiple layers
8. Manage the entire Windows updates process
9. Remote Control
10. Compliance and audit Reports
Cons
unfortunately using kaseya core modules, it is not stronger to manage network devices
A powerful engine marred by lazy, ongoing GUI problems
We took on Kaseya largely for remote control of clients and Windows/Office patching. We quickly made use of its Agent Procedures and reports modules and then continued on, slowly integrating module after module.
Pros
Many powerful modules:
- I would not even consider Windows patching without Kaseya: it is granular, easy to use, pretty complete
- Agent Procedures and Policies allow enormous customization in what you can do - practically any script you can think of can potentially be run through here
- LiveConnect is smooth and fast and provides a wealth of tools
- Reports, Alerts, and Audit modules are clear (once understood) and provide tremendous detail and customization
Cons
Persistent, unfixed, obvious GUI issues spanning years and years after being reported:
- screens not refreshing;
- inconsistent filtering;
- misleading word choices in scheduling boxes;
- selecting multiple is a chore;
- "View" is powerful to *use* but clumsy and unwieldy to *manage/administer*
The way installation packages are created is terrible. If you have more than about a dozen OUs, you will see what I mean: you must create a new install package for each OU. We have 90. EVERY ONE OF THEM must be updated every time there is a new Kaseya client release (about four times a year). There should be one package that asks the user its OU based on a database that IT sets up.
Kaseya Anti-Virus and Kaseya Anti-Malware (which we used to use) frought with problems, in accurately reporting what was out there & in reliably installing or uininstalling packages. KAM in particular was so broken it caused us to dump the entire thing and switch to Webroot (though the Webroot integration module is a bad joke: it looks like an alpha product, nowhere near beta).
Patch rollback is difficult and usually impossible (though this may not be Kaseya's fault).
Great Remote Management Software w/ Many Features & a Couple Limitations
The Kaseya tools for managing client endpoints are fantastic. I enjoy how easy it is to install the software on client computers and how quickly it syncs up so that techs can begin remoting onto the endpoint in very short order. Kaseya offers a plethora of tools that can interface with an endpoint without ever having to remote onto a client system as well, which is great for when I don't want to call the client up to get permission to work on their computer. Some of those tools have some minorly annoying limitations, but I'm still willing to give an overall glowing review to this software. We use two different remote management softwares at the company I work for, and I prefer using Kaseya over the other.
Pros
Beyond simply remoting onto client endpoints, I really enjoy the ability to carry out various tasks in the background without having to remote on, including:
* Running CMD and PowerShell commands
* Viewing/editing Registry
* Running pre-built and customizable scripts
* See installed software
* Manage the file system
* Etc.
We use two different remote management clients, and I find Kaseya to be the faster of the two when it comes to deployment and availability after deployment. Sending commands through the background interface is also much faster than our other software.
Cons
Navigating the registry and file system using the background tools is very clunky. There's lots of scrolling involved, and it doesn't cache all of the entries, so if you need to navigate back up to a parent folder, you need to scroll down all over again and wait for items to reload, which can be time-consuming.
Also, in comparison to our other remote management software, it is not as convenient to upload or download items from my computer to the client endpoint using Kaseya. There's nowhere to do so from the remote connection interface.
Kaseya VSA - Not just for MSPs
Kaseya VSA has helped me overcome hurdles with outdated software, missing updates, and deployment of new software. I used Kaseya to locate which devices are using old version of Office and using Windows version XP, 7 and and 8 and 8.1. This has helped me in the process of updating all of our devices to the newest Office and Windows 10.
Pros
Kaseya VSA is not only for MSPs, but for anyone who needs help managing their assets in the office and in the field. I'm the IT Security Manager with all the hats in the IT world at a large confectionery broker. I manage over 250+ devices on my own, with the help of Kaseya VSA. I could not do my day-to-day job without Kaseya VSA.
Cons
I'm not a fan of the app as the functionality seems to be spotty. Right-clicking the client app sometimes brings up a menu, and sometimes it only offers a simple selection of "Refresh". This is my only gripe in the 3 years I've been using this product.
Solid RMM
Pros
Kaseya just scaled up on my number of end points without any issue over the years. It is stable and I hardly face any issue with the agent stability as I have bad experience other RMM that keep needing reinstallation of agent and etc. Kaseya also offers a huge range of solutions ranging from DRaaS, Network Monitoring, Ticketing and security to choose from that integrates nicely inside the RMM.
Cons
Nothing much except the price is a bit steep but I guess you have to pay for solid software.
Kaseya VSA Review
Good overall experience although my service desk have had confidence knocked in the product with recent outages.
Pros
Monitoring, Remote Control and Patching all within one management console. Ease of access to multiple features.
Cons
At times, not user friendly and hard to navigate.
Kaseya wins the award for worst support in any software I've ever used
embarrassingly disappointing
Pros
The software is actually quite good when it works properly.
It has a huge amount of features.
Cons
Kaseya support is terrible, I mean really terrible.
I think they only have one level 2 technician because the same guy gets back to me when the first guys can't fix it.
First point of support is guys in India with no idea of manners and very little training on Kaseya.
I currently have tickets open weeks and some for months.
I have been in IT for 16 years and never experienced such dreadful support.
Overall positive experience with Kaseya so far, but getting down to brass tacks.
This software allows my company to support and manage the networks, workstations, servers, and technology of our customers. It allows our technicians to remotely access and administer customer systems, automate maintenance tasks, monitor security and end user behavior, and also gives us a direct link into Kaseya's BMS product for support desk access with direct customer asset access and information. It has saved us many labor hours through automation of system patching and simple end user request or issue resolution.
Pros
I very much like Kaseya VSA's patch management capabilities, discovery, remote control and Live Connect, as well as the many integrations with 3rd party products. VSA has made troubleshooting and reporting on ours and our customer's networks exponentially easier. I like that Kaseya is plotting out a roadmap to a software version that encompasses all aspects of Managed IT Services, and am looking forward to the next release.
Cons
I am not particularly fond of Kaseya's Cloud Backup integration with Acronis, and while customer support was exceptionally good prior to our purchase, and for almost the next full year after, it seems that there have been some internal changes of late. We've had 4x account representatives in the 1.5 years we've been using VSA, and this last fellow just isn't cutting it. I've also noticed that our version (permissions) to the SAAS VSA do not reflect the same dashboard as others and getting features added or removed has been a process.
Good Platform for MSP's
I would say our overall experience has been a 3/5, the alerts and information on agent workstations come in handy. The file transfer feature to and from agent systems crashed a few times in our early days when transferring between MacOS and Windows. The chat feature needs improving as although it opens a browser window it doesn't automatically go to the chat which can result in users on agent systems sometime closing window not knowing why it's opened. Would be nice if chat just opened up in a window directly. A mobile app has been promised from sometime now and would be really appreciated. Ease of deployment for windows is great, however it's best to wait a month or two before updating to the latest MacOS release as we've found the Kaseya agent isn't always updated at the time of MacOS new releases. We also love the feature to update the agent icon to our own branding, again this works great on Windows but found icon reverts to stock image on MacOS after a few reboots.
Pros
We have both Windows and Mac admins and the ability to be able to administer from both platforms was a key a factor in our decision to use Kaseya VSA for our MSP business.
Cons
Connecting to an agent desktops can be delayed, we sometimes found we had to close and reopen the live connect app multiple times to connect to a host. This however works a little better when trying to connect directly from a browser.
The Kaseya lego kit
We manage almost 8000 of our customers machines. On almost all servers we run monitoring to alert us to issues, like disk space problems, services not running or certain eventlogs popping up. Here the lego building part of Kaseya is obvious. You get the rough shape to help you set up, but you determine what machine needs what monitoring. You polish the whole in the right shape.
We have good security options with Webroot, Malwarebytes and Patch Management as most important parts. We have remote access when we need it and can investigate problems without having to bother users and take over the machine a few times a day. Then there's the luxury of running commands, or agent procedures as Kaseya calls them, in a heartbeat. You can automate cleanups by tying monitor alerts to commands. In the past this could take you weeks to setup and maintain properly, but that task is mostly done by Policy Management now. You setup the roles per group, do they need monitoring, antivirus, patch managent, etc, etc and Policy Management does it all. Unfortunately there is no complete coverage for all Kaseya options, but in our case it's about 80 to 90% and that saves hours and hours....
All in all it's a pleasure to work with if things don't break, which is not too often compared to other software products. And what would be the fun if it never went kaput. What would I do.... :-)
Pros
- You can build a whole lot of automation with their building blocks;
- The depth of information should cover your needs;
- New leadership has taken some time to reform the company, but is now running full speed ahead;
- The potential of venture capital is a big benefit to what they can do, if you make them see the need.
Cons
- Old building blocks have lived on too long (this year is supposed to be the big clean-up);
- The mix of old parts (up to 20 years old) and very recent changes in limited places is confusing;
- Support can be great, but usually takes a few days to get up to speed on technical challenges;
- Integrations of Antivirus are limited and the Kaspersky Anti Virus option will cost you a lot of time;
Best RMM tool on the market. Period.
As an MSP (Managed Service Provider) in the highly competitive IT services market, our tool set is the backbone that enables the service delivery model that differentiates us from the competition. Because these tools are the skeleton of our business, we test all of them on a 3-year rotation to make sure we're using a best-of-breed solution that will make our services faster, more effective, more efficient and produce higher reliability and better outcomes for our clients.
Last year we evaluated our BDR (Backup and Disaster Recovery) and RMM (Remote Monitoring and Management) platforms with that backdrop. We included all of the major players (for RMM that was Kaseya, Labtech, N-able, Maxx, etc.) and a few free/near-free 2nd and 3rd tier players, and again Kaseya was the hands-down best-of-breed winner.
That's not to say it didn't have some short comings. It's a piece of software so yes, there are some bugs but none of them are heart stopping or business-critical, and we're an IT company! - we can get them resolved very quickly. And the bugs are no more or less than the issues we found in the competition - so on net it was wash against the competition.
But the overall scope and quality of the product, the depth of functionality, the myriad vendors that it integrates with, and the support team that we found responsive (slightly better then the competition) gave them a nod over the competition. Add to that the lightweight agent, integrated, lightening fast remote desktop access and HUGE user community where you can find a script for anything you need put them head and shoulders above the rest.
Everyone can find something they will love in Kaseya.
Pros
Robust features, lightening fast remote desktop access and huge user community producing thousands of scripts to cure every/any problem or request you may have. Full access to SQL database in included.
Cons
Slightly above average support response times and longer lead times for enhancements. Their SaaS version is slower than some of the competitors (altho the on prem is blazingly fast).
Technical Director
Having a remote control solution in the same web based app that allows patch management and scripting is the best efficiency aspect of this product for us.
Pros
Everything is integrated. One screen gets you a 360 degree approach to systems management... from AV and Backups, through 2FA & password management, through remote control and patch management.
Cons
The remote control feature works well on Windows Pc's, although can be quite intrusive on guest resources while active... and no remote control support for Mac, Linux or Android
Much of the interface will run in any web browser, but I find that you have to jump through a lot of hoops to get it running in a browser on anything other than a PC. As soon as you need to do anything that requires running of Keseya plugins (e.g. remote control or live connect)... only one platform will work (this rules out being productive whilst in transit or out of the office unless a full PC or Windows laptop is used)
The mobile management is cumbersome, very buggy and lacks decent functionality.
Managing AV and Backups is probably pretty good through Kaseya, but ONLY if all your clients / endpoints use Kaseya's sanctioned AV product (singular) and backup suite (again... singular)
The licensing can be tricky, and the sales team in my case were quite deceptive really in my opinion... we got ripped off and trying to get things solved here in Australia when all the decisions of any weight come from America... you find yourself feeling like just a number and nobody in Kaseya care.
Have used Kaseya 7+ years. I can do more in Kaseya than if I'm physically seated at the endpoint.
Pros
I have logged, literally, thousands of hours in Kaseya. As stated above, I can do more in the VSA than if I'm in front of the PC. Hugely powerful. People ask me "So what kind of things have you done with Kaseya besides just remote into a desktop"? Then I give them a simple example, such as how I wrote a small agent procedure that allowed me to uninstall Office 2010, install Office 2013, and activate the product with a license key on more than 350 endpoints with (literally) three mouse clicks. And I did it with a 100% silent uninstall/install while the user was logged in and working. They had no idea anything was even happening with their workstation. Kaseya makes what could otherwise be a huge project super easy stuff. Kaseya is probably the most important force multiplier in my environment.
Cons
Identifying a con is tough. The only drawback I would point out is that for brand new users there can be quite a bit of learning curve when you delve into the really powerful features. For example, writing complex agent procedures takes experience. That being said, the initial basic use of the most common features is easy to pick up right away, so even the learning curve isn't a big deal. When you're ready to "do more" and invest the additional time to learn the more advanced features, they're there waiting for you. For basic help desk folks, they may never need to go beyond the surface features.
Longtime user
Pros
We have used Kaseya for quite a long time. Over the last decade, we have tried to change to other providers when we felt issues were mounting, but never felt like we could find a better option. After a number of years of fighting through a variety of issues, we have seen the product settle down for us. We did recently deploy MSPassist with our VSA and hope that it helps add a lot of functionality we were missing with straight VSA. The pros for me center around the agent and scripting. These are much stronger than others we've used in the past. They have modules for other add-ins like Webroot, Veeam, etc. These are nice, but they sometimes are inconsistent. They have made some acquistions recently with IT Glue, Rapidfire tools and IDagent that are exciting with regards to possible integrations into the base VSA.
Cons
My main issues with Kaseya deal with support. We have had many times where it was difficult to get an issue addressed if we didn't "light a fire" or raise the devil with account managers. This even extended to professional services and some problems completing scope items. Also, reporting could be better with product. I generally craft my reports in other applications with information from VSA.
A full-featured product that could use better support and documentation
Remote Monitoring and Management of user PCs.
Pros
This software is very full-featured and allows quite a bit of granular control and automation. It continues to improve and has a nice amount of features that are included.
Cons
Features that would be nice to have in the base version must be purchased as additional plug-ins so that one feels somewhat "nickeled and dimed" every time you want to expand your feature-set.
The cost is on the higher end for a remote management product which could be justifiable if the support were better. I have found that it is a mixed bag of tricks in terms of how quickly you get a response and every time my ticket is addressed it is outsourced to someone for whom English is a 2nd or 3rd tongue. I don't have a problem with the outsourcing aspect but I often find there is more than a bit of a communication gap and it can be frustrating spending a solid chunk of time trying to get my point across due a language barrier. If this were a very low-cost product this would be more understandable but it is not.
There is also a very solid learning curve in terms of understanding all of the features. They offer a Kaseya University option to address that (which I am currently involved with) but it requires a subscription that keeps having to be renewed or you lose access. As the content is static, it would be much better to have a pay once and access forever -certainly for the same version.
Great software. Has a learning curve but there is nothing you cant do.
To many to describe. Remote access, auditing, reporting, patch management, scripting....the list goes on.
Pros
Live Connect is a great feature, giving everything from remote support sessions to remote shell access. The scripting gives you ability to do almost everything behind the scenes making end users very happy. There is no better feeling than being able to tell your customer you fixed a problem without ever needing to bother them or interrupt their day. The reporting functions of Kaseya VSA allow administrators to parse almost any information possible, into nice PDF or Excel reports. Customers are usually very impressed and excited to see the reports, showing them any and all information they want to see regarding their company.
Cons
The user interface is a little dated, and before you learn it can be cumbersome to get around in. Another issue, when you schedule a script for a date/time that already occurred, it executes immediately, without warning. Not a big deal for some things, but when you accidentally schedule a reboot script for the wrong time, you don't get any warning before your customer computers are rebooting in the middling of the day. Live and learn :)
Powerful software, difficult company
If I were to make the decision today, I'd choose a competing RMM. However after investing hundreds of hours into custom scripts and researching and designing monitoring.. switching RMMs is not an easy task. Consider that accordingly when making your decision. Also know that no solution is turn-key out of the box and that to make the most of your RMM, you will need to invest tech time in such R&D and customization.
Pros
Kaseya built out one of the first and still most powerful RMM tools on the market. They have wide-ranging integrations, a very mature scripting language, and a web-based single-pane-of-glass user interface that is simple but effective. Their remote control tool is extremely fast.
Cons
Dealing with Kaseya as a company has been the stuff of nightmares since I first used it in 2008. Despite massive growth, management overhauls, and continued change.. the company has and still seems to feel as though their clients are an afterthought. I got my hopes up a few times with promises of change and was let down. Pricing has always made me feel a bit "nickel and dimed". Acquisitions and integrations have been a bit buggy (KNM... you had so much potential!!) and have been their focus instead of improving the core product.
We have been using Kaseya for many years. There are some frustrations . Overall the VSA works well
Asset management and OS and software patching have been very valuable. The Kaseya Remote Control is fast and easy to use. Our entire team uses it every day to support our end users.
Pros
We are a private company that uses the VSA for supporting our internal network and users. As an asset management platform the VSA works well. We are able to leverage the many support features to provide assistance to our end users.
Cons
The integration with end point security has been tough. The management platform for EPS was frustrating and difficult to understand. We experienced false positives on a daily basis on the EPS solution. Ultimately we moved away from the Kaseya/Kaspersky solution for end point security.
We used the ticketing system for years before moving away from it last year. We found that the ticketing module did not provide the flexibility our team needed to track and manage tickets in the most efficient way possible. The ticket module was one of the modules that did not get much attention and did not get updates because we were pushed to the service desk solution.
Fantastic software for managing your enviroment
Absolutely love it. It does so much more for us than what we had before. The Kaseya knowledge base and public agent procedures site is helpful. Patch management is my biggest love from this product. The ability to access machines with just Internet access is a huge plus. It has also made managing our inventory considerably easier.
Pros
Easy to see all machines and servers in real time with connectivity status. Agent install is quick and customizable. Patch management feature is robust. Agent procedures allow a wide range of management possibilities. I love that I can access any of my servers with just Internet access. This have come in handy many times when iDRAC or VPN access has been lost.
Cons
Management for Macs is less robust. The lack of a 64 bit agent until recently was a pain point for a while. Updating Live Connect is time consuming,
A Review from a user and an administrator of the Kaseya VSA
Overall I (and our business) have a very positive experience with the Kaseya VSA in our day to day operations. The VSA allows us to centrally manage all of our customer remote operations including Endpoint Security, Backup of differing technologies, Patching, monitoring and remote access. The VSA also allows us to provide many of these same benefits to our customers which we support, enabling them to have a similar positive experience when needing to access their own systems.
Pros
I am most impressed by the functionality and ease of use of the Kaseya VSA for everyday operations, from the perspective of a managed services provider. Supporting our customers in a way that allows quick resolution of their issues is a driving force behind our software purchasing mandate, and the Kaseya VSA allows for this without being cumbersome to use.
Cons
My primary issue with the Kaseya VSA is around the licensing model. We run an on-premise VSA, but would prefer to have the flexibility of a monthly subscription service around our licensing as this is how our customers consume services in the cloud driven era we live in.
POS Support Made Easy
We selected Kaseya because our retail locations run 'Peer-to-Peer' (IE no Active Directory). We found most of Kaseya's competitors required AD joined machines.
We were also looking for a solution that provided inventory, scripting, and remote access (RDP) to end-points. Kaseya has all of those in one package.
Pros
Pros: very reliable, any outages have been either due to general system maintenance or patching. Makes for a very effective and information rich support environment.
Cons
Patching: tried switching from Patch Management to Software Management, but found Software Management lacking in essential features such as ability to spec and set 'file source'. Also Software Management seemed to find relentless issues (excuses), all over the map, different in almost all cases, not to install patches. We have reverted to Patch Management.
Scripting: Kaseya is 32-bit. Most of our clients are 64-bit Windows 10. 64-bit registry is essentially out-of-reach for Kaseya scripting. The '64-bit' procedures provided simply do not work.
4 out of 5 - Customer Support needs improvement
Kaseya is the most powerful Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) software available on the market. It's easier to use than its competitors and it has the most robust Agent Procedure and scripting engine.
Pros
Automation
Ease of use
Fully Featured
Great integration
Cons
Customer support is terrible.
Purchasing new agent licenses is a pain in the butt. you have to contact a rep, they have to build a quote, you approve the quote, they send the request to tech to generate your licenses. now you have to pay them 3 time or 4 time a month for multiple agreements.
They should have a shopping cart, that auto-generates the licenses, or better yet, an unlimited pay for what you use model.
Kaseya Customer
I have been with them for about 10 years and didn't always appreciate the company as a whole. Their current CEO has changed all of that. It doesn't matter your size, they will treat you as if you are a much larger organization.
Pros
The company behind it and the direction they are headed in. The account reps I have had for the past several years have been amazing. You need to get to know as many people as you can at Kaseya and learn to work as a team with them and you will be very happy. Their recent acquisitions will make their products better and they will continue to pull away from the competition.
Cons
It's doesn't seem intuitive at first. You need to invest a little to get things setup properly. All software is like this. They need to do a better job coming out with patches in a timely matter. Go to the conventions and get the certification and it will point you in the right direction. The networking at their conventions is priceless.
Great use of User Interface to keep the experience for techs consistent and still fully featured.
It really helps decrease the amount of time we spend working on client PCs and allows us to more quickly deploy global solutions to our clients.
Pros
Consistency of user experience and large feature set which allows techs to easily perform tasks while still being powerful.
Cons
Inability to use "Policy Management" for all modules as I haven't seen any 3rd party modules in there, nor have I seen the ability to apply policies for Network Monitor.
I'd also like to see a way to track the amount of time various automation are saving us. Such as software deployments, patch installs, etc. I can do some of this manually by having monitoring open a ticket then the ticket triggers actions which then add time and then close the ticket. But doing this for all automation isn't currently possible and this data would help justify Kaseya and Automation time to administration both internally and externally more readily.
I have been using Kaseya VSA for about 10 years now. It has transformed my business. I travel less and less to clients sites and do most if not all work remotely for them. Their customer support is top notch and they work hard to help you. Their billing department could be improved, but they're working on it. They have Kaseya Connect every year in Las Vegas. I wish they would hold it somewhere other than casinos and strip clubs.
Kaseya is a must for your business. They can scale with you as you grow your business too.