Canalys, a technology market analyst firm focused on the channel, recently identified Acronis as a vendor of remote monitoring and management (RMM) and professional services automation (PSA) solutions that is well positioned for market growth and leadership. Specifically, Canalys placed Acronis in the “Scaler” category in its October 2024 assessment of the markets for RMM and PSA solutions. This marks the first appearance for Acronis in a Canalys report on RMM and PSA.
In the Canalys Leadership Matrix, a Scaler is defined as a vendor that, while not yet achieving the highest ratings in areas such as channel strategy, competitive portfolio and partner engagement, demonstrates marked improvement in sentiment and performance.
Positioned between the foundational and leading categories, scalers are recognized for gaining momentum and making tangible advancements that positively impact the partner ecosystem. This growth trajectory suggests that scalers are actively enhancing their channel programs, strategies and capabilities, putting them on a path to potentially become market champions in the future.
RMM and PSA defined and evaluated
This initial recognition from Canalys demonstrates that Acronis has gained a solid foothold in RMM and PSA, despite having offered solutions in both categories for less time than many competitors. Acronis has been in each market for fewer than five years, but has built a positive reputation and strong MSP partner network.
The report, Canalys RMM and PSA Leadership Matrix 2024, defines RMM as “software that provides a monitoring and management capability for endpoints,” and PSA as “software that allows a company to manage projects, billing, provisioning and other services related to a client’s IT estate.”
Acronis offers Acronis Management in the Canalys RMM category and Acronis Automation as a PSA solution. Canalys evaluated solutions based on several broad factors: channel vision, strategy and execution; feedback from the partner community; and performance metrics.
The firm uses surveys, benchmarks, analyst briefings and its own data to develop two scores. The “leadership” score shows where a vendor stands at the time of the report, and the “momentum” score represents how the assessment of the vendor has changed since the last report. Acronis was among the leaders in momentum score, which reflected a strong positive uptick in sentiment from MSP partners and earned Acronis a “Scaler” designation as a vendor on the rise.
Canalys noted that all 20,000 Acronis partners use at least some RMM functionality and that the Acronis PSA solution integrates with, as the report states, solutions from “all other major vendors.”
The new Canalys report casts Acronis is a new light
Canalys is the only analyst firm to research and report specifically on products and services for MSPs. Its RMM and PSA Leadership Matrix is a unique vendor analysis and assessment with direct relevance to MSPs that need to meet evolving client and internal demands.
Canalys has included Acronis in various other reports, including its most recent Matrix on Backup and Disaster Recovery, in which Acronis is a Champion and its Matrix on Cybersecurity in which Acronis was also a Scaler. However, the 2024 RMM and PSA report marks the first time Canalys has included Acronis in its authoritative RMM and PSA Leadership Matrix. Entering the matrix as a Scaler is a testament to the strong momentum Acronis is building in product innovation and adoption, and a sign of single-platform leadership adoption across the MSP tech stack.
“This report demonstrates that Acronis is an emerging player in the RMM and PSA space, with strong momentum,” says Robin Ody, Principal Analyst at Canalys and author of the Canalys RMM and PSA Leadership Matrix 2024. “MSPs are increasingly scrutinizing their tool spending, and platforms like Acronis can provide an important value add, particularly where they are built on open ecosystem approaches and strong ISV alliances.”
Acronis meets MSPs’ need for integrated cybersecurity
Acronis RMM and PSA are part of a security solution that offers native integration of a broad range of cybersecurity capabilities. It’s a differentiator that’s important for MSPs. “Other MSP technology vendors offer either broad portfolios of disparate products to secure, monitor, manage and back up their client endpoints and cloud apps, or they offer platforms with a partial stack,” says Rick Hebly, Director of Product Marketing at Acronis.
That approach can lead to issues for MSPs, Hebly says. “Implementing and operating dozens of products, interfaces, agents and integrations is an increasing burden on operational efficiency and restrains MSPs from achieving peak performance. A growing number of MSPs adds price pressure, while a shortage of talent increases costs.”
As a result, MSPs need to consolidate their tech stacks and automate services for operational efficiency.
“Acronis meets their need for profitability like no other vendor,” Hebly says, “by natively integrating data protection and cybersecurity with remote management and service delivery automation.”
Acronis Management delivers integrated RMM for MSPs
Acronis Management is a natively integrated, secure, AI-powered RMM. It is an integral service on the Acronis Cyber Platform that shares the same agent, policy engine and multitenant interface as Acronis security, data protection and service delivery automation. Acronis Management is a full-fledged alternative to legacy RMMs, featuring Device Sense™ for nondisruptive network discovery, asset inventory, automated vulnerability scanning and patch management for a wide range of applications. It also offers ML-based monitoring with auto-response actions, as well as AI-assisted scripting; built-in, top-tier, remote desktop and assistance; and the newly released DeployPilot™ for software deployment.
What truly sets Acronis Management apart is its deep integration of cybersecurity and data protection. It enables unique capabilities such as fail-safe patching, AI-assisted scripting for cyberattack remediation, and automatic digital signature checks and anti-malware scanning of packages during deployment. Extending beyond traditional endpoint management, it empowers MSPs to manage and secure Microsoft 365 tenants with centralized user onboarding and offboarding, as well as comprehensive Security Posture Management — a component set to be released by the end of 2024.
Currently, 20,000 active MSPs use some of the Acronis Cyber Platform's RMM capabilities for free, while nearly 4,000 MSPs have adopted the premium management pack, unlocking full RMM functionality natively integrated with endpoint detection and response, backup, disaster recovery and PSA.
Acronis Automation PSA enables MSP business transformation
Acronis Automation is a PSA solution that is easy to deploy, adopt and use. It is tailored for modern recurring and cloud service MSP business models. Launched in October 2023 after integration of acquired Computicate technology into the Acronis Cyber Platform, Acronis Automation is designed to operate a cloud-first MSP business, automating delivery of recurring software and services contracts with dramatically simplified implementation.
It integrates service desk, billing and invoicing, as well as contract and quotation management, stock inventory and project management. It also provides insightful analytics via KPI reports. Acronis Automation offers out-of-the-box integration with popular RMMs and Microsoft’s CSP Partner Portal, as well as with public APIs to integrate assets, ticketing and billing for all MSP tools and services.
Designed to provide the shortest path to increased profits and streamlined business operations for MSPs, it natively integrates with Acronis security, Acronis Management and Acronis Backup and Disaster Recovery, removing development and configuration complexity as well as the fragilities of third-party integration.
About Acronis
A Swiss company founded in Singapore in 2003, Acronis has 15 offices worldwide and employees in 50+ countries. Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud is available in 26 languages in 150 countries and is used by over 20,000 service providers to protect over 750,000 businesses.
