Privater equity firm Insight Partners has invested in SentinelOne, an MSSP-friendly endpoint protection software company. The story sounds straightforward enough -- until you take a closer look at the MSP software-oriented chess match between Insight Partners and Thoma Bravo.
Among the key chess pieces on the board that MSPs and MSSPs need to watch:
- Insight Partners: In addition to the SentinelOne investment, Insight also owns MSP software provider Kaseya and a lengthy list of cybersecurity companies.
- Thoma Bravo: The company's key investments include such MSP- and cyber-focused companies as Barracuda Networks, ConnectWise, Continuum, SolarWinds, LogRhythm, and plenty more.
Insight vs. Thoma Bravo: Why SentinelOne Matters So Much
Now, for a key twist in the chess match: Last I heard, Thoma Bravo-backed SolarWinds and Continuum were working closely with SentinelOne.
Among the items ChannelE2E will be watching closely for MSPs and MSSPs: If or how the Insight-SentinelOne investment relationship potentially:
- influences the cybersecurity company's partnerships with Thoma Bravo-backed SolarWinds and Continuum.
- triggers a partnership between SentinelOne and sister Insight investment Kaseya -- which competes fiercely against SolarWinds, Continuum and ConnectWise.
Of course, companies across the technology industry have both competed and cooperated for decades. So perhaps we're reading more into this competitive landscape than necessary.
Continuum, for one, applauds the Insight-SentinelOne deal. In a statement to ChannelE2E, Brian Downey, senior director of product management at Continuum, said:
"Continuum is very excited about Insight Partner’s investment into SentinelOne. We believe this further validates the importance of MSPs and enterprises extending their security services to include endpoint detection and response (EDR) capabilities, and that SentinelOne is the leader in this space. We’re looking forward to continue working with SentinelOne on helping secure our partners and MSPs, and believe this funding will help drive new innovation that continues to provide protection against new threats."
Also, a side note: Even as the competitive landscape shifts, the overall MSP software market remains quite healthy. As Kaseya CEO Fred Voccola recently pointed out to ChannelE2E, the MSP technology market has at least three unicorns that are profitable (Kaseya, ConnectWise and Datto).
