Autotask veteran Pat Burns has resigned from Datto, and his responsibilities will be managed by Senior VP of Engineering Adam Stewart, the MSP-focused technology company has confirmed to ChannelE2E.
At first glance, the transition is a bit surprising. Burns was VP of Autotask's product management, and a key leader in the spotlight when a private equity firm acquired Datto and tucked Autotask into the business in November 2017.
Still, I realize executives come and go in the M&A world. That's the nature of mergers and acquisitions. Plus, Burns' responsibilities shift to another seasoned veteran -- Stewart has nearly 15 years experience engineering Autotask's platforms. And more than 175 Autotask engineers and product managers remain focused on the unified business management platform, the company notes.
Datto Comment
ChannelE2E heard chatter about Burns' resignation in recent days. Replying to our request for comment, Datto Interim CMO and VP of Product Marketing Matthew Richards said:
"We can confirm that Pat Burns will be leaving Datto of his own accord to pursue other opportunities. Over the last 12 years, Pat was instrumental in building Autotask from a standalone PSA solution, through organic development, acquisitions and integrations, to the unified business management platform it is today. Since merging with Datto, Pat has assisted the team aligning the product portfolio, product management and product marketing.
Adam Stewart, a 14 year Autotask veteran and SVP of Engineering for Datto, will be taking over product direction for the Autotask portfolio. He knows the MSP market well and has a passion for delivering partners the tools they need to better serve their customers. With his extensive knowledge and experience leading Engineering, he will guide the team through the next generation of innovations as we bring the Datto portfolio together.
While we will miss Pat, a platform like Autotask is made possible by the tireless efforts of many around the world. Our team includes nearly 175 Autotask engineers and product managers working together to deliver a unified business management platform. Working with our partners, we remain committed to providing the best experience possible for MSPs. We will be releasing Autotask updates in the coming months, with more products to announce at DattoCon 2018 in Austin, TX, June 18-20."
Marching Toward DattoCon18
The statement, clearly, reinforces Datto's continued focus on R&D and the larger team of engineers who continue to shape the Autotask platform. The DattoCon 2018 conference will also feature complete Autotask Community Live (ACL) content. The ACL event, originally scheduled for September 2018, essentially merged with DattoCon after the companies came together in November.
When the Datto-Autotask merger was announced, Datto CEO Austin McChord was named to lead the combined company while Autotask CEO Mark Cattini exited. Cattini has since resurfaced as the CEO of ClickSoftware.
