Pilixo, a software startup led by former Kaseya CEO Gerald Blackie, is set to launch Remo -- a remote control platform for managed services providers (MSPs). At first glance, Pilixo is heading into a saturated, mature market. But take a closer look and Remo appears to have two major differentiators in terms of pricing and software architecture.
First, a little background. Blackie exited Kaseya after Insight Venture Partners acquired the company in June 2013. By January 2015, he re-emerged to launch Pilixo as the company's chairman and CEO. Numerous Kaseya veterans have joined Blackie on this new journey. Among Pilixo's latest launches: Remo.
An official Remo announcement from the company to MSPs is expected today, Chief Revenue Officer Michael Sanders confirms to ChannelE2E.
Pilixo Remo: HTML5 Remote Control
Remo costs $100 per concurrent IT administrator per year. Under terms of that annual subscription, a service desk technician can remotely manage as many desktops as he or she wants -- without paying any additional fees to do so. Moreover, Remo is based on HTML5 technology -- which means it works on a browser for any PC or tablet. There's no need for the MSP to install a viewer, and there's no mandate to use a specific browser.
With that business model in mind, Remo costs less than LogMeIn and TeamViewer, and it avoids the installation/deployment challenges of traditional report control software, Sanders asserts.
Remo is one piece of the larger Pilixo puzzle that Blackie and his team are piecing together. The others are:
- MSP Replay -- a video platform that gives admins "instant insight into what happened on a specific computer by recording the desktop and providing HD video playback."
- Bodi -- a cloud-based employee monitoring platform that improves corporate compliance.
Remote Control: Crowded Market
Admittedly, Remo targets a crowded market. Most of the major MSP software platforms now offer some form of remote control. Examples include:
- Autotask's relationship Splashtop;
- Continuum's relationship with LogMeIn;
- ConnectWise Control (formerly ScreenConnect);
- Kaseya Remote Control; and
- SolarWinds MSP Anywhere.
- Moreover, MSP software upstarts like Atera have added remote access to their PSA and RMM lineups.
Still, Pilixo's team has plenty of experience in the MSP software market. Blackie, Sanders and other company leaders have personally attended a range of MSP-oriented summits, conferences and workshops over the past year. In addition to demonstrating Pilixo's software offerings, they've been listening to MSP feedback -- on features, functions and pricing models.
Based on that feedback, Remo is launching today.
