To stay compliant, businesses rely on key standards like SOC 2, ISO 27001, NIST and PCI DSS, which offer essential guidelines for meeting regulatory requirements. In this blog, we’ll break down these compliance frameworks, explore their differences and explain how they help organizations meet their compliance needs.

Top compliance frameworks

With cyberthreats becoming increasingly advanced over the years, more stringent regulations have been implemented to mitigate their risks. These regulations play a key role in keeping data safe, protecting customer information and building trust in today’s complex digital world.

Let’s take a quick look at the four major compliance frameworks that IT professionals follow:

• System and Organization Controls 2 (SOC 2): This standard focuses on managing customer data by following five principles — security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality and privacy.
• International Organization for Standardization 27001 (ISO 27001): An international standard that helps organizations manage information security. It provides a framework for creating, implementing, maintaining and improving an information security management system (ISMS).
• National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST): This offers a set of security guidelines originally for government agencies but is now widely used by private organizations to enhance their cybersecurity practices.
• Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS): This standard ensures that companies processing, storing or transmitting credit card information maintain a secure environment to protect against fraud and data breaches.

With the right tools and systems, IT professionals can simplify compliance, automate audits and manage multiple frameworks more easily. This helps maintain ongoing compliance and quickly address any issues, allowing teams to focus on innovation and growth while staying secure and aligned with regulations.

Note: Regulation and Compliance Updates Every IT Professional Needs to Know

SOC 2: Protecting customer data with rigorous security controls

SOC 2 is a must-have compliance standard for any organization that handles customer data, so let’s examine it more closely.

What is SOC 2?

Developed by the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA), SOC 2 is a set of compliance criteria focused on how organizations manage and protect customer data. It ensures that businesses have proper processes in place to safeguard sensitive information and meet strict security standards.

Purpose: SOC 2 is based on five key principles that guide how data should be managed:

• Security: It ensures systems are protected against unauthorized access, covering measures like firewalls, encryption and multifactor authentication.
• Availability: It guarantees systems remain accessible as per service-level agreements (SLAs), with backup solutions, disaster recovery and monitoring in place to minimize downtime.
• Processing integrity: It ensures data is processed accurately, completely and promptly, reducing the risk of errors or data corruption.
• Confidentiality: Enforces strict controls so that only authorized individuals can access sensitive data. This includes access controls, encryption and secure data disposal when no longer needed.
• Privacy: Ensures personal data is collected, used and shared in line with the organization’s privacy policies and regulations, such as GDPR or CCPA, throughout its entire lifecycle.

What SOC 2 aims to accomplish

SOC 2 is designed to help organizations across industries achieve the following key goals:

• Data protection: SOC 2 ensures strong safeguards are in place to protect sensitive information from unauthorized access or breaches. It also guarantees that systems remain available and maintain data integrity, so businesses can meet operational demands without disruption.
• Privacy: It enforces strict controls to ensure customer data is handled responsibly. This includes restricting access to sensitive information, ensuring it is used only for its intended purpose, and securely disposing of it when no longer needed.
• Trust: Demonstrating SOC 2 compliance shows clients and partners that a business is committed to protecting their data. This builds trust and credibility, reassuring stakeholders that their information is secure.

Who follows SOC 2?

SOC 2 is commonly followed by:

• SaaS providers: Software-as-a-Service companies that handle user data.
• Cloud computing companies: Organizations that provide cloud-based services and manage customer information.
• Any business storing customer data in the cloud: Including hosting providers, managed service providers and third-party vendors.

ISO 27001: Setting the global standard for information security management

ISO 27001 is a globally recognized standard that provides a clear framework for managing information security. Here’s a simple breakdown:

What is ISO 27001?

ISO 27001 is an international standard that outlines the requirements for creating, maintaining and improving an Information Security Management System (ISMS). It helps organizations identify, assess and manage security risks in a structured way.

Purpose: The goal of ISO 27001 is to help organizations evaluate potential threats to their information systems and put security measures in place that align with their business objectives, such as maintaining productivity, protecting intellectual property and building customer trust. By aligning security measures with these goals, businesses can better allocate resources and balance risk management with growth.

What ISO 27001 aims to accomplish

ISO 27001 is designed to help organizations achieve the following goals:

• Systematic security management
  • Policy development: Establish clear policies for how information is managed, shared and protected.
  • Implementation of controls: Use technical, administrative and physical controls to protect information from threats.
  • Ongoing monitoring and review: Regularly audit and review security practices to keep the ISMS effective and up to date.
• Risk management
  • Risk assessment: Regularly identify and evaluate threats to information systems.
  • Risk treatment: Implement security measures to mitigate or eliminate risks.
  • Prioritization: Focus on the most critical risks based on their potential impact.
  • Incident response planning: Develop a plan to handle security incidents quickly to minimize damage.
  • Continuous monitoring: Keep an eye on emerging threats and update security strategies as needed.

Who follows ISO 27001?

ISO 27001 is commonly followed by:

• Multinational corporations: Large global companies looking to standardize their security practices across multiple locations and jurisdictions.
• Financial institutions: Banks, insurance companies and other financial services that handle vast amounts of sensitive customer and transaction data.
• Organizations with global reach: Any business that needs to meet international security standards, especially those handling critical data or operating in highly regulated industries.

NIST Cybersecurity Framework: U.S. government standards for security

The NIST CSF offers clear guidelines to help organizations improve their cybersecurity. Here’s what it covers:

What is NIST?

NIST is a voluntary framework created by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. It provides a structured way for organizations to manage and reduce cybersecurity risks, with the flexibility to tailor it to their specific needs.

Focus: NIST CSF provides best practices for identifying and managing vulnerabilities, strengthening security systems and building resilience. This helps businesses protect their data and systems from potential cyberattacks.

What NIST aims to accomplish

NIST CSF is designed to help organizations across industries achieve the following goals:

• Identify: Understand the assets, data and systems at risk.
• Protect: Implement safeguards to ensure critical infrastructure and data are secured.
• Detect: Put mechanisms in place to identify potential cybersecurity events.
• Respond: Develop plans to react to detected security breaches or incidents.
• Recover: Enable quick recovery from cybersecurity incidents to minimize damage and downtime.

Who follows NIST?

NIST is widely adopted by:

• Government agencies: Used extensively by U.S. government bodies to protect sensitive data and systems from cyberthreats.
• Defense contractors: Defense and aerospace companies rely on NIST standards to meet strict cybersecurity requirements.
• Highly regulated industries: Sectors such as finance, healthcare and critical infrastructure that require strong security protocols often turn to NIST for guidance.

PCI DSS: Payment card industry data security standard

The PCI DSS sets important guidelines to ensure businesses that handle credit card information maintain a secure environment. Here’s a breakdown:

What is PCI DSS?

PCI DSS is a set of security standards designed to protect payment card data. It applies to any business that processes, stores or transmits credit card information, ensuring they have the proper security measures in place to keep payment data safe.

Focus: These standards cover key areas like network security, encryption, monitoring and incident response to protect cardholder data throughout every stage of a transaction.

What PCI DSS aims to accomplish

PCI DSS is designed to help businesses:

• Protect cardholder data: Securely store and handle credit card information, ensuring that data is encrypted, protected and only accessible by authorized personnel.
• Prevent fraud and breaches: Reduce the risk of data breaches and fraud by enforcing strict security controls for all systems involved in processing payment information.
• Maintain a secure payment environment: Establish a secure, compliant environment for handling transactions, reducing the likelihood of payment fraud.

Who follows PCI DSS?

PCI DSS is commonly adopted by:

• E-commerce companies: Online businesses that handle digital payments rely on PCI DSS to secure customer payment data.
• Retail businesses: Brick-and-mortar stores that accept credit card payments must follow PCI DSS to protect transactions and customer information.
• Financial institutions: Banks, payment processors and credit card companies use PCI DSS to ensure the safe handling of payment data.
• Any business handling credit card transactions: Whether online or in person, any organization that deals with credit card payments needs to comply with PCI DSS.

Key differences between SOC 2, ISO 27001, NIST and PCI DSS

This table highlights how these standards differ in terms of focus, scope and certification processes, helping organizations choose the right framework based on their needs.

How Kaseya can help simplify your compliance journey

Navigating the complexities of compliance can be challenging for any organization, but Kaseya offers integrated tools designed to streamline the process, ensuring your business meets the requirements of frameworks like SOC 2, ISO 27001, NIST and PCI DSS easily.

Kaseya’s Compliance Manager GRC is a powerful tool that automates many of the time-consuming tasks involved in compliance. It helps IT professionals manage risk assessments, policy creation and compliance reporting with ease. By automating these processes, Compliance Manager GRC reduces the burden of meeting compliance requirements, making it simpler to stay aligned with various frameworks.

For businesses operating within Microsoft 365 environments, Kaseya 365 offers an all-in-one solution to unify data security and compliance. It provides continuous monitoring, management, and protection of critical cloud data, helping ensure that your organization remains compliant while also safeguarding sensitive information.

Drive growth with Kaseya’s powerful tools

With Kaseya’s tools, managing compliance becomes much easier. You can streamline the entire process, reduce the complexity of handling multiple frameworks and focus on growing your business without sacrificing security. Schedule a demo of Compliance Manager GRC and Kaseya 365 today to see how these solutions can simplify your compliance efforts and help you meet your security goals.

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HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act)

HIPAA is a critical regulation for IT professionals working in the healthcare sector since it establishes national standards for protecting sensitive patient information. The act is divided into several key components, including the privacy rule, security rule and breach notification rule, each of which outlines specific requirements for managing and securing patient data.

• Privacy rule: Focuses on safeguarding patient information, ensuring that it’s kept confidential and only shared when necessary.
• Security rule: Sets standards for the secure handling, transmission and storage of electronic protected health information (ePHI).
• Breach notification rule: Mandates the procedures to follow in the event of a data breach, including notifying affected individuals and reporting the breach to the appropriate authorities.

Recent changes to HIPAA

HIPAA regulations have evolved to address the growing needs of modern healthcare IT environments, particularly with the rise of telehealth and remote work. Some recent updates include:

• Privacy rule adjustments: New provisions allow for more flexibility in sharing patient information during public health emergencies, enhancing patient care without compromising privacy.
• Guidelines for secure communications: With the increasing use of telehealth, new guidelines have been introduced to ensure that patient data remains secure during virtual consultations.
• Enhanced enforcement: There has been a significant increase in the enforcement of HIPAA regulations, with stricter penalties for non-compliance, particularly in cases of data breaches and improper handling of patient information.

Impact on IT professionals

The recent changes to HIPAA regulations require IT professionals to adapt their strategies for data management and security. Key considerations include:

• Data handling and storage: IT teams must review and update their data storage protocols to ensure they align with the latest privacy and security requirements. This includes using encryption and secure data transfer methods.
• Security measures: Implementing multifactor authentication (MFA) and regular audits are crucial steps in maintaining compliance. IT professionals must ensure that all systems and devices used in the healthcare setting are properly secured against unauthorized access.
• Remote work compliance: With more healthcare professionals working remotely, IT teams must develop strategies to secure remote access to patient data. This includes providing secure VPNs, monitoring remote sessions and ensuring that all remote devices meet HIPAA security standards.

Additional reading: Automated HIPAA Compliance: IT Automation Makes it Simple

PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard)

PCI DSS is a critical framework for businesses that handle payment card information, ensuring that sensitive data is protected from breaches and fraud. It sets forth a series of security controls and requirements designed to safeguard cardholder data throughout its lifecycle.

Core requirements: PCI DSS outlines 12 core requirements designed to protect cardholder data, ensure secure systems, and continuously monitor and test networks. These requirements cover everything from implementing strong access control measures to maintaining a secure network. They are:

• Install and maintain a firewall configuration to protect cardholder data.
• Do not use vendor-supplied defaults for system passwords and other security parameters.
• Protect stored cardholder data.
• Encrypt transmission of cardholder data across open, public networks.
• Use and regularly update antivirus software or programs.
• Develop and maintain secure systems and applications.
• Restrict access to cardholder data based on business needs.
• Assign a unique ID to each person with computer access.
• Restrict physical access to cardholder data.
• Track and monitor all access to network resources and cardholder data.
• Regularly test security systems and processes.
• Maintain a policy that addresses information security for all personnel.

Security controls: The standard also emphasizes the importance of maintaining security controls, such as encryption, to protect data both at rest and in transit.

Recent changes to PCI DSS

The latest version of PCI DSS, such as PCI DSS v4.0, introduces several updates aimed at addressing the evolving landscape of payment security. Key changes include:

• New encryption requirements: The latest updates have strengthened encryption standards, ensuring that payment card data is protected even more robustly against potential breaches.
• Enhanced authentication measures: New guidelines emphasize the need for stronger authentication protocols, including multifactor authentication, to ensure that only authorized users can access sensitive payment information.
• Vulnerability management enhancements: The updates also introduce more rigorous requirements for vulnerability management, ensuring that businesses are proactive in identifying and addressing potential security weaknesses.
• Flexible security approaches: PCI DSS v4.0 offers more flexibility, allowing organizations to customize their security measures to better fit their specific risk environment while still meeting the standard’s requirements.

Impact on IT professionals

These updates to PCI DSS require IT professionals to make significant adjustments in how they manage and secure payment card data. Here’s what these changes mean for day-to-day operations:

• Security protocol adjustments: IT teams will need to revisit and update their security protocols to align with the new encryption and authentication requirements, ensuring that all systems are compliant.
• Adoption of new technologies: Compliance may necessitate the implementation of new tools and technologies, such as advanced encryption methods and more robust authentication systems, to meet enhanced security standards.
• Continuous monitoring and risk assessment: There’s an increased focus on ongoing monitoring and risk assessment. IT professionals will need to ensure that their systems are continuously tested and monitored for vulnerabilities, maintaining a proactive stance against potential security threats.

GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation)

GDPR is a cornerstone of global data protection, setting the standard for how personal data should be handled, especially within the European Union (EU). It has far-reaching implications for businesses worldwide, as it governs the collection, storage and processing of personal data, ensuring that individuals’ privacy rights are respected.

Key principles: GDPR is built around several fundamental principles, including data minimization, accuracy and storage limitation. It also establishes strict guidelines for data processing, requiring that organizations obtain clear consent and provide transparency about how data is used. The key principles are:

• Lawfulness, fairness and transparency
• Purpose limitation
• Data minimization
• Accuracy
• Storage limitation
• Integrity and confidentiality (security)
• Accountability

Individual rights: GDPR enshrines several rights for individuals, such as the right to access their data, the right to be forgotten and the right to data portability. These rights empower individuals to have greater control over their personal information. Here are the eight individual rights the GDPR protects:

• The right to be informed
• The right of access
• The right of rectification
• The right to erasure
• The right to restrict processing
• The right to data portability
• The right to object
• The right to not be subject to automated decision-making

Recent changes to GDPR

GDPR continues to evolve as new challenges and interpretations arise. The European Data Protection Board (EDPB) regularly issues updates and clarifications that impact how businesses must comply with GDPR.

• EDPB updates: Recent guidance from the EDPB has provided additional clarity on complex issues, such as the legal basis for processing data and the obligations of data controllers and processors.
• Data transfer guidelines: One of the most significant developments involves the implications of the Schrems II decision, which invalidated the Privacy Shield framework for transatlantic data transfers. New guidelines have been introduced to ensure that international data transfers meet GDPR’s strict requirements.
• Increased enforcement: There has been a notable increase in penalties and enforcement actions, with regulators imposing substantial fines for non-compliance. This trend underscores the importance of adhering to GDPR’s provisions.

Impact on IT professionals

For IT professionals, these developments mean staying vigilant and proactive in managing data protection and compliance efforts.

• International data transfers: IT teams must ensure that all data transfers, particularly those involving third countries, comply with the new guidelines. This may involve revisiting existing data transfer mechanisms and implementing additional safeguards.
• Strengthening data protection: With the increased scrutiny and penalties, it’s essential to strengthen data protection measures. This includes regularly updating security protocols, conducting data protection impact assessments, and ensuring that data processing activities are fully compliant with GDPR.
• Keeping up with EDPB guidelines: Staying informed about the latest EDPB guidelines and recommendations is crucial. IT professionals need to regularly review these updates and adjust their practices accordingly to ensure ongoing compliance.

Recent changes by regulatory agencies (FCC and others)

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) plays a crucial role in regulating communications and technology, impacting a wide range of industries, including telecommunications, broadcasting and internet services. IT professionals must stay informed about FCC regulations since they can directly affect how technology and communications infrastructure is managed and secured.

• Net neutrality regulations: The debate over net neutrality has led to several changes in FCC regulations, affecting how internet service providers (ISPs) manage and prioritize data traffic. These changes have significant implications for how data is transmitted across networks and could impact the performance and accessibility of online services.
• Cybersecurity requirements: In response to increasing cyberthreats, the FCC has introduced new cybersecurity requirements for telecommunications providers. These regulations are designed to protect critical communications infrastructure and ensure that providers are taking the necessary steps to secure their networks against potential attacks.

Other regulatory updates

Beyond the FCC, there have been important updates from other regulatory bodies that IT professionals must be aware of, especially regarding privacy and cybersecurity.

• California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA ): The CCPA has undergone several amendments, tightening the rules around how businesses collect, store and share consumer data. These changes require businesses to enhance their data protection practices and offer greater transparency to consumers about their data rights.
• State-level privacy laws: Several states have introduced their own privacy laws, creating a complex patchwork of regulations that businesses must navigate. These state-level laws often have unique requirements, making it essential for IT teams to stay informed and ensure compliance across different jurisdictions.
• NIST Updates: The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) continues to update its cybersecurity frameworks, providing new guidelines and best practices for protecting information systems. These updates are particularly relevant for IT professionals responsible for maintaining robust security measures and ensuring that their organizations adhere to the latest standards.

Impact on IT Professionals

These regulatory changes require IT professionals to be agile and proactive in adapting their practices to meet new standards and requirements.

• Telecommunications regulations: IT teams need to stay updated on changes in telecommunications regulations, particularly those introduced by the FCC. This may involve adjusting network management practices and ensuring that cybersecurity measures align with the latest requirements.
• Privacy and cybersecurity measures: With the tightening of privacy laws like CCPA and the introduction of new state-level regulations, IT professionals must enhance their data protection strategies. This includes implementing stronger access controls and data encryption and ensuring that consumer data is handled in accordance with the latest legal requirements.
• Monitoring state-level developments: As more states introduce their own privacy and cybersecurity laws, it’s critical for IT teams to monitor these developments and adjust their compliance strategies accordingly. Keeping up with these changes will help avoid potential legal pitfalls and ensure that the organization remains compliant across all regions where it operates.

Essential resources for IT professionals

Keeping up with regulatory changes can be challenging, but there are plenty of resources available to help IT professionals stay informed like:

• Official websites: Regulatory bodies like the FCC, EDPB and NIST regularly update their websites with the latest guidelines and changes.
• Industry associations: Joining industry associations, such as the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) or the Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA), can provide valuable insights and networking opportunities.
• Professional networks: Engaging with professional networks and forums, both online and offline, can help you exchange knowledge with peers and stay ahead of industry trends.

Stay compliant and secure with Kaseya 365

As regulations evolve, so must the strategies and tools that IT professionals use to protect data, manage networks and ensure privacy.

This is where Kaseya 365 comes in. Designed with these evolving needs in mind, Kaseya 365 integrates endpoint management, security, backup and automation into a single, cohesive platform. With everything you need to manage your endpoints available on one screen, you can quickly take the right actions at the right time.

This streamlined approach not only enhances your efficiency but also ensures that your systems remain compliant with the latest regulations, giving you peace of mind in a constantly changing landscape. Experience the power of Kaseya 365 for yourself — schedule a demo today to see how this all-in-one platform can help you stay ahead of regulatory changes and keep your systems secure and compliant.

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As we adjust to the “new normal,” adopting new technologies is no longer a good practice but rather a necessity for SMBs. The 2022 IT Operations Survey Report by Kaseya provides detailed insights into the state of IT operations at SMBs, highlights how IT professionals at SMBs do their job, their technology preferences, investment priorities and the trends they hope to capitalize on in the near future.

We collected data from nearly 2,000 IT experts, which allowed us to paint a portrait of an IT pro. By analyzing data from an IT professional’s perspective, we got an in-depth look at the state of affairs in the IT industry — the good, the bad and the ugly.

Meet the respondents

The majority of our respondents come from the Americas (86%).The remaining are distributed equally between APAC (7%) and EMEA (7%). More than one-fourth (26%) of respondents work in the technology sector. The education industry accounted for 13% of the respondent base, followed by the financial and healthcare industries, each accounting for 10% of the respondent base.

More than one-quarter of respondents identify as IT manager or supervisor across all regions. Nearly one-third of respondents identify as director-level or above. Year-over-year, we saw a statistically significant shift from system administrator to manager and from manager to director, demonstrating the opportunity for advancement in IT.

Themes and key findings

Customers today expect a seamless experience regardless of who they do business. That’s why SMBs are taking advantage of modern technologies, previously only available to large companies, to stay competitive, attract new clients and fill efficiency-cost gaps.

SMBs are also adopting technologies like integration and automation to capture this shift in business practices. Let’s look at the three recurring themes that emerged from the responses.

Attention on integration

Managing your IT environment with multiple disparate solutions hampers technician efficiency and makes it difficult for you to meet your SLAs and keep your end users/customers happy. An integrated solution that combines the power of endpoint management, help desk and IT documentation helps streamline your IT operations and provide superior service delivery to more customers without increasing headcount.

We asked respondents to rate how important they consider integration between tools for the success of their business. Over half of the respondents cited integration as a crucial factor for their business for all the options.

Below are the top three integrations, extracted from the complete table. The entire table with the full list of integrations can be found in the IT Operations Survey Report. 

The percentage of respondents who value integration increased as compared to 2021. Download the IT Operations Survey Report to learn how the yearly comparison numbers stack up and which integrations have gained traction over the past year.

The report also provides details on:

• Which core solutions respondents believe are best to integrate
• The importance of integration when replacing a core tool

Security: Everything is on the line

In this era of remote and hybrid work environments, companies of all sizes are vulnerable to cybercriminals looking for loopholes in their security perimeters. SMBs have realized that cybercriminals view them as easy targets, and they are becoming more vigilant to change this dynamic.

About half (49%) the respondents view cybersecurity and data protection as the biggest IT challenge of 2022. You can find a complete list of top challenges broken down by region in the report.

More than half (52%) the respondents cited improving IT security as the top priority.

Consequently, more small businesses are outsourcing their security needs to IT service providers to benefit from advanced protection.

Other security metrics included in the report are:

• Allocation of resources to security
• IT security staffing growth
• Changes in IT security budgets

A modernized and automated workplace

By leveraging the power of IT automation, IT teams can boost their productivity and keep the business running smoothly. Automation helps small businesses automate mundane and routine tasks that both burn technicians out and is kryptonite to departmental efficiency. Automating the right processes is a silver bullet to many of these challenges and empowers SMBs to scale and provide top-quality service without a hitch.

Almost half of the respondents (48%) said they are planning to invest in automation technologies in 2023. The report includes a complete list of technologies respondents want to invest in, broken down by geography.

Other key metrics shared in the report include:

• 40% of respondents said they are looking to update their outdated IT infrastructure in 2022.
• 33% of respondents placed increasing IT productivity through automation among their top three business priorities for 2022.

Concluding thoughts

The global economy is undergoing massive changes, and SMBs are not immune. They are adopting new technologies and approaching IT from a new perspective, with C-level executives playing a bigger role in the decision-making process. At this time, getting a consensus on what your peers are doing and what changes they aim to make to their IT setup can help you take strategic business decisions. Among the topics covered in the report are budgets, hiring, technology investments and more. Based on the data in the report, you’ll be able to see what lies ahead and streamline your IT process to keep up with changes in the business world.

Download the 2022 IT Operations Survey Report and see if you and your organization are ready to meet the needs of tomorrow.

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IT departments and MSPs must leverage advanced reporting tools and functions to uncover stories hidden in the numbers and demonstrate the real and tangible value of their services. The results will lead to improved business efficiency, higher revenue and lower costs.

This blog covers all the basics of IT reports, such as how to create one, what metrics to add, report-creation best practices, and how they can benefit your MSP or business. Let’s get started.

What is an IT report?

The core objective of every business activity is to increase revenue cost-effectively. Every department within a company contributes to this goal, and to measure progress, they track key performance indicators (KPIs).

As part of their performance evaluation process, MSPs and IT departments must also track several KPIs to show clients and stakeholders that their services meet promised standards. IT reports are an amalgamation of these KPIs and provide insights into the performance of an MSP or IT department. They also provide detailed insights into IT operations, performance of tools, teams and projects, and help uncover areas for improvement.

While MSPs and internal IT can track hundreds of metrics, keeping tabs on all of them is time-consuming and labor-intensive. Besides, not all metrics provide value. For a report to be valuable and impactful, MSPs and internal IT teams should identify key metrics and track them regularly.

Why is IT reporting important?

The IT department is one of the most important departments for the success of an organization. In addition to managing day-to-day IT tasks, IT teams and MSPs play a critical role in proactively identifying and resolving cybersecurity threats, running the help desk and service desk, and managing several mission-critical projects efficiently and cost-effectively.

An IT report is a quick way for MSPs to demonstrate the value of their services to clients and leverage the data to build credibility and upsell and cross-sell higher value services to drive higher MRR growth. Small and midsized businesses (SMBs) can leverage the report to get funding approval from executives to advance critical IT projects, hire more staff or purchase new equipment. It’s also a great way for MSPs and businesses to check if they are maximizing their investment in technology, which can become a drain on resources and a costly endeavor if overlooked. IT reports help companies plan better budgets, prevent client churn and streamline processes by making informed business decisions.

Remember that the presentation of your report is just as important as the metrics reported. According to the 2022 Benchmark Survey, almost three-fourths (74%) of respondents said they want better dashboarding and reporting capabilities for showcasing value to customers. However, most remote management and monitoring (RMM) solutions come with very little reporting out of the box. Best-in-class RMM solutions like Kaseya VSA come readily equipped with enterprise-grade reporting that helps create value-driven reports as well as automates report preparation and delivery. With VSA reporting, you can demonstrate your true value to clients and stakeholders, increasing client satisfaction and helping your business grow.

Who uses IT reports?

To some extent, every company is a technology company, so Chief Technology Officers (CTOs) can leverage the IT report dashboard to see a complete picture of their company’s IT needs. MSPs can use it to gain a complete view of their clients’ IT environments. Using the consolidated IT data, a CTO will evaluate whether to invest in new technology or optimize the use of existing ones.

People, processes and technology are the three pillars of a business. A Chief Information Officer (CIO) can leverage the IT report data to streamline the three pillars for maximum productivity and to achieve business goals and objectives.

CEOs can view the IT report dashboard to make final decisions on IT budgets and implement strategic changes.

What are some examples IT reports?

While there are many kinds of IT reports, these are the most common ones that most organizations will find useful.

Endpoint/device report

An endpoint report provides complete insight into the number of machines, types of machines, warranty status of each machine and much more. By using the data from this report, MSPs and stakeholders can centrally discover, provision, monitor, troubleshoot and update endpoint devices.

Downtime and service outages report

Outages and downtimes can be caused by any number of things, from servers going down and CRM tools going dark, to cybersecurity defenses failing to internet woes. A few minutes of downtime can result in huge losses for your clients or your company.

An outage and downtime report highlights all the times an episode hampered business activity and how it was resolved. It also highlights the potential revenue loss and business damage that could have occurred had the IT teams and technicians not put out the fires. By analyzing these reports, MSPs and businesses can determine whether the solution they implemented to prevent downtime is working or not.

SLA report

Service level agreements (SLAs) are crucial because they give stakeholders an idea of the value that will be provided by IT services and your commitment to deliver them. They also help strengthen business and team relationships. In the broader IT report, the SLA section should highlight the number of tickets solved within SLAs, the number of tickets solved out of SLAs, the types of tickets solved out of SLAs and so on. An SLA report should also highlight tickets solved by your RMM/endpoint management solution and indicate improvement using a trend line.

IT problems permanently resolved

One of the most obvious metrics an IT report should present is a list of technical problems that have been permanently resolved. This simple set of data will help you showcase the impact your MSP or IT team has on improving business operations and increasing efficiency.

IT backlog

In customer service, ticket backlog refers to the number of open tickets at any level of the service agreement. A low backlog of tickets indicates a quick resolution of issues, which is ideal. Although ticket backlogs are not uncommon, they can indicate a lack of discipline at the identified service team level, a shortage of technicians or a host of other issues. An IT backlog report is a quick way to rectify bottlenecks causing backlog buildup. Kaseya BMS is the next-generation service desk and ticketing solution that manages all support tickets between you and your end users. It also helps align IT services with the needs of your business.

Patch compliance report

Patch compliance reports help keep track of the patching process for all systems to protect them against cyberthreats. Patch compliance reports should include information on patching schedules, upcoming patches, machines patched, those that are overdue and all critical vulnerabilities against which patches provide protection. The report should further distinguish between patches for windows systems and third-party patches to offer a more detailed insight.

Security posture/vulnerabilities solved

Software vulnerabilities arise due to many reasons like security misconfiguration, programming errors, insufficient logging and monitoring, or simply human error. The objective of patch management is to maintain the functional operation of the software and uphold a good security posture. Fixing software vulnerabilities through patching reduces the “attack surface” and keeps hackers at bay. Another key reason to apply patches is to help maintain regulatory compliance. Mentioning all the details in a vulnerability management report shows clients and stakeholders the critical role IT plays in keeping the company secure.

Change management summary

Change management involves the implementation of practices that can help minimize temporary disruption of IT services when any changes are made to critical systems and services. Regardless of whether you are resolving any problems in the code, managing existing services or rolling out new ones, change management helps minimize risk, avoid bottlenecks, provide context, maintain transparency and break down silos. The change management summary should show which services are actively being changed and should be able to illustrate a positive trend to these changes over time.

Service utilization

The service utilization report provides an insight into how various departments use IT resources. In this way, it will be possible to identify the departments that utilize IT services the most, those that utilize them optimally and those that use them inefficiently. This report can be broken down to include SLAs by clients and departments.

Service cost report 

A service cost report shows the expenditure on various IT services, i.e., percentage of budget allocated to software, Microsoft 365, hardware, salary, etc. According to the 2022 IT Operations Survey, budgets increased in five out of nine budget brackets. Budgets also increased in brackets with a starting point of $500,000 and a cap of $25 million. Service cost reports are an integral part of your business’s financial planning. They can help you track and control your IT expenses and strategize ways to optimize and save money wherever possible.

What are the benefits of IT reporting?

The best way to quantify your IT team’s and technicians’ work is through IT reports. The belief that IT is a cost center is one of the biggest misconceptions. IT reports show that money funneled into IT is not a cost but an investment, and that all IT activities help drive strategic business goals.

Here are some ways MSPs and in-house IT teams can benefit from IT reports.

Internal IT benefits

IT leaders need a robust budget to improve IT infrastructure, invest in new technologies and hire skilled technicians. The finance department is tasked with keeping the company in the black. Fortunately, growing remote and hybrid workforces as well as the need for increased protection against cyberattacks have led more companies to view the IT budget as an investment rather than a cost.

With insightful reporting, you can continue to demonstrate the value of your work and prevent the IT budget from being slashed. You can also leverage improving KPI numbers to drive growth and promotions for your team and yourself.

MSP benefits 

MSPs often struggle to demonstrate the value of their services to clients. When you quantify your work and show how your services improve your client’s IT environment consistently, you can increase the perceived value of your services and easily upsell and cross-sell other IT services to your clients. As a result, you will gain credibility and win new clients through word-of-mouth marketing, so you can bid farewell to client churn.

What are IT reporting best practices?

If you want to truly maximize the value of IT reporting, you must follow these best practices.

• Value-driven reports: Value-driven reporting should show how you are helping clients achieve their strategic objectives, such as reducing risk or improving employee productivity, by solving problematic IT problems proactively.
• Integrated reporting: To demonstrate the true value of IT, you must look beyond RMM in your reporting and include the tools that provide equally critical functionality such as professional services automation (PSA), IT documentation, backup and security. An effective solution will combine individual reports from all of these tools into a single, holistic report. Your RMM should also be able to combine data from any SQL-based application with data directly from your IT management tech stack.
• Visibility into cybersecurity: Reports on your RMM, antivirus, antimalware and other cybersecurity tools, which highlight the number of incidents mitigated, will demonstrate the steps you take to prevent cyberthreats and the consequences if left unchecked.
• Automated report preparation and delivery: Manually creating reports is time-consuming and prone to errors. A best-in-class RMM like Kaseya VSA provides automated report creation and sharing capabilities, so you can share IT reports with the right members of your organization and your client’s organization on time.

What are common IT reporting metrics and KPIs?

Even though it’s impossible to collect all metrics, here are a few that you should include in your reports for your clients and stakeholders.

• SLAs: An overview of your SLAs and how your team is performing in that regard, along with trend lines to highlight any changes.
• Patch compliance: This metric shows how much effort your team is investing into ensuring security, even at the most basic level. Timely patching keeps your organization and clients safe from zero-day threats and other cyberthreats.
• Number and type of endpoints: Keeping an updated inventory of all your endpoints ensures that the devices are put to good use and that you are not overspending on buying new ones. IT reports should also provide detailed insights into each device’s performance and actions taken on them, such as incident resolution, patch management and policy updates.
• Costs of different IT functions: An understanding of how the IT budget is allocated enables stakeholders to identify budget drains and stem wasteful expenditures. IT teams can use this data to hire the right number of employees and devise effective IT strategies.
• Warranty status: Most of the devices that your MSP or your organization uses fall under some warranty period. Having this data on hand, and keeping it accessible, helps to renew warranties when they expire or avoid spending money on unnecessary repairs.
• Security vulnerabilities: Analyzing incidents and vulnerabilities will give you insights into what cyberthreats are most likely to breach your network. You can devise the right cybersecurity strategy if you know what vulnerabilities cybercriminals commonly target at your company.
• Service uptime/downtime: Your MSP’s or organization’s revenue growth is directly affected by this metric. A high uptime means your business was accessible to clients, customers and employees, and that you most likely took advantage of all revenue opportunities. In contrast, downtime details can help you pinpoint the causes of downtime or system or software issues, and fix them.

What should I look for in an IT reporting tool?

In today’s increasingly competitive business environment, it isn’t enough to provide top class IT service. You must also demonstrate the value you provide to your clients through consistent reporting. Demonstrating the full value of your work to your clients is crucial to not only protecting your contracts but also increasing your revenue growth through selling additional managed services. IT professionals often lack the time or expertise required to create custom reports that showcase their true value, resulting in a perceived gap in the output of completed work versus the value of that work.

A value-based IT reporting solution should have the following features.

• Reports showing how your IT team is helping your organization achieve its strategic objectives, such as reducing risk or improving employee productivity, by solving work-blocking IT problems proactively.
• Multiple tools, such as RMM/endpoint management, backup, IT documentation, security, etc., providing IT value. The impact of these vital tools needs to be combined into unified reports.
• Maximum flexibility to cover all IT use cases and the ability to send reports via multiple channels and in different formats.
• A set of tools for technicians to automate report creation and distribution, including a process for validation and approval.
• White-labeling capability and easy customization.
• Reports powering your business intelligence (BI) tools.

Next-generation IT reporting from Kaseya 

Kaseya VSA provides best-in-class reporting that will help you demonstrate to clients the true value you provide, increasing client satisfaction and helping to grow your business. VSA offers automated report creation and distribution on a per client, location or organization level in multiple formats such as Excel, PDF and Word. Clients with more sophisticated reporting needs can leverage VSA’s industry-leading capabilities to export data seamlessly to BI tools, such as Tableau or PowerBI, to create uptime, patch status or vulnerability dashboards.

VSA’s value-driven reporting empowers you to demonstrate your true value to your clients and forge strong and lasting relationships with them. Kaseya streamlines reporting for you, helping you achieve greater client satisfaction and business growth.

Want to know how? Schedule your demo to see VSA’s reporting capabilities in action.

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IT process automation (ITPA) makes use of technology to automate complex business processes, such as IT services, administration and support, into workflows to avoid the costs and time involved in otherwise managing them manually. 

ITPA solutions are designed to eliminate bottlenecks and unify infrastructure by bridging the gap between multiple platforms, applications and systems. In addition to improving transparency and increasing cross-department communication, ITPA also helps reduce errors, prevent data loss and improve processing speed.  

What is an IT process?

IT processes are essentially standardized workflows that help streamline all information technology-related activities within a company. With these IT processes in place, you can ensure efficient delivery of services regardless of who executes them.  

On the other hand, in the absence of clearly defined IT processes, you run a higher risk of errors in your routine, IT-related activities. Examples of common IT processes include ticketing, asset management, patch management, service desk operations and more. 

What are the different types of process automation?

Although ITPA is often confused with other types of process automation, it is very different in several aspects. Let’s discuss some of the different types of process automation and how they differ from ITPA. 

IT process automation (ITPA)

ITPA is focused on improving efficiency by cutting back on the manual work involved in measuring and executing routine IT tasks such as executing security policies/backups, configuring new network devices or servers, patching systems and so on.  

ITPA systems help reduce service delivery times and enable the perfect orchestration of multifunctional processes and workflows. In addition to this, ITPA also facilitates consistency and standardization of the different technologies and software versions available in the company. Also, in the event of a service disruption, ITPA dramatically simplifies problem-solving through automation and reduces the time needed to resolve the incident. 

Robotic process automation (RPA)

As the name suggests, robotic process automation (RPA) enables all repetitive administrative activities and processes to be handled by robots that act as “virtual workers.” RPA systems involve the use of bots that have been trained to perform high-volume, repetitive tasks using machine learning. These bots are adept at performing routine IT tasks such as form checking, data entry and so on. 

RPA promotes cost-saving and greater efficiency and reliability in processes. RPA systems are also great at managing workflows that involve extensive documentation and which are generally more prone to human error. Industries like healthcare, banking, human resources and supply chain benefit greatly from implementing RPA.   

Business process automation (BPA)

Also known as digital transformation, business process automation (BPA) may be described as the technology-enabled automation of complex, multistep business transactions/processes. BPA can help you achieve an array of goals such as achieving digital transformation, streamlining business to make it simpler, boosting service quality, improving service delivery, reducing costs and more. BPA systems are usually tailored to suit the unique requirements of a business.  

Some of the common business processes that can be automated through BPA include new employee onboarding, data entry, invoicing purchase orders and approving loan applications. 

Digital process automation (DPA)

Digital process automation or DPA involves automating processes that need to be performed using multiple different applications. DPA systems may be used to automate a variety of business processes that typically require some kind of human interaction. 

DPA is often considered to be the evolved version of BPM. Having said that, companies that have already implemented BPM find it easier to implement DPA. DPA is often used in enterprise digital transformation initiatives to optimize customer journeys and streamline business processes. Common business functions that can benefit from DPA include workflows such as production, IT, management, marketing and sales. 

How does IT process automation work? 

ITPA tools usually operate on an action-reaction system. As such, for ITPA to work, IT departments must plan for predefined events that will trigger ITPA systems while setting them up. Common events that can be set up to trigger ITPA tools include: 

• Routine daily checks and upgrades 
• Frequent technical issues such as system errors and bugs 
• Predefined workflows such as service desk 

Once the triggers have been defined, ITPA systems are ready for use. Let’s look at the step-by-step process of how an ITPA system works: 

• Monitoring: ITPA systems regularly monitor business applications and track system performance metrics. ITPA systems continue to run on this step until a predefined trigger is detected. 
• Trigger: Once a predefined event occurs, the ITPA system detects it and kick-starts an automated workflow. 
• Reaction: The ITPA system automatically performs a task as a reaction to the trigger event. This reaction can be anything from steps to restore system performance, directing workflows to service desk, automated spreadsheet operations and so on. 

What are some IT process automation use cases? 

ITPA helps organizations quickly resolve IT issues and streamline management of low-value-adding activities to focus more on business priorities. Let’s discuss some of the characteristics of IT tasks that are suitable for IT process automation: 

• Error-prone 
• Involvement of limited human intervention 
• High transaction volume 
• Easily broken down into multiple explicit tasks 
• Existing in a stable environment 

Some of the common use cases of ITPA include: 

• User management 
• Automating routine tasks 
• IT-related onboarding and offboarding 
• Password reset 
• Service desk automation 
• Data access management 
• System health check 
• Data management 

What is an example of IT process automation?

Automatic management of service requests is one of the most common examples of ITPA. Businesses can leverage automation to receive and organize help desk queries, emails and customer grievances. ITPA can also help weed out duplicate queries, automatically address FAQs and more.  

What are the benefits of IT process automation?

Now that we understand what ITPA is and how it works, let’s dive into the reasons why businesses must implement it. 

• Reduced operational costs: Businesses waste a lot of resources on repetitive, manual IT tasks every day. Implementing ITPA can help you automate most of these routine tasks and streamline IT management without having to increase headcount.
• Fewer human errors: By automating IT processes, you can significantly reduce the scope of human errors and minimize the risk of system malfunctions and security events. Also, since standardized best-practice responses are largely embedded within the ITPA system’s workflow, it helps further minimize the risk of errors.
• Increased productivity and efficiency: ITPA implementation help offload routine tasks from your IT department, thus boosting technician productivity and efficiency.
• Quicker detection and response rates: With constant monitoring of systems and business processes, ITPA enables faster detection of predefined trigger events. With faster detection of trigger events, you are better equipped to quickly remediate the issue before it aggravates into a bigger problem.
• Improved service levels and user experience: ITPA helps automate time-consuming manual tasks, which in turn helps improve service levels. Implementing ITPA helps businesses reduce costs and improve profits, enabling their IT departments to provide better service to their clients and enhance overall user experience.
• Superior IT services integration: ITPA facilitates seamless integration of people, processes and tools through automated workflows, thus streamlining IT management.   

What are some drawbacks of IT process automation? 

Having discussed the benefits of implementing ITPA, let’s now look at some of the potential cons associated with it. 

• Fewer jobs for IT staff: One of the most obvious drawbacks of ITPA is the fact that automation brings with it a reduced need for IT technicians to do the same tasks. By automating most of your routine, manual IT tasks, you take away the need to have more people on the job.
• Potential for complacency: Knowing that most of the routine tasks will be taken care of automatically can end up making your IT technicians complacent about their job.
• Loss of human element: With automation replacing most of the manual tasks, ITPA brings with it a loss of human element that is fairly crucial for businesses to succeed. ITPA systems react to trigger events based on predefined processes. However, sometimes it can be more beneficial to have a human make reactive decisions based on their intuition and impulse.
• Implementation and maintenance needs: Another major drawback of ITPA is that it needs constant monitoring and maintenance to make sure it’s working properly. As such, you must test it thoroughly not only before but also after implementation. Ongoing testing and maintenance are imperative to ensure that the results of your ITPA system are either the same or better than the results you would get from employees doing the same activity. In order to achieve this, you need to constantly update your workflows. 

What are IT process automation tools? 

ITPA tools help streamline IT operations by automating repetitive, manual workflows, tasks and processes and bridging the gap between disparate applications. These tools can be implemented across multiple databases and systems and can help automate processes between them without the need for human intervention. In essence, ITPA tools help create a more uniform and standardized IT infrastructure. 

Based on predefined control workflows, your ITPA tool can automatically remediate a system issue or send alerts or escalations to the relevant IT technician for immediate action. ITPA tools are a boon for both internal IT teams as well as MSPs struggling with multiple disparate workflows and spending too much time on routine manual tasks. ITPA tools provide your IT technicians with the flexibility they need to configure and modify processes as needed. 

Automate key IT processes with Kaseya

With Kaseya VSA’s powerful policy-based automation, you can automate common IT processes, such as routine server maintenance and patch management, to reduce manual effort. Moreover, you can also auto-remediate IT incidents by running scripts in response to an alert. And that’s not all! Kaseya VSA scales with the growth of your business by allowing you to manage tens of thousands of endpoints on a single SaaS instance. 

Want to know more about Kaseya’s powerful automation? Schedule a free demo with us today! 

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In the 2019 Kaseya State of IT Operations Survey, nearly three-quarters of participants stated that they scan all servers and workstations for operating system (OS) patches, whereas about 47 percent said they scan all servers and workstations for third-party software patches regularly. 

 While most businesses are aware of the importance of patching, many lack the proper tools and automation necessary to carry out patching in a timely manner.  The sheer number of patches means that manual processes can’t keep up. In 2018, more than 22,000 software vulnerabilities were disclosed. A patch is made available at the time of disclosure for the vast majority of vulnerabilities. Typically, organizations strive to apply critical patches within 30 days of availability.

In the 2019 Kaseya State of IT Operations Survey results, about 65 percent of the participants responded that they apply critical OS patches within 30 days of release, about the same as the 68 percent that said they did so in 2018. This suggests the other 35 percent have either overlooked patches or it takes them longer than 30 days, leaving themselves exposed to cyberattacks.

Patching of third- party applications is even more of a concern. Only 42 percent of the survey participants monitor third-party software and apply critical patches for these within 30 days, similar to the 43 percent that said they did so in 2018.

Every software vendor has its own schedule of patch releases. Keeping up with patch releases across all of your vendors and deploying them on time can be a challenge for IT professionals. Therefore, automating the entire process of patch management can not only save time and effort of your IT team, but also ensure that every critical vulnerability is patched on time, keeping your systems secure. 

So, have the SMBs automated their patch management process? Less than half have done so, according to the survey.

Automated patch management has not yet become a standard operating procedure for the majority of small and midsize companies. Only about 42 percent automate or plan to automate patch management. 

Improving IT security is the topmost priority for most SMBs and automating the patch management process could help them stay ahead of the onslaught of cyberattacks. With cyberattacks having become the norm these days, maintaining up to date patches is critical to the business.

Would you like to know more about the state of IT operations of SMBs? Download the complete copy of 2019 Kaseya State of IT Operations Report for SMBs now. 

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