The Challenge
Centrics Networks provides ongoing support and maintenance to its clients to ensure system security and high performance. Keeping customer endpoints up to date with the latest security patches is one of their key responsibilities. However, the approach they were using was very time-consuming and labor-intensive. Updates often failed, and it took their company’s engineers up to 30 minutes to troubleshoot the issue on each particular machine, which amounted to a total of 8 hours per day. This approach resulted in delays in the deployment of critical security updates, which increased the risk of security breaches and ransomware infections. “A security incident like ransomware would bring huge damage to our business and our clients’ business as well, and therefore should not be allowed to happen,” says James Ng, Director of Services & Deliverables at Centrics Networks.
James started looking for a solution to automate patch deployment to mitigate these risks and increase IT productivity. Additionally, the company was preparing for ISO 27001 compliance, which required timely software updates, making it crucial for them to find an efficient solution to automate patch deployment.
The Action1 Solution
After evaluating several tools, James chose Action1 over Ivanti. He ruled out Ivanti because it was expensive, complicated, and was overloaded with features he did not need while lacking the ones he actually required. On the other hand, Action1 provided him with the necessary patching functionality in an easy, intuitive interface. In addition, it offered valuable extra capabilities, such as the ability to streamline remote support via the integrated remote desktop and reporting.
The Benefits
Streamlined patch deployment. With Action1, the Centrics Networks team automated patch management for OS and third-party updates, reducing the overall time spent on patching from 8 hours to 15 minutes, ensuring their organization’s and its customers’ peace of mind. “Plus, we are now ready to get compliant with ISO 27001,” adds James. “In addition to timely patching, Action1 provides us with comprehensive reporting, which is also required by this standard.”
With Action1, we reduced the time spent on patching from 8 hours to 5 minutes while improving quality and ensuring our company’s and its customers’ peace of mind.
Increased IT productivity. Thanks to Action1’s robust automation capabilities and ease of use, Centrics Networks technicians can resolve more tasks per unit of time than with their previous approach. “The ability to do more with less is critical as we are extending our business as an MSP,” says James. “Moreover, the platform is so easy that we can onboard new people faster, which is also essential to fuel our business growth.”
Significant cost savings. Action1 provides Centrics Networks with many tools in a single solution, eliminating the need to invest in separate tools and reducing complexity. James particularly appreciates the built-in remote desktop that his team uses to provide remote IT support to their customer end-users. “If we did not have Action1, we would have to purchase separate products for patch management and remote desktop access, which would cost us up to $50,000,” says James.
