Automation Nation 2018 Q&A with Atlas Professional Services
Last month, two Atlas Professional Services team members attended ConnectWise Automation Nation 2018 in Orlando. Automation Nation is the premier technical event for ConnectWise partners who are seeking to grow their knowledge and actionable expertise, network with like-minded solution providers, and connect with experts and top-rated technology vendors.
Director of Operations Linda Kraft and DevOps Engineer Anthony Lopez enjoyed three days of product training and breakout sessions, along with inspiring keynotes and plenty of play, all designed to stimulate success.
For those who couldn’t attend the event, Linda and Anthony share their thoughts on Connectwise Automation Nation 2018 below:
- What were your biggest takeaways from Connectwise Automation Nation 2018?
LK: ConnectWise is making lots of enhancements to the software to make ticket coordination more seamless for engineers and the end-user. For instance, they’ve added functionality to schedule meetings and conference calls within the service ticket.
AL: Atlas definitely chose the right platform to manage our business. ConnectWise has the best applications on the market and it’s clear that they are always improving.
- What was the most surprising thing you learned or heard at the conference?
LK: With today’s ever-changing technology, it’s more important than ever that companies have managed IT support. The Internet of Things (IoT) – including cameras, temperature sensors, Amazon Alexa and wearable devices – are the latest items on the long list of devices that are vulnerable to cyberattacks. Having managed IT support allows companies to proactively monitor for intrusions, shut down open protocols vulnerable to attack and keep firmware up to date to reduce risk.
AL: The updates to the ConnectWise platform are increasing ease of use to the point that anyone can use the platform. I can see both engineers and administrators using the tools now.
- What was your favorite part of Connectwise Automation Nation 2018?
LK: Hearing from keynote speaker Bob Metcalfe. He invented Ethernet, which was a major steppingstone to networking today. Bob gave a history of networking that was enlightening and answered audience questions regarding things that we should be concerned about on today’s network infrastructure.
AL: The Application Program Interface (API) labs were my favorite. ConnectWise APIs allow for easy integration with solutions and open up doors for our own custom integrations development.
- How will what you learned at Connectwise Automation Nation 2018 help you better serve Atlas clients?
LK: I’ve picked up ideas on additional automation we can provide for our system, as well as things we need to monitor. The conference also provided some great personal growth tools that will help me better serve our clients, such as how to hold more effective meetings.
AL: Automation is not the future, it is the now. We’ve already been automating many regular tasks for our clients, saving them downtime and service costs. And as we continue to develop our automation platform, the value our clients receive through automated processes will undoubtedly upsurge.
