Item: Atera
Rating: 10
Author: Terry Irwin

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Atera is being used in my organization in many ways. First, by installing the agent on every workstation and server, I have the ability to provide remote support after hours to my users. Second, we keep an eye on Operating System patches and push them as necessary. Third, we utilize the reports to watch trends in the organizational technology. We also use the ticketing system constantly to track issues and look up what we did to fix an issue last time we encountered it. We also use the passwords database for secure storage and access to passwords for FTP sites, switches, routers, servers, local admin accounts, service accounts, etc.

Pros and Cons

Ticketing
Reporting
Remote Access for tech support
Patching
Password storage
Frequent updates, patches, and added functionality

Would like it if Atera could push files to a group of computers
Network discovery without requiring a domain controller
Would like to be able to schedule a host reboot on a case-by-case basis
Would love a watered down version of IT Glue or something for device configuration documentation that would tie into the password storage feature
Would love if Atera would do a network scan a couple of times a day and report on any changes, additions, or deletions

Return on Investment

Atera has provided a significant increase in security posture by keeping on top of patches.
Easy to sort monitored devices by OS, came in handy for Windows 7 end of life.
Adding Atera's ticketing system helped keep on top of any issues until resolution.

Alternatives Considered

I have used ConnectWise extensively in the past, as well as Autotask. ConnectWise is massive and can do way more than I'm capable of configuring. You would need a full-time staff just to configure it correctly and figure it all out. Autotask is not as massive as ConnectWise, but is still much more complex than Atera. Both are more expensive than Atera. I found Autotask to be less reliable for remote access, even though they use the same product, theirs was simply more buggy than Atera. Bang for the buck, Atera was a no-brainer for us.

Support Rating

Atera support provides answers to my questions lightning fast. They have never left me feeling like I'm out there on my own. I can ask questions by email, or by chat, or by opening a ticket with them and they are always on it quickly. They also have a forum where other Atera users can help you if you need it, and you can also add feature requests via the forum.

Key Insights

Do you think Atera delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with Atera's feature set?

Yes

Did Atera live up to sales and marketing promises?

Yes

Did implementation of Atera go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy Atera again?

Yes

Other Software Used

OneNote

Likelihood to Recommend

Atera is aimed at managed service providers, but as a former managed service provider, I could see the value in managing a local network in much the same way as managing a collection of local networks. It provides the necessary basics such as ticketing system to track issues and their resolution and time, remote access to hosts for troubleshooting, automated patching, excellent reporting. Atera's secure password storage is a really nice bonus feature that saves us money over having to purchase an additional product for that.

In this age of increased need for security, I would like to see enhanced security monitoring features added, such as alerts for users' failed login attempts.

Atera for police department IT management

Overall Satisfaction with Atera