This Article Applies to:
- Business Hub
Avast Business CloudCare will be entering End-of-Life in 2021, and customers will be upgraded to the Business Hub. Below are some Frequently Asked Questions regarding this decision and process.
Overview
Why is CloudCare entering End-of-Life (EOL)?
As technology advances, it periodically becomes necessary for us to discontinue legacy products in order to introduce new, innovative solutions with enhanced security, functionality, and capabilities. In 2020, we made significant investments to design and develop a new platform in collaboration with our partners and customers.
What is the name of the new security platform?
The Business Hub.
What is OMS?
OMS stands for Order Management System. We use the OMS in the Business Hub for partners to purchase subscriptions/services.
Are you going to be reaching out to our customers directly?
No, we are committed to our channel partners. We rely on our partners to communicate with their SMB customers.
Important Dates
What are the key milestones?
The support timelines below are provided to allow ample time to upgrade from CloudCare to our new platform.
| Milestone | Definition | Date |
|---|---|---|
| End-of-life date | "End-of-Life" refers to a product that Avast Business has identified as being at the end of its useful life, and product sales and support have been, or are being, discontinued for it. | December 31, 2021 |
| End-of-support date | "End-of-Support" refers to the date on which Avast Business stopped, or will stop, providing technical support for CloudCare. | December 31, 2021 |
| Upgrade path | "Upgrade Path" means the suggested Avast Business product replacement for the End-of-Life product. | Upgrades will begin in Q1 2021 and continue throughout Q2 - Q4 2021 |
What is the EOL date for CloudCare?
The end-of-life for CloudCare is December 31, 2021.
What is the CloudCare End-of-Sale (EOS) date?
The End-of-Sale (EOS) date will be announced soon. Existing customers can continue to renew and/or add licenses and/or support subscriptions up through the EOL date; however, the subscriptions may not extend beyond the EOL date. Avast Business will continue to provide support for critical bug fixes for existing customers in accordance with its standard policies up through the EOL date.
We will be retiring our Email Security Services (ESS) services in CloudCare on December 31, 2021. The EOS date for ESS is February 7, 2021. Partners will no longer be able to purchase ESS in CloudCare for new customers after this date; however, they will still be able to renew ESS services (Anti-spam, Email Encryption, Email Archive) every month (Monthly Billing) and increase mailbox coverage up until November 1, 2021.
Upgrade Process
Will Avast Business continue to invest in developing CloudCare’s features?
No. In order for us to focus on our next generation platform and continue innovating, CloudCare will go into maintenance mode, effective immediately. This means that no additional features or enhancements will be made to the platform or security services. However, we will continue to support critical bugs through December 31, 2021.
It’s been a few weeks since I received the first communication about the EOL of CloudCare. When will I get more details about the upgrade to the Business Hub?
We are planning to carry out upgrades in phases throughout the year as we continue to add features to the new platform. At present, the upgrade is only available for a very limited number of partners that use the features which are currently available through the platform. As soon as you and your customers are eligible, you will be contacted directly by email and additionally receive an in-product notification with more details on the upgrade options.
Can I renew my license and/or support subscription if the renewal date occurs before the End-of-Life (EOL) date?
Existing customers may renew license and/or support subscriptions for term lengths up through the announced EOL date. However, we encourage you to upgrade to our new security platform to get access to the latest updates and features.
When will the upgrades to the new platform begin?
Upgrades will be done in phases. As soon as you qualify for the upgrade, you will get an in-product notification in CloudCare and also be notified by email. The upgrade process is seamless and will only take a few minutes. After you have your new Business Hub account, you can then start to upgrade from the CloudCare platform to the Business Hub platform.
What happens if I don’t want to upgrade?
To take advantage of the modern and faster UI, latest features, and enhancements, we highly recommend that you upgrade to the new platform as soon as they are eligible. You will have until December 31, 2021 to upgrade.
Will I have to register for the new platform when upgrading?
Customers will need to register for a new Business Hub account during the upgrade wizard. We will use your current CloudCare email address and you will only be required to enter a password. Your account will then be automatically created.
Will my CloudCare policies including exceptions transfer to the Business Hub? Or will I have to re-create all of this work?
All policies with all supported settings will be migrated automatically.
Can I ask for assistance with the platform upgrade?
The upgrade process should be seamless. However, we are always here for you. If you need assistance, please contact our support team at support@business.avast.com.
Can I request an extension of the EOL date?
Customers will have ample time to upgrade this year. Therefore, extensions to the EOL date will not be granted.
Can I move my customers and their services one at a time?
Yes, once you have gone through the upgrade process, you will be able to select which customers you would like to move to the Business Hub platform. You will have full flexibility on when to move your customers, whether all at one time or individually.
What if I have multiple CloudCare accounts (For example - 1 for business customers and 1 for residential customers). Can we have two Business Hub accounts? If not, can we migrate both CloudCare accounts into one Business Hub account?
Yes, you can have two Business Hub accounts. If you would like to use just one Business Hub account instead of two, please reach out to our support team so we can assist you during the upgrade wizard.
Are my other CloudCare Partner Admin accounts migrated to the Business Hub?
Additional CloudCare Partner Admin accounts are not automatically migrated to your Business Hub. To move other administrators:
- Global CloudCare partner admin goes through the Upgrade wizard ▸ Hub account created
- Have your other Partner Admins log into CloudCare ▸ Click on the Business Hub button at the top right ▸ Go through the wizard
- Once they have completed the wizard, their admin account will be added to the existing Business Hub account
Features in the Business Hub
What services are going to be available in the Business Hub?
Our goal is to offer a comprehensive suite of services in the Business Hub in order to provide multiple layers of security and keep your SMB customers safe. We are actively working to integrate our Cloud Backup service in the Business Hub as well as our network security services. If you are currently using any of these services, you will not be eligible to upgrade until they are fully integrated in the Business Hub.
How do the features and functionality of CloudCare compare to the Business Hub?
The Business Hub is a cloud-based integrated security platform that we designed and developed in collaboration with IT administrators and managed service providers. Currently, the majority of the functionalities are similar in concept, but they were designed using modern technology to provide a better user experience with additional features and value. The new platform features a modern UI that is responsive and lighting fast, so it will save you time and can be used on a variety of devices. We’re 100% committed to ensuring the Business Hub continuously evolves with new features and services.
The Business Hub currently only has AV, Patch Management, and Remote Control - what will happen to my other services?
Upgrades will be done in phases. Once all your Avast Business services are available in the Business Hub, you will be notified to upgrade.
When will two-factor authentication be available in the Business Hub?
Two-factor authentication is a key priority in our product roadmap and we are targeting to deliver it in early Q2 2021. You can choose to wait to upgrade to the Business Hub when two-factor authentication is ready and implemented.
Is Premium Remote Control going to be free for existing CloudCare partners/customers?
Yes, existing CloudCare partners will be grandfathered in and will get our Premium Remote Control (PRC) service in the Business Hub at no cost for a year. We’ve been working diligently to improve our PRC service, and will continue to enhance it with new features and functionality to meet the needs of our partners and their customers. New Remote Control features in the Business Hub are:
- No download/installer required every time you use the operator client
- Available for macOS
When is the Subscription Summary report going to be available?
We are actively working on this report and our estimated delivery date is early Q2 2021. If you are currently using this report, you can decide to wait and upgrade as soon as it becomes available in the Business Hub.
Is the locally installed AV software the same in the Business Hub?
Business Hub benefits from the same powerful threat detection engine as all our Avast Business products. In addition, the next-gen antivirus functionality in the Business Hub has additional policy settings and features, like Remote Access Shield. This new shield blocks unwanted connections to prevent Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) exploits and brute-force attacks.
Will the client change and if so, how is it implemented? Does it require a reboot?
No, the client will remain the same. No installation or reboot is required.
Is Content Filtering going to be available in the Business Hub?
Yes, we will have an enhanced service with content filtering and additional capabilities that will replace it. This service will be available in the Business Hub in Q3 2021. Any customer with Content Filtering will not be eligible to upgrade to the Business Hub until the service is fully integrated to ensure a seamless upgrade experience and no break in service provisioning.
Pricing Information
Will pay-as-you-go be available in the Business Hub?
Yes, flexible billing is available for MSPs in the Business Hub.
CloudCare’s pricing is currently based on the total number of devices in the portal for all customers - will this remain the same?
If a partner is using Flexible Billing (PAYG) for all customer sites in the Business Hub, then you will be able to see pricing based on the total number of devices where customers are set to Flexible Billing (PAYG). If a partner is using a combination of both Flexible Billing and Pre-Paid, then only the total number of devices for customers that are set to Flexible Billing will show.
Will the prices remain the same in the Business Hub?
Partners and customers upgrading to the new Avast Business Hub will enjoy the same pricing structure as applied to Avast Business CloudCare. We have built a best-in-class platform for the future that we are 100% committed to keep improving in order to meet the needs of our partners and their SMB customers.