Atomoo May Be First ‘Managed Services’ Firm to Focus on Integrators

Home systems integrators may do a good job of installing PCs and networks in their customers' homes, but they really don't want to maintain those systems.

It would be nice to hand off the maintenance to a third party, but most "managed services" firms either focus on the enterprise market, or provide only rudimentary support for residential customers. And certainly there appears to be no one out there that serves the CE pro market.

Enter Atomoo, which may be the first residential IT managed services company to cater to home systems integrators.

The company, which debuted at the Electronic House Expo in March, was founded by a couple of integrators who know all too well the perils of servicing their customers' home networks.

"We've done residential installs for six or seven years," says Thad Glavin, VP of sales and services. "This came out of the problems we had -- the midnight calls. We can't bet on the Internet."

Glavin and Atomoo CEO Brian Post were partners at LouisClark Ltd., a residential systems integration business in Evanston, Ill. (The company won a couple of convergence awards at the recent CEA/TechHome Mark of Excellence Awards.)

Now they're helping other integrators deal with one of the biggest thorns in the integrators' side: the home network.

Atomoo provides 24 x7 IT support for residential customers. At the customers' premises is a Windows Home Server loaded with remote management and diagnostics software.

On its end, Atomoo uses managed service solutions from several enterprise-grade providers such as Level Platforms (LPI).

From there, Atomoo monitors the premises full-time, looking for potential threats and sometimes "fixing" any network meltdowns before they happen.

This happens all the time in the enterprise, but not so much in the residential world, where price is an issue and consumers (and their integrators) think they can do it themselves.

What it Costs, What you Get

Atomoo may seem costly by DIY standards. The company only sells through custom installers, so there really isn't a retail price (we don't quote wholesale prices here); however, the homeowner's cost will probably start at over $120 per month for basic service.

With basic service, the customer gets non-stop remote monitoring and automated repair of certain system snafus.

If something goes awry with the customer's network, Atomoo can detect and often repair the problem automatically, in near-real-time.

"As our clients get used to the service, if something starts spinning, they just put the computer down because they know we're taking care of it," Glavin says.

With the basic service, Atomoo notifies dealers immediately of any problems with their customers' systems, and suggests solutions for fixing the problem.

Atomoo's fee also includes the Windows Home Server and automatic online backup of the clients' documents.

But that's not all. The basic service includes support for up to five IP devices, and it doesn't stop at PCs. A device might be any number of networkable home automation systems, such as those provided by AMX, Crestron, HAI or the others.

Try getting that from your run-of-the-mill residential IT service provider

Adding Full Support

There are advanced services as well, with the consumer's cost starting at maybe $175 per month.

For that, Atomoo provides full troubleshooting, remotely prowling around the customer's network to determine the exact cause of any glitches, fixing the problem when possible, or dispatching the home systems integrator if onsite support is required.

If all of this sounds expensive, take a look at some of the consumer-oriented PC support services such as PlumChoice, ComputerAssistant.com, HiWired and PC Pinpoint. Online support typically starts at around $59 "per incident."

In the case of PC Pinpoint, you can subscribe to a full year of service (remote diagnostics and support) for $150. But that's just one for one PC.

Add $99 per computer and don't even think about including a home automation system or IP-based music server into the mix.

Plus, with Atomoo, you get the Windows Home Server and online backup, and support from professionals who know the home systems business.

Can you Afford not to?

How many labor hours do you spend troubleshooting and fixing a customer's "system" when it has nothing to do with your work, and everything to do with the network?

Their Internet goes down. That's a service call.

Their media server locks up. Another service call.

IP cameras go dark. Service call.

Because you touched any part of the home network, it's always going to be "your fault."

Managed services for the home has got to be part of an integrator's product line, whether for the recurring revenue, enhanced performance of your customers' system, or simply an end to those late-night calls every time your customer's computer locks up. (I first brought this up in a CE Pro editorial several years ago, "Managed Services for the Home.")

Virtually every system you install in the next few years will have a networking component.

Do you really want to set up a back room with servers and network diagnostic software and IT specialists who can monitor your customers' networks round the clock?

Worse, do you want to get a service call when a networked refrigerator stops refrigerating?