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Datto is a cloud-based RMM software provider founded in 2007. Built for MSPs, the platform has more than 1 million users in 20+ locations. Datto was acquired by Kaseya in April 2022 for a whopping $6.2 billion. However, to this day, Datto RMM exists as an independent RMM product, catering to MSPs all around the world.

Datto aims to simplify remote endpoint management. You can automate patch management through pre-made and customizable scripts. The platform is also well-known for its integrations, especially Microsoft 365 Management, which allows MSPs to monitor the endpoint’s Microsoft suite from a single dashboard. Plus, it’s the only RMM platform that comes with native ransomware detection tools.

With that said, there are a few downsides as well. For starters, it’s very secretive about its pricing – you’ll have to get a custom quote if you want to purchase a plan. What's more, patch management only works on Windows endpoints, meaning you’ll have to employ a workaround for macOS. Read on to find out everything about Datto, including whether it's ideal for your requirements.

Datto: Plans and pricing

Datto RMM offers custom pricing, which means you’ll have to contact their sales team with your requirements for a customized quote. This means you’ll be able to get a highly tailored deal ideal for your needs. 

However, this can be a time-consuming process – you’ll first have to explain your requirements and then negotiate with them to arrive at a workable deal. Plus, even after spending so much time, it's hard to guarantee that you’ll be satisfied with the pricing you get. 

For this reason, we believe that it's better to know upfront how much you’d be paying so that you can make a quick decision. However, this is indeed a subjective matter, and companies may just as well like Datto’s custom pricing.

Datto: Features

One of the standouts about Datto is that it’s the only RMM where you get native Microsoft 365 Management, which helps you administer your Microsoft 365 tasks through a single-user management platform. 

Once you connect an endpoint, you get a dedicated Microsoft 365 menu and a comprehensive overview for each client. Plus, you can seamlessly navigate to the various Microsoft client portals for each endpoint.

(Image credit: Datto)

Like other RMM software, Datto also supports automated patch management for operating systems and third-party applications, such as Google Chrome, Oracle Java, and Adobe Acrobat.

Its advanced Software Management gives technicians access to more than 200 additional applications, ensuring a wide range of third-party patching. Furthermore, you can set flexible parameters to deliver patches to all your endpoints.

Datto also allows technicians to set up policy-based patch approvals along with device-level compliance reporting. We liked that there’s an extensive library of pre-designed scripts and policies so that you don’t have to build one from scratch.

One downside is that Datto does not inherently support macOS patch management. For that, you’ll have to download “Install Updates with SUPER [MAC]” – a ComStore component. ComStore is a page with data scripts, installers, and device monitors, which are collectively called components.

With that said, however, Datto RMM goes a step ahead of traditional patch management and offers native ransomware detection. In fact, Datto is one of the few RMM software to do so.

Sure, patched antivirus helps you detect all kinds of digital threats. However, it’s always good to have an extra layer of protection, which is exactly what Datto RMM does. The platform uses behavioral analysis to detect ransomware on connected endpoints and send alerts to MSPs so that they can take preventive steps in time.

Datto also isolates the infected device from the network so that the ransomware does not spread through other client devices. This helps businesses reduce downtime and losses from ransomware.

MSPs often use dedicated network scanning platforms to configure all points and devices in a particular client site. However, Datto comes with built-in network topology mapping that gives technicians a detailed tree-style map of all discovered components. This ensures that no device is accidentally left unmonitored.

Datto: Interface and performance

Datto RMM offers a graphics-oriented dashboard that helps you grasp the status of all your endpoints at a single glance. You get a total of 3 dashboard options: blank dashboard, default dashboard, and Datto EDR & Security dashboard. 

(Image credit: Datto)

The blank dashboard, as the name suggests, is just like a blank piece of paper, where you can add as many widgets as you want from Datto’s widget library. You get 28 widget options to choose from, with various graphs such as line, doughnut, table, and tree map.

The default dashboard comes with widgets like antivirus status, Windows patch status, open alerts, offline devices, and recent alerts. Needless to say, you can customize the board the way you want.

Lastly, the Datto EDR & Security dashboard focuses on the security aspect of connected endpoints. You get information about security threats, ransomware status, and Windows Defender status of all the devices.

Overall, we like the information-oriented approach by Datto, and unlike other RMM software, you get a lot more control with the dashboards.

Datto: Security

Datto RMM employs several security protocols to ensure all its users and their data are safe. For instance, it uses industry-standard AES-256 encryption to encrypt all the data on its platform. Users are required to set strong 9-character passwords, which expire every 30, 60, or 90 days (optional), for added security.

Besides this, you can also enable two-factor authentication and use one-time passwords to add an extra layer of protection.

The good news keeps coming as the platform is hosted on a separate AWS Account with no shared access, which is housed in nondescript facilities. AWS also complies with several certifications and attestations, such as SAS70 Type II, PCI DSS Level 1, ISO 27001, and FISMA.

Apart from this, Datto conducts regular penetration testing in partnership with approved authorities to ensure that there are no exploitable vulnerabilities in their systems.

Overall, Datto takes online security as seriously as a top-notch company should and leaves no stone unturned to ensure its users and partners have a safe experience.

Datto: Support

Datto RMM offers 24/7/365 support through various channels such as live chat, call, and email tickets. What we liked the most is that it has dedicated phone numbers for various regions and countries with more than 500 support team members worldwide. This ensures that users get priority support with quick response times. 

The platform also authenticates every single user and ensures that the information submitted in the ticket is private and protected.

Additionally, we found a lot of documentation, help articles, official YouTube videos, and troubleshooting guides from Datto that will sort out common queries. Plus, Kaseya’s active peer-to-peer community ensures that there’s always someone to help you out immediately.

Datto: Final verdict

Datto is a well-known remote management solution crafted specifically for MSPs. Founded in 2007, Datto is super secure and is the only RMM solution that offers native ransomware detection. It alerts the technicians if it finds traces of ransomware on any system and even isolates it from the rest of the network. 

Much like other RMMs around, it allows you to automate patch management for your client. However, what we liked the most is that it gives technicians access to more than 200 third-party applications, making it one of the best RMMs for third-party patching. 

Overall, it’s a top-notch RMM solution, especially if you’re a MSP. However, there are also a few downsides worth factoring in before you commit. For instance, it cannot patch macOS systems, meaning you’ll have to download a custom component from its store – a workaround that may not work as well as inherent macOS patch management. Plus, Datto's doesn't reveal its pricing publicly, so you’ll reach out to their sales teams for a quote.

Datto: FAQs What does Datto RMM do?

Datto is a cloud-based RMM software that allows MSPs to remotely manage their clients’ endpoints. Technicians can install updates, patch the system, and even scan for ransomware on the endpoints using Datto. A standout is that Datto supports third-party patch management like no other RMM tool. MSPs can access 200+ applications on the endpoints and set up policy-based approvals and deployment rules.

How much does Datto RMM cost?

Datto doesn’t reveal its prices, unlike most RMM platforms. You will have to contact their sales team with your requirements to work out a deal. This can be a bit of a hassle, especially for small businesses with limited time and resources.

Is Datto acquired by Kaseya?

Yes, Datto RMM was acquired by Kaseya in April 2022 for $6.2 billion. However, Kaseya hasn’t discontinued the Datto brand. In fact, it has made the product better with improved innovations and integrations. Customers now get excellent support, thanks to Kaseya’s widespread knowledge hub. As per Kaseya’s announcement, it has also promised a 10% decrease in the average price of Datto products post acquisition.

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Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Nov. 14.

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Here are some hints -- and the answers -- for the Nov. 14 Strands puzzle, No. 256.

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Strands is the NYT's latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it's great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints.

Want more word-based fun? Then check out my Wordle today, NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Strands today (game #256) - hint #1 - today's theme What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Name of the game

NYT Strands today (game #256) - hint #2 - clue words

Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.

• CART
• CARD
• CARDS
• LUMP
• LUMPS
• LOCK

NYT Strands today (game #256) - hint #3 - spangram What is a hint for today's spangram?

• It's a mystery

NYT Strands today (game #256) - hint #4 - spangram position What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First: top, 3rd column

Last: bottom, 5th column

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Strands today (game #256) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #256, are…

• PLUM
• GREEN
• PEACOCK
• MUSTARD
• ORCHID
• SCARLET
• SPANGRAM: CLUESUSPECTS

• My rating: Moderate
• My score: 2 hints

I have mixed feelings about today's Strands puzzle. On the one hand, it's a nicely challenging instalment that I had to use my brain (and memory) to solve. On the other, it has a couple of anomalies that slightly detract from the experience.

The theme here is CLUESUSPECTS, as the spangram has it, and setting aside the fact that it's called CLUEDO in the UK, I have no issue with it as a concept. However, I am a little miffed about the fact that one of the answers is ORCHID. I'm not an expert, but my online research has led me to understand that ORCHID was only added as a character, in place of Mrs (or Chef) White in 2016, and was removed again in 2023. Given that CLUE/CLUEDO has been around since the 1940s, that seems an oddly short change to reflect here. Plus, Mrs SCARLET was called Mrs SCARLETT with two Ts from 1949 until 1963, then lost the second T in the US, then regained it in 2016. Which is fine – but then you have the SCARLET spelling from one era and the ORCHID character from another. It's all just a little messy.

On the other hand, I'm being petty. This Strands puzzle is fine, though I needed two hints to establish what the concept actually was. Once I had it, it was easy enough to solve, even allowing for the slight weirdness around a couple of the answers. Anyway, it made me want to play it again for the first time in several decades, so that's no bad thing.

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Wednesday, 13 November, game #255)

• HUMAN
• GIBBON
• KANGAROO
• PANGOLIN
• MEERKAT
• OSTRICH
• SPANGRAM: BIPEDAL

What is NYT Strands?

Strands is the NYT's new word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now out of beta so is a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable and can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

I've got a full guide to how to play NYT Strands, complete with tips for solving it, so check that out if you're struggling to beat it each day.

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,000 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today – or scroll down further for the answers.

Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my Wordle today, NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

Quordle today (game #1025) - hint #1 - Vowels How many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 4*.

* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too).

Quordle today (game #1025) - hint #2 - repeated letters Do any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 1.

Quordle today (game #1025) - hint #3 - uncommon letters Do the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

• Yes. One of Q, Z, X or J appears among today's Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #1025) - hint #4 - starting letters (1) Do any of today's Quordle puzzles start with the same letter?

• The number of today's Quordle answers starting with the same letter is 2.

If you just want to know the answers at this stage, simply scroll down. If you're not ready yet then here's one more clue to make things a lot easier:

Quordle today (game #1025) - hint #5 - starting letters (2) What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• E

• T

• C

• C

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

Quordle today (game #1025) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1025, are…

• EXALT
• TASTE
• CRONY
• CLOUT

I'm on a bit of a roll with Quordle at the moment. Having suffered a couple of losses a few months ago, I now have a 55-game streak and even seemingly tough games are proving no match for my three-start-word-strategy. This, obviously, is the kiss of death and I wouldn't be surprised if my luck changed tomorrow, but for now at least I'm on easy street.

EXALT and TASTE are the two potentially difficult words today, on account of the uncommon X and the repeated T respectively. But my start words gave me the other 18 letters I needed, so adding in that X and T was a simple task. Harder challenges no doubt await.

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.

Daily Sequence today (game #1025) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1025, are…

• RUPEE
• BUILT
• SNORE
• STACK

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1024, Wednesday 13 November: YEARN, ELBOW, SURGE, PINEY
• Quordle #1023, Tuesday 12 November: CHORD, ATTIC, OLIVE, EIGHT
• Quordle #1022, Monday 11 November: COPSE, REGAL, GRUNT, GOODY
• Quordle #1021, Sunday 10 November: GROIN, FAULT, FERRY, SUITE
• Quordle #1020, Saturday 9 November: FLUME, THERE, ATOLL, SANER
• Quordle #1019, Friday 8 November: DELAY, NAVAL, MOLAR, SWARM
• Quordle #1018, Thursday 7 November: REPAY, SYNOD, LOATH, PITHY
• Quordle #1017, Wednesday 6 November: SASSY, DRUID, THREW, SLOSH
• Quordle #1016, Tuesday 5 November: BEGET, AMUSE, STONY, LOUSY
• Quordle #1015, Monday 4 November: CHILL, TACKY, GRAPH, PLAZA
• Quordle #1014, Sunday 3 November: QUIRK, HEART, ELBOW, KNOWN
• Quordle #1013, Saturday 2 November: SWUNG, FLOOR, PARER, CRUST
• Quordle #1012, Friday 1 November: FIFTY, GULCH, RECUT, TWEET
• Quordle #1011, Thursday 31 October: TWINE, RIGID, BELCH, AMEND
• Quordle #1010, Wednesday 30 October: SLOOP, BRINE, BROOD, FLUID
• Quordle #1009, Tuesday 29 October: CLIFF, BURNT, SNAKY, POLYP
• Quordle #1008, Monday 28 October: MACAW, LIEGE, GOUGE, CARGO
• Quordle #1007, Sunday 27 October: STUNG, CLOUT, SOWER, BASIS
• Quordle #1006, Saturday 26 October: DUCHY, CANNY, BLOCK, SMART
• Quordle #1005, Friday 25 October: PRANK, EXIST, RUDDY, PICKY

Good morning! Let's play Connections, the NYT's clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need clues.

What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Wordle hints and answers, Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Connections today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Connections today (game #522) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• GRAIN
• DRAIN
• TOTAL
• CUBE
• SYRUP
• SHRED
• SIGNATURE
• SAP
• JAM
• TAX
• POWDER
• ROCK
• EMPTY
• GROOVE
• TIP
• EXHAUST

NYT Connections today (game #522) - hint #1 - group hints

What are some clues for today's NYT Connections groups?

• Yellow: Use up
• Green: I'm really feeling this, man
• Blue: Service not included
• Purple: The sweetest thing

Need more clues?

We're firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four theme answers are for today's NYT Connections puzzles…

NYT Connections today (game #522) - hint #2 - group answers

What are the answers for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: DEPLETE
• GREEN: PLAY MUSIC WITH PASSION
• BLUE: WORDS ON A RESTAURANT RECEIPT
• PURPLE: FORMS OF SUGAR

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Connections today (game #522) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #522, are…

• YELLOW: DEPLETE DRAIN, EMPTY, EXHAUST, SAP
• GREEN: PLAY MUSIC WITH PASSION GROOVE, JAM, ROCK, SHRED
• BLUE: WORDS ON A RESTAURANT RECEIPT SIGNATURE, TAX, TIP, TOTAL
• PURPLE: FORMS OF SUGAR CUBE, GRAIN, POWDER, SYRUP

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

This is probably one of the easiest Connections games we've had in a few weeks. The first couple of groups, yellow and green, were obvious collections of synonyms, while blue was not much harder; it doesn't take a genius to spot that TAX, TIP and TOTAL go together, and in that context SIGNATURE is an easy addition. Would I have got purple, FORMS OF SUGAR, if not by default? We'll never know for sure, but I suspect that if the other three hadn't been so simple I might have put POWDER and GRAIN together at least, then built from there. I'm not complaining, of course – I've had a couple of failures lately, so I'll take every victory I get, even if it wasn't a particularly challenging game.

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Wednesday, 13 November, game #521)

• YELLOW: THINGS THAT ARE YELLOW CANARY, LEMON, MINION, MUSTARD
• GREEN: BUILDING ADD-ONS ADDITION, ANNEX, EXTENSION, WING
• BLUE: CONCERNS FOR A DENTIST CALCULUS, CAVITY, PLAQUE, TARTAR
• PURPLE: WORDS THAT SEEM LONGER WRITTEN THAN SPOKEN COLONEL, PHARAOH, WEDNESDAY, WORCESTERSHIRE

What is NYT Connections?

NYT Connections is one of several increasingly popular word games made by the New York Times. It challenges you to find groups of four items that share something in common, and each group has a different difficulty level: green is easy, yellow a little harder, blue often quite tough and purple usually very difficult.

On the plus side, you don't technically need to solve the final one, as you'll be able to answer that one by a process of elimination. What's more, you can make up to four mistakes, which gives you a little bit of breathing room.

It's a little more involved than something like Wordle, however, and there are plenty of opportunities for the game to trip you up with tricks. For instance, watch out for homophones and other word games that could disguise the answers.

It's playable for free via the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

• O2 has created an AI granny that will trap scammers in meandering conversations to waste as much of their time as possible
• Daisy is trained on real anonymized scammer data in partnership with well-known scambaiter Jim Browning of the YouTube channel Tech Support Scams
• New survey reveals that 7 in 10 (71%) of Brits would like to get their own back against scammers that have tried to trick them or their loved ones.

You might not have thought it possible, but grannies will be leading the AI revolution and fighting back against scammers. We’re talking about Daisy (also written dAIsy), the AI granny created by O2 to trap scammers into a long and futile conversation, so they waste as much time as possible on the phone as they try to get her to input her bank details into her computer.

If you listen to dAIsy working her AI-magic on scammers in the video below you'll be able to hear that she is indistinguishable from a human and responds to the scammers by playing into people’s preconceptions about senior citizens not being comfortable with technology. Scammers become increasingly frustrated as they try and try to get her to enter a fake web address into her browser, or enter her personal information, only to have to endure long and meandering conversations that ultimately lead to nowhere.

Thanks Grandma

Daisy isn’t an AI feature you can add to your personal phone account, rather it is a phone number that O2 Virgin Media has managed to get added to a list of online ‘mugs lists’ used by scammers targeting UK consumers. dAIsy is available to answer the phone to scammers no matter what time they call, 24/7. Her goal is to keep the scammers on the phone for as long as possible so that they have less time to ply their treacherous trade against real people.

Murray Mackenzie, Director of Fraud at Virgin Media O2, said: “We’re committed to playing our part in stopping the scammers, investing in everything from firewall technology to block out scam texts to AI-powered spam call detection to keep our customers safe. But crucially, Daisy is also a reminder that no matter how persuasive someone on the other end of the phone may be, they aren’t always who you think they are."

O2 Virgin Media has set up a webpage offering tips, tricks, and advice on dealing with scammers. A recent survey by the company revealed that 7 in 10 (71%) of Brits would like to get revenge on scammers who have tried to trick them, or their loved ones. But why waste your own time when a convincing chatbot with all the time can help fight back against scammers?

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• Five Eyes alliance has revealed the most exploited vulnerabilities of 2023
• Zero-day exploits were the primary concern, with CVE-2023-3519 was at the top of the list
• Businesses urged to patch as soon as possible to stay safe

The Five Eyes intelligence alliance has revealed the most routinely exploited vulnerabilities for 2023. The joint advisory, made with contributions from agencies in the US, UK, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada, has called for organizations to patch the security flaws to mitigate network exposure.

The agencies confirmed what many in the industry will know all too well, that threat actors focus their attacks on zero-day attacks, with 12 out of the top 15 exploited vulnerabilities initially exploited as a zero-day.

“In 2023, malicious cyber actors exploited more zero-day vulnerabilities to compromise enterprise networks compared to 2022, allowing them to conduct cyber operations against higher-priority targets,” the advisory warned.

Injections and escalations

The top vulnerability for 2023 was CVE-2023-3519, a code injection in NetScaler ADC/Gateway using Citrix as the vendor, which was the tactic used in critical infrastructure attacks in the US last year, and had a severity rating of 9.8, making it a critical flaw.

Another high severity flaw in the top three, CVE-2023-20198, was one that Cisco issued a patch for in October 2023, which allowed attackers to create accounts on affected devices with privileged access, gaining full control over the device.

The agencies, as always, strongly encouraged end-user organizations to continually update software and applications, implement a robust patch management process, and perform regular secure systems backups to ensure your company stays safe against cyberattacks.

“Malicious cyber actors continue to have the most success exploiting vulnerabilities within two years after public disclosure of the vulnerability," the advisory warned,

“The utility of these vulnerabilities declines over time as more systems are patched or replaced. Malicious cyber actors find less utility from zero-day exploits when international cybersecurity efforts reduce the lifespan of zero-day vulnerabilities.”

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