Goodbyes are hard,
but the future is bright
After 8 great years with our legacy security platform, CloudCare, the time has come for a more modern, innovative platform for our partners, one with enhanced security, functionality, and capabilities.
Say hello to your new cybersecurity command center
It’s here! Welcome to the Business Hub, our state-of-the-art security platform designed to streamline how you manage your cybersecurity solutions. Take control of your protection from a single pane of glass.
| Fast and easy to use | Comprehensive Reporting | Free Remote support | Integrations to work smartly |
|---|---|---|---|
Lightning fast and modern UI that’s intuitive and easy-to-use for faster monitoring and deployments. |
Generate and schedule easy-to-read, detailed activity reports with the click of a button. View reports that include blocked threats, task lists, protected devices, patch statuses, and more. |
Fully integrated Remote Control service that allows IT admins to easily and efficiently provide remote support to their users, anytime, anywhere. |
APIs and RMM integrations coming soon to support your workflows and help you streamline operations. |
Everything you need to know
CloudCare End-of-Life FAQs
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. Over the past year, we’ve 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 Avast Business Hub
What is OMS?
OMS stands for Order Management and Billing System. It runs alongside the Business Hub and is the go-to place where our MSPs/reseller partners can purchase pre-paid licenses.
Are you going to be reaching out to our customers directly?
No. Firstly, we'd consider it inappropriate to meddle in your business relationship. Secondly, it's an upgrade of a management platform, whose primary user is you. We leave the decision about what and when to communicate to your customers entirely at your discretion.
Important Dates
What are the key milestones?
In summer 2022, we resumed the work on the upgrade functionality that will help you move your devices, policies, and subscriptions from CloudCare to the Business Hub. Below are the expected milestones, which we will be making more specific over the coming weeks.
| Date | Milestone | Definition |
|---|---|---|
Est. H2/2023 |
CloudCare End-of-Life / End of Support |
Platform support will be discontinued. |
Est. Feb 28, 2023 |
Email Security Services End-of-Life / End of Support |
Service support will be discontinued. |
Est. Feb 28, 2023 |
ShadowProtect End-of-Life / End of Support |
Service support will be discontinued. |
Est H2/2023, along with CloudCare |
Secure Web Gateway End-of-Life / End of Support |
Service support will be discontinued. |
What is the EOL date for CloudCare?
We currently expect that we will retire CloudCare completely in H2/2023. That's when you will no longer be able to access the system.
The upgrade of our individual partners to the Business Hub will happen before CloudCare's end-of-life. Each partner will be informed of their upgrade schedule individually by email and in CloudCare's UI.
The upgrade of our individual partners to the Business Hub will happen before CloudCare's end-of-life. Each partner will be informed of their upgrade schedule individually by email and in CloudCare's UI.
Upgrade Process
Will Avast Business continue to invest in developing CloudCare’s features?
No additional features or enhancements will be made to the CloudCare platform or security services. However, we'll continue to keep you and your customers protected throughout the upgrade period. You’ll keep on getting antivirus updates and we will continue attending to any potential critical bugs.
It’s been quite some time since I received the first communication about the EOL of CloudCare. When will I get more details about my upgrade to the Business Hub?
The upgrades are performed in a sequential manner, depending on your CloudCare setup and the services you use. Each partner will be notified of their upgrade schedule individually and will be provided a time period when they can upgrade on their own. After that, we'll handle whatever is still left in your CloudCare and upgrade you automatically.
Can I still purchase new subscriptions in CloudCare and/or renew existing ones?
Yes. You can continue to purchase our services in CloudCare until you upgrade to the Business Hub (at which point, you'll be able to do the same thing from the Business Hub ecosystem). Your services acquired/activated in CloudCare will move to the Business Hub (keeping their original validity in case of fixed-term subscriptions). However, we don't recommend that you subscribe to services that will be EoL'd along with CloudCare (see above under “Important milestones”).
How do I know if I can upgrade?
You'll get an email notification from us the moment your account becomes eligible for the upgrade. In addition, your CloudCare will display a prominent message informing you that you can upgrade to the Business Hub.
Why am I not eligible for the upgrade yet?
We’re performing the upgrades in a sequenced manner, based on your CloudCare setup and the services you use. Our partners with only CloudCare Antivirus, Patch Management, and/or Cloud Backup will be upgraded first.
Can I create a new Business Hub from the web?
We advise against that. A manual creation of another Business Hub might create issues during the upgrade process, and it would default to the standard Business Hub pricing without your CloudCare loyalty scheme.
What if I don’t want to upgrade?
Avast Business Hub is replacing CloudCare as our security management platform and CloudCare will be retired. That means that the upgrade is necessary. The Business Hub comes with a faster UI, better UX, releases enhancements every couple of weeks, and our research shows that it's very well accepted among our customer base. We strongly recommend that you upgrade as soon as your account becomes eligible and let us know your first impressions.
Will I have to sign up for the new platform when upgrading?
For security reasons, we can't move your CloudCare sign-in credentials between systems. The Avast Business Hub uses Avast Account for authentication. If you don't have one yet, we'll create one for you automatically, based on your CloudCare details, and prompt you to create a password. After that, you'll be able to access your Business Hub on businesshub.avast.com.
Will my CloudCare policies, including exceptions, move to the Business Hub? Will I have to re-create them?
All policies and supported settings will automatically transfer to the Business Hub.
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 get in touch with our Customer Care team at support@business.avast.com.
Can I stay in CloudCare for longer?
Unfortunately, it's not possible to keep your CloudCare beyond the announced end-of-life date.
Can I move my customers and their services one at a time?
Yes. Once you become eligible for the upgrade, you'll have the chance to move your customers to the Business Hub one by one. On a preset date announced to you in advance, we'll handle whatever is still left in your CloudCare and upgrade you to the Business Hub automatically.
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 Avast Business Hub in order to provide multiple layers of security and keep your SMB customers safe. You will be able to manage your antivirus services, Patch Management, Premium Remote Control, and Cloud Backup right from the Business Hub. We also plan to integrate content filtering and web security solutions within the platform.
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 fast, so it will save you time. The Business Hub can also be used on a variety of devices. We’re 100% committed to ensuring this platform continuously evolves with new features and services.
The Business Hub currently only has AV, Patch Management, Remote Control, and Cloud Backup. What will happen to my other services?
Not all services will be preserved in the Avast Business Hub. Some will be retired (e.g. Email Security Services and ShadowProtect). Others may be replaced by a similar functionality available from the Avast Business Hub, with the aim to further bolster your security.
When will two-factor authentication be available in the Business Hub?
Two-factor authentication is already available for all Avast Business Hub users.
Is Premium Remote Control going to be free for existing CloudCare partners?
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 12 months after their upgrade date. 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: 1) No download/installer required every time you use the operator client; 2) Available for macOS.
When is the Subscription Summary report going to be available?
This report is already available in the Business Hub.
Is the locally installed AV software the same in the Business Hub?
The 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 and Ransomware Shield. Remote Access Shield blocks unwanted connections to prevent Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) exploits and brute-force attacks, and Ransomware Shield blocks ransomware and unauthorized programs from changing, deleting, or encrypting business files inside protected folders.
Is Content Filtering going to be available in the Business Hub?
Yes, we are looking for a service replacement to provide our partners and their customers with content filtering capabilities. Customers with Content Filtering will not be eligible to upgrade to the Business Hub until the service is fully integrated, in order to ensure a seamless upgrade experience and avoid any breaks in service provisioning.
Pricing Information
Will flexible (monthly) services be available in the Business Hub?
Yes. We will offer Flexible Billing for our MSPs in the Business Hub in late 2022. This pay-as-you-go feature helps MSPs consume Avast Business solutions in the way that best aligns with how they transact with their end customers. This way, our CloudCare partners will be able to keep on using their flexible (monthly) plans once upgraded.
Will prices remain the same in the Business Hub?
Pricing is in line with our standard Business Hub offerings. This includes full access to our portfolio of Avast Business services. However, we will have special incentives in place to ensure we keep your pricing consistent after the upgrade.
