![\"Profile](\"https:\/\/blog.tmcnet.com\/blog\/rich-tehrani\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-6.jpeg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nThat gap is where Aura is positioning its latest offering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I met with Chuck Szymczak at an industry event, where the company had a visible presence, including sponsored lanyards and one of the larger booths on the MSP show floor. Szymczak, who works across channel and partner development, walked through the company\u2019s transition from beta to general availability and how they are thinking about the market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe were in beta down in Fort Lauderdale at ITEXPO this past February, and now we\u2019re GA,\u201d Szmczak said. \u201cThat happened on Monday. We already have about 50 customers on board, some paying, and we\u2019ve signed a distribution agreement.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The timing reflects a broader push into the channel. Aura, which already has a large consumer footprint, is now extending its platform toward MSPs, distributors, and enterprise use cases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At its core, the platform combines identity protection with device level controls. That includes spam and fraud filtering across email, text, and phone, along with VPN, antivirus, and password management capabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But the more interesting angle is how it integrates into business environments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019re connecting through Azure Entra tenants, keeping business separate on the device,\u201d Szymczak said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That separation is critical in a world where employees are often using a single device for both personal and professional activity. Instead of taking full control of the device, Aura focuses on controlling access to applications and protecting identity layers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Which brings up the central issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Traditional mobile device management solutions have not fully solved the BYOD problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI think the challenge is MSPs haven\u2019t been managing those devices,\u201d Szymczak said. \u201cMDMs are intrusive. People don\u2019t want someone to have full control over their phone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That tension between security and privacy is not new, but it is becoming more pronounced. Employees expect flexibility. Organizations need control. Most existing solutions lean heavily toward one side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Aura is trying to find a middle ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Szymczak described the approach as closer to mobile application management rather than full device control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s less intrusive. We\u2019re really keeping them off the applications if the device isn\u2019t compliant,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In practical terms, that means limiting access to business systems like Microsoft 365 unless certain security conditions are met, without wiping or locking the entire device.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The platform is also expanding beyond Microsoft environments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Support for Google Workspace is in progress, and the company expects to make the solution available to individual users as well, reducing friction for organizations with mixed environments or less centralized IT structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That flexibility is part of a broader strategy to reach different segments of the market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While MSPs are a primary focus, Aura is not limiting itself to that channel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019re starting with MSPs, but we\u2019re looking to expand,\u201d Szymczak said. \u201cWe\u2019re on TD Synnex now, and looking at others like Ingram, Pax8, Sherweb, and even boutique distributors.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There is also interest in integrating with platforms like ConnectWise and Kaseya, which would embed the solution more directly into existing MSP workflows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the same time, the company continues to operate in the direct market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve been around for 10 years, with over 3 million users,\u201d Szymczak said, pointing to large enterprise customers already using the platform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One example he cited was MetLife, which uses a multi tenant model to distribute the solution through brokers and into large retail environments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That hybrid approach, direct plus channel, is becoming more common as vendors look to scale while maintaining control over key relationships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another layer to the strategy comes from recent expansion efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Aura has acquired a company focused on the K 12 market in Australia and the UK, bringing capabilities related to student safety, identity protection, and device level restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The use case is slightly different, but the underlying theme is consistent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Protect the user, not just the device.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That includes preventing identity theft, limiting exposure to harmful content, and adding controls around social media usage in certain environments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While that may seem far from enterprise IT, the overlap is clearer than it appears. The same issues around unmanaged devices, identity risk, and user behavior show up across segments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Back in the MSP context, the immediate value proposition is more straightforward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI think it cuts down to companies not clicking on spam issues,\u201d Szymczak said. \u201cThe user gets VPN and antivirus across their devices to keep them protected.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That may sound basic, but it addresses a large percentage of incidents that still originate from phishing, social engineering, and compromised credentials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For MSPs, reducing those incidents has a direct operational impact. Fewer support calls. Fewer escalations. Less time spent on remediation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It also opens the door to new types of conversations with customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Instead of focusing only on infrastructure or endpoint management, providers can start to address identity and behavior as part of their security model.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Step back, and the positioning becomes clearer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Aura is not trying to replace traditional endpoint management tools entirely. It is targeting a specific gap, one that has grown as work patterns have changed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
BYOD is not going away. If anything, it is expanding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The question is whether security models can adapt without creating friction for users.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Aura\u2019s approach suggests that the answer may lie somewhere between full control and no control at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you liked this post, you\u2019ll love one of the the leading global business communications and technology events since 1999, the\u00a0ITEXPO #TECHSUPERSHOW<\/a>, Feb 9-11, 2027 Fort Lauderdale, Florida.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Don\u2019t forget the collocated MSP Expo<\/a> \u2013 just for managed service providers!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Aside from his role as CEO of TMC<\/a> and chairman of ITEXPO<\/a> #TECHSUPERSHOW Feb 10-12, 2026, Rich Tehrani is CEO of RT Advisors<\/a> and a Registered Representative (investment banker) with and offering securities through Four Points Capital Partners LLC <\/a>(Four Points) (Member FINRA\/SIPC). He handles capital\/debt raises as well as M&A. RT Advisors is not owned by Four Points.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The above is not an endorsement or recommendation to buy\/sell any security or sector mentioned. No companies mentioned above are current or past clients of RT Advisors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The views and opinions expressed above are those of the participants. While believed to be reliable, the information has not been independently verified for accuracy. Any broad, general statements made herein are provided for context only and should not be construed as exhaustive or universally applicable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Portions of this article may have been developed with the assistance of artificial intelligence, which may have contributed to ideation, content generation, factual review, or editing<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" As MSPs continue to navigate growing security demands alongside the rise of remote and hybrid work, one issue keeps surfacing in conversations across the industry. Personal devices are everywhere, and in many cases, they are largely unmanaged. That gap is where Aura is positioning its latest offering. I met with Chuck Szymczak at an industry<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":25850,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[111],"tags":[],"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.tmcnet.com\/blog\/rich-tehrani\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25849"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.tmcnet.com\/blog\/rich-tehrani\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.tmcnet.com\/blog\/rich-tehrani\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.tmcnet.com\/blog\/rich-tehrani\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/44"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.tmcnet.com\/blog\/rich-tehrani\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25849"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blog.tmcnet.com\/blog\/rich-tehrani\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25849\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25869,"href":"https:\/\/blog.tmcnet.com\/blog\/rich-tehrani\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25849\/revisions\/25869"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.tmcnet.com\/blog\/rich-tehrani\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25850"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.tmcnet.com\/blog\/rich-tehrani\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25849"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.tmcnet.com\/blog\/rich-tehrani\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25849"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.tmcnet.com\/blog\/rich-tehrani\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25849"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.tmcnet.com\/blog\/rich-tehrani\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-10.png\")
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