Waterloo Ontario-based network management firm Auvik has announced that Auvik SaaS Management (ASM) is now available through the Pax8 Marketplace. This expansion, following the initial availability of Auvik Network Management (ANM) on the Pax8 Marketplace in 2024, marks a significant milestone as the first SaaS management platform available on Pax8 with shadow IT and shadow AI discovery capabilities.
“At Auvik we view Pax8 as a marketplace channel – a platform where MSPs can discover, transact, and manage SaaS solutions, rather than a traditional distributor,” said Steve Petryschuk, Director of Product Marketing at Auvik. “Pax8 calls themselves a cloud commerce marketplace and focuses on discovery, procurement, automated provisioning, consolidated billing, and a modern e-commerce-style experience. In this sense, they add value through enablement and partner ecosystem support rather than acting as a traditional logistics distributor.
“While Pax8 still aggregates vendor solutions and manages licensing and billing, hallmarks of distribution, they have clearly evolved beyond that role,” Petryschuk emphasized. “I’ve seen the MSP community grow to love Pax8 over the past decade that I’ve spent with Auvik. When I first met Pax8, they were at the tiniest of tradeshow booths right beside Auvik. The adoption and growth from the MSP community clearly shows that Pax8 is doing something a little bit different from a traditional distributor!”
Auvik’s Network Management product was launched on the Pax8 Marketplace in 2024.
“Auvik built our business and name around bringing simple, effective network management to MSPs,” Petryschuk said. “Network management remains a core part of the Auvik business and brand identity, and we are watching market trends to introduce additional solutions that will increasingly meet our partners needs as the network, and work in general, continues to evolve. This announcement builds on our previous news to share that one of our other core products, Auvik SaaS Management, is now available on the marketplace as well.
“Auvik SaaS Management initially launched in 2023, with a focus on serving Auvik’s existing partner base and refining the product before broader channel distribution.” Petryschuk stated. “Global MSP demand has since grown, with more partners seeking tools to uncover Shadow IT and Shadow AI and expressing interest in procuring Auvik SaaS Management through Pax8. As awareness of Shadow AI risks has increased, MSPs are actively searching for discovery solutions, making now the ideal time for Auvik to expand its presence on the Pax8 Marketplace.”
Auvik SaaS Management delivers a unique breadth of coverage through its combination of identity provider (IdP), browser plugin, and desktop agent deployment, capturing application usage from all sources including desktop inventory, browser activity, and user authentication. This approach surfaces shadow IT and shadow AI that traditional discovery methods miss, giving MSPs complete visibility into their clients’ SaaS ecosystems.
“Even as organizations transition toward agentic AI, SaaS application usage also continues to increase and the need for robust visibility and management has never been greater,” said Oguo Atuanya, Corporate Vice President of Vendor Experience at Pax8. “By introducing Auvik SaaS Management to the Pax8 Marketplace, we’re equipping our partners with advanced tools to discover shadow IT and shadow AI, helping their clients streamline operations and take command of their evolving SaaS environments.” Shadow AI is a subset of shadow IT, and refers to the unauthorized use of AI tools within an organization. Anytime employees access or integrate AI applications that haven’t been approved, secured, or monitored by IT, it creates an instance of shadow AI. Like shadow IT, shadow AI introduces risks around data leakage, compliance violations, and operational disruptions but on a larger scale. These tools often have access to sensitive company data and operate with little to no oversight. Shadow AI Discovery is then the concept of using manual or automated methods to identify what the Shadow IT and Shadow AI applications are, so teams can better manage these applications and enforce their security policies.
Using Pax8 for SaaS management builds on Auvik’s success in working with Pax8 earlier.
“The Pax8 marketplace AND the team over at Pax8 are loved by the MSP community, and Pax8 has been a great partner for Auvik as we launched our Network Management product in the marketplace,” Petryschuk said. “The move to add SaaS Management to the Pax8 marketplace is evidence that our strong successful partnership is valuable to both the Auvik and Pax8 teams.”
Building on recent platform enhancements announced in September, Auvik SaaS Management ‘s client dashboard consolidates critical information into a single control center. IT teams can quickly identify cost-saving opportunities, track security posture, provision applications, and optimize license allocation – all from one interface designed to manage the growing complexity of SaaS portfolios.
Petryschuk also emphasized that the Auvik SaaS management solution differentiates them in the marketplace.
“Here at Auvik, we have three core differentiators that set our SaaS Management solution apart,” he said. The first is comprehensive discovery.
“We deliver unmatched visibility through multi-channel discovery that combines data from identity providers (IdP), SaaS app integrations, browser plugins, and desktop agents. This approach uncovers all SaaS usage, including shadow IT and shadow AI, that traditional SaaS Management Platforms (SMPs) tools often miss.”
Petryschuk identified the second differentiating feature as MSP-focused design.
“Our platform is purpose-built for Managed Service Providers, with true multi-tenant, multi-client capabilities that make it easy to manage and secure SaaS environments across multiple customers from a single pane of glass,” he stressed.
The final differentiating feature he identified as a unified platform for complete SaaS management.
“Unlike point solutions, Auvik combines multiple SMP functions into one integrated experience (discovery, spend/usage/licensing, security/compliance, and onboarding/offboarding) enabling IT teams and MSPs to discover, manage, secure, and save all SaaS applications in one place,” Petryschuk indicated.
Petryschuk said Auvik is looking forward to what Pax8 can do for them in SaaS management.
“Via Pax8’s marketplace, MSPs can simplify procurement of not only Auvik’s solutions, but other third-party offerings as well,” he said. “The unique value of the SaaS, Shadow IT and Shadow AI discovery that Auvik SaaS Management provides helps MSPs discover additional software solutions their clients are already using. This synergy – the discovery of Shadow IT from Auvik SaaS Management, and the simplification of procurement for SaaS applications via Pax8’s marketplace – makes this a natural partnership for MSPs to simplify their client’s software procurement experience.
“Given the aggressive growth forecasts for SaaS Management Platforms able to manage SaaS sprawl, shadow IT/AI, and SaaS spend optimization, the opportunity for MSPs to capture this market within their client base is quite large,” Petryschuk added. “As the only MSP focused vendor recognised in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for SaaS Management Platforms, Auvik is here to help our partners capture this significant market opportunity.”
“The availability of Auvik SaaS Management on the Pax8 Marketplace makes it easier than ever for our partners to integrate comprehensive SaaS discovery and management into their service offerings,” said Mark Ralls, President of Auvik. “With the unique ability to uncover shadow IT and shadow AI, our platform helps MSPs address one of the most pressing challenges their clients face in today’s complex IT landscape while positioning themselves as trusted advisors on SaaS management.”