GFI Cloud was launched about a year ago with antivirus, server and workstation monitoring and free asset tracking. Since then, the company has added patch management and remote support integration with TeamViewer.

The product is built on more than a decade of GFI’s experience in delivering IT solutions to small and mid-sized businesses. A milestone in the product’s development so far is the launch of patch management earlier this year. This, the company says, has already seen significant uptake.

“GFI Cloud is an IT management platform which simplifies how IT admins manage their company’s IT environment,” says product marketing manager Jackie Wake. “The platform is easy to use, and can be set up in under 10 minutes. It brings the power of award-winning enterprise software but in a simplified package at a price point that small businesses can afford.”

Opinion Matters conducted an independent blind survey of over 400 IT administrators in the US and UK on behalf of GFI Software. The survey was designed to gauge their stress levels and the various workplace issues that factor into them. They ran this survey two years in a row, so they had some comparison data. Details of the survey can be found here.

The company now has a white paper out about the product, which looks at the survey results, and talks about the “technology trap”, an issue GFI Cloud aims to resolve.

“In reference to the ‘technology trap’,” the paper talks about a ‘vicious cycle of technology, experts, costs and upgrades that are not just time-consuming, but which impact and limit their own ability to grow and concentrate on business development and strategy,” says Wake. “The paper argues that new technology options and models are now enabling smaller businesses to take back control of their IT, with less expensive IT resources, spending less time managing technology and more time supporting the business moving forward,” Wake adds. “This means solutions such as automated patch management, antivirus, workstations and server monitoring and asset tracking can all be managed simply and effectively (and cheaply) from the cloud, without distracting business owners from running their business.”

Check out the white paper here. IT Trends analyst Barclay Rae will be presenting at a webcast related to it on July 18th. You can register here.