Choosing the Best RMM Solution for Your MSP Business

Transcription

1 Choosing the Best RMM Solution for Your MSP Business The early days of IT services saw many small-and-medium-sized businesses, or SMBs, outsource their support to a centralised helpdesk where various reactive, on-premises tools were used to help end users. However, this resulted in inefficient truck rolls, which meant that every time an IT problem occurred, an engineer was dispatched to the client s site to address the issue. The support desk would also spend hours on the phone speaking to businesses about how to fix the issues. As businesses have grown reliant on technology and shifted from traditional on-premises offerings to cloud services over the past decade, this archaic approach is no longer sufficient. According to Gartner, total cloud spending will exceed USD $278 billion worldwide by 2021, with software-as-aservice applications to contribute to 40 percent of the forecasted revenue. Remote monitoring and management (RMM) tools have now been introduced that give managed service providers (MSPs) visibility into their clients hardware, software, and networks. Giving MSPs this access means they can proactively address issues remotely as soon as they emerge, rather than after something goes wrong. 1 Today, RMM solutions fall into two broad categories: On-premises RMM: On-prem solutions require hardware investment and maintenance in addition to operating system and database software licensing fees. As the number of endpoints managed scales, performance issues will emerge. However, some MSPs prefer on-prem RMM tools because they offer more control over local data. Cloud-based RMM: Cloud-based RMM solutions do not require an on-prem server and can easily scale. Additional benefits of cloud solutions include security, availability and uptime, the predictable costs (monthly payments), and automatic software updates.

2 The challenges of legacy RMM solutions Many RMM solutions are built upon legacy architectures and therefore struggle to keep up with the needs of MSPs and their end customers. MSPs are often left to grapple with multiple tool sets to achieve the best solution. Consequently, most of these legacy RMM tools create two unnecessary problems: Resourcing: A full-time, dedicated employee is often required to manage and administer the solution. These same resources should be focused on other areas of business that can build revenue Reliability: Many RMM solutions are housed using a server on-site or in a self-hosted datacenter. As the market continues to move to the cloud, organisations are forced to invest significantly in supporting and maintaining the applications as semi-cloud applications. This can limit functional capacity, reduce reliability, and result in massive security liabilities to the MSP. The RMM opportunity RMM solutions are designed to address three key MSP business concerns: cash flow, time, and customer experience. These solutions allow MSPs to move from being an IT service provider that offers break-fix and reactive support to one that can identify and proactively remedy issues before they become a problem, improving overall client service. This shift can have a positive impact on the revenue model for MSPs. Break-fix services are sporadic and therefore an unreliable revenue source. However, offering proactive service support means MSPs can have access to stable, scalable monthly recurring revenue. Modern-day RMM solutions allow MSPs to focus on more effective resource utilisation, while reducing the overall cost of service delivery. Many service providers use RMM as a way to get one-on-one remote device access. However, the real advantage is that RMM solutions also allow MSPs to automate routine tasks, such as operating system updates, policy enforcement, and best practice implementation. Policy compliance is particularly crucial in a time where governments globally have introduced new mandatory data compliance laws. The Australian government s Notifiable Data Breaches regulation, which requires Australian companies to reveal when a data breach has occurred, is just one of the many examples. Datto RMM changing the way DBT works Newcastle-based Dynamic Business Technologies (DBT), which specialises in helping businesses identify and control their IT support costs by providing flexible and tailored IT managed services, has been using Datto RMM since Integrating Datto RMM into its client offering means DBT can remotely access and connect to customer servers and desktops instantaneously, seamlessly, and wherever, whenever, without disrupting customers during their day-to-day operations.

3 We can see what s happening, as it happens, and sometimes know that something s about to happen before it does. It allows us to truly be proactive and keep that promise that we ve made to our clients, says Nathan Frank, CEO of DBT. It also allows us to do things across the board, so we can manage patches, we can look after the anti-virus, we can ensure that discs and servers are behaving in the way they should, without having to do it manually or one server at a time. Datto s RMM has also been integrated with DBT s existing PSA system. This merges all the necessary information that engineers need to assist clients in a single dashboard. Datto RMM is a single tool that operates on both platforms for us. Ticketing is not isolated from remote monitoring and support and vice versa, so we can be working in a ticket but still see storage and backup and patch management. Or, we can be on the patch side of things, or the RMM side of things and see what the ticket history looks like. It s an integration that makes our lives substantially easier. 10 Factors to consider when choosing and deploying an RMM tool RMM tools are easy to deploy and replace. The challenge for MSPs is that RMM solutions are never like-for-like, so it s important to bring together the best combination of features to suit the business for today and into the future. There are 10 key factors that MSPs need to consider before choosing and deploying an RMM solution: 1. Ease-of-use: MSPs can use countless solutions to deliver their services, including separate tools for reporting, software patch management, and remote control. However, MSPs will commonly find themselves spending money for an entire platform of functionality, but only benefiting from a small percentage of the features. It s worth considering consolidating all necessary toolsets into a single, easy-to-use system. 2. Data synchronisation: Using a variety of tools to deliver services to clients can result in disparate data collection. When tools are consolidated, MSPs can spend more time focusing on getting work done and less time connecting the dots between different data sources. 3. Scalability: Devices that are not being monitored can generate service calls and inhibit an MSP s ability to scale operations. Real-time monitoring of every endpoint can decrease the number of unscheduled on-site visits, lower service costs, and enable a greater capacity to scale operations. 4. Remediation of alerts: RMM systems generate alerts that guide MSPs to key issues that require immediate attention, as well as ones that they can use to programmatically resolve and apply to similar alerts in the future. For example, if a monitor detected the available hard drive capacity being too low, an automated script could be run to clean up temp files and empty the trash to free up space. 5. Automated patch management: With cybersecurity and ransomware incidents on the rise, MSPs need to be prepared to help clients by delivering patch management services, as part of a comprehensive security offering, to ensure client endpoints are protected from emerging threats. Stories around the internet of ransom being paid by victims consistently reveal an absence of current device

4 the challenge of cleaning up the system outweighs the benefits of the integration, which shouldn t have to happen. MSPs will achieve the greatest efficiency and the least frustration when pairing PSAs and RMMs that have been designed to work together. patching or data being protected. This should also be taken into serious consideration as devices with Microsoft Windows 7 and Server 2008 come to their end-of-life in January Insightful and actionable reporting: MSPs need to demonstrate the value of their service. To do this well, MSPs must have a solid understanding of the data available to them within the systems they use and be able to customise and deliver this data to clients. 7. Predictable cost structure: RMM solutions with a simple monthly cost structure allow MSPs to easily determine gross margin as the business grows. Reducing variable capital costs, like one-time licensing fees, combined with long-term customer contracts will deliver more predictable margins and increase overall business valuation. 8. Return on investment: Measuring the financial gains associated with process improvements can be difficult to quantify. However, MSPs need to weigh out their decisions towards platforms that provide long-term, persistent business advantages and partnering with vendors who invest in MSP success. Dedicated implementation, success and professional services teams from vendors will ensure MSPs transition smoothly and begin recognising financial benefits as quickly as possible. 9. Reduced noise : One of the most common challenges MSPs face is the amount of unnecessary noise their PSA and RMM integrations generate. MSPs will often succumb to the pressure and completely disconnect their PSA and RMM because 10. Clear visibility of device coverage contracts: Understanding which devices are and aren t covered by support contracts can be challenging to keep reconciled. Without clear visibility, it can result in the unintended consequence of services being provided and billed incorrectly, potentially resulting in accounting adjustments and client dissatisfaction. Since contract details are often maintained within the PSA, MSPs should look for a level of integration between the two platforms where support staff can quickly determine, whether within the PSA or the RMM, what is covered and what is not at the time the service is delivered. The future of RMM As more devices are connected to the network, it s imperative for MSPs to monitor and manage those different endpoints. With a best-of-class RMM solution, MSPs can easily manage anywhere between 200 to 10,000 endpoints. MSPs should position themselves with the right solutions to take advantage of the 88.1 million Internet of Things (IoT) endpoints forecasted to be shipped in However, whether MSPs can earn extra revenue from the rise of IoT remains questionable. Regardless, MSPs need to prepare to take advantage of the emerging protocols and interfaces that are introduced to their end-customers network. The rise of connected devices 2 gartner-says-8-billion-connected-things-will-be-in-use-in-2017-up-31- percent-from-2016

5 and cloud-based applications combined with the lack of cybersecurity education amongst end users has created an extremely attractive opportunity for cybercriminals. Malicious software like ransomware and cryptominers are persistent and threaten the livelihood of even the hardiest of businesses. No business is safe, and executives are looking to MSPs to help prevent these unfortunate scenarios from happening. Ransomware is the single biggest threat that any business currently faces, and it s only expected to worsen. Datto s ANZ State of the Channel Ransomware Report found that 92 percent of MSPs predict the number of ransomware attacks will continue at current, or worse, rates. MSPs not only need to train themselves on cybersecurity best practices, but their RMM solutions must also be able to monitor, detect, and isolate the source of an attack if it occurs. At the same time, MSPs need to ensure clients have a robust business continuity and disaster recovery (BCDR) solution to ensure that, in the event of an attack, they can experience as little downtime as possible. Conclusion RMM can be a powerful and easy to use platform that empowers MSPs to securely and effectively manage their customers IT environment with robust tools that enable network monitoring, automated patch management, antivirus monitoring, and remote control. These technologies help MSPs achieve unprecedented visibility into their data, enable them to benefit from streamlined workflows, and afford them the ability to lower their total cost of ownership when delivering managed services. Corporate Headquarters Datto, Inc. 101 Merritt 7 Norwalk, CT United States partners@datto.com Global Offices USA: Canada: EMEA: +44 (0) Australia: +61 (02) Singapore: Datto, Inc. All rights reserved.