Should I be using CW RMM?
Are you wondering if ConnectWise RMM is right for your business? This article will cover key business-focused pros and cons related to CW RMM. This article may help you navigate this decision for such a critical business tool for managed service providers (MSPs).
What’s the big difference?
ConnectWise currently supports two RMM products that, at their core, perform the same functions but have largely different approaches. The key difference between the two products seems to be that CW RMM has more of the ‘done for you’ approach compared to Automate’s ‘customize anything’ approach.
CW RMM Pros
- NOC baked into the product
- Process oriented ‘done for you’ automation
- Easy (easier) to use
CW RMM is a very powerful product that allows MSPs to remotely manage and monitor their client’s infrastructure. The monitoring and Automation provided by CW RMM is very process oriented and scalable, this is a feature of the ConnectWise/Continuum NOC being baked directly into the product. This process-oriented approach allows their NOC to support MSP’s teams, for a price. MSPs struggling to find and retain L1 / L2 technicians can utilize the NOC to supplement their tech team. Many MSPs can benefit from outsourcing some of these non-client-facing functions to the NOC. This allows an MSP to scale up more quickly by continuing to outsource or by using the NOC to supplement their teams while they hire and train new resources. The tool is also a bit easier to use and has less access to the backend commands. This provides MSPs confidence knowing that the same scripts are being run on thousands of other devices reliably thanks to that process-oriented approach. These services typically cost less than an internal resource and can scale up or down very quickly without much fuss.
CW RMM Cons
- Minimal customization currently
- Less access to data and reporting
- Lack of training materials
- Expensive
As mentioned above, CW RMM is great for process-oriented MSPs looking to scale up their business. The negatives of a very process-oriented approach are that it’s not very customizable. ConnectWise has been working diligently to add more features to CW RMM that will allow for more customization but that takes them further away from their ‘done for you’ plan for the product. If your MSP wants access to data for auditing, you may find yourself disappointed with the reporting capabilities. Right now, if you would like to train your team on the product, there is very little training material provided by ConnectWise. CW RMM is easier to use than some other RMMs, but if you want to do any customization you might be on your own for a while. The documentation that does exist can be a bit frustrating because CW RMM is just a different version of ConnectWise Command, which is just a different version of Continuum. We find that the documentation can be quite confusing and doesn’t always line up. We do expect ConnectWise to improve on this throughout 2023. Lastly, CW RMM can get quite expensive the more you rely on it and the CW NOC. There are different monitoring tiers for the environment which will directly impact the cost right up front. Adding on the NOC services per site can also get expensive. These costs can be recouped from partners, but with how price-conscious SMBs tend to be this could price you out of your market.
Is CW RMM right for me?
We cannot make this decision for you, but we hope the notes above might help you make an informed decision. If you’re an MSP that needs to scale up fast, does not need a lot of customization, and prefers that done-for-you approach then CW RMM might be right for you. If you’re an MSP that requires a lot of customization, wants access to their data, or prefers to build and enhance their internal resources, then CW RMM may not be right for you. Keep an eye on ProVal’s blog and YouTube channel for new content related to CW RMM so you can see for yourself if CW RMM is the right tool for your business.
Written by: Chase Murphy - RMM Team Lead