Running a managed services business takes time in servicing your clients, but that is the portion that they see and it tangible. What about all the behind the scenes work that needs to get done on a routine managed services contract?
One of the main tools in the MSP toolkit is their remote management and monitoring or RMM software. This is what allows you to centrally monitor and manage so many customers and computers all at the same time, while multi-tasking and getting things done even at times when you are asleep.
Ensuring that your RMM tool is finely configured and well-tuned is essential in your ability to effectively manage your clients and keep the noise down, while processing work in the background. Tools like Labtech and Kaseya offer significant capabilities to do this, if they are utilized to the best of their ability.
Here are a few pointers on how you can make your RMM work even harder for you:
- Leveraging 3rd Party Plugins: Integration is becoming critical. Everyone wants to see things in a single glass of pane. From backup and disaster recovery solutions to Anti-Virus providers, everyone has an RMM plugin available. Installing these plugins saves MSP’s time of switching applications between their RMM and other tools, by built-in functionality of the plugin.
- Keeping your RMM Up to Date: RMM vendors are releasing more frequent versions of their software, and the quicker release cycles allow them to address bugs and gaps more effectively. While it may not always be beneficial to be a beta user, it usually helps being fairly up to date on the version of RMM you use, in order to utilize newer functionality.
- Using out of the box and community automations: Did you know that most RMM software come with several out of the box monitor sets, scripts and automations? In addition, there are online communities that you can get other resources from, of several other users of the same software solution. Make sure that you are taking advantage of what’s available out there.
- Custom views, SQL, and scripting: Platforms like Labtech offer MSP’s advanced features and capabilities to create views and write custom scripts, which can further enhance the out-of-box functionality of the tool. Customizing the software to your requirement can lead to a significant amount of time saved in several instances. Further, it is also important to make good use of the reporting capabilities that are either in-built to the tool or add-on reporting to get insights to critical metrics on your data.
- Tap into industry experts: There are several companies that provide expert consulting and administration of RMM as a service. Find an outsourced Labtech Administrator or Kaseya Consulting firm that you can engage either on a one-time or on-going basis to help you manage your RMM.
