TL;DR – Key Takeaways
- Ease of Onboarding Varies: Ninja has the simplest implementation process of the 3. ConnectWise RMM and Kaseya VSA require additional customizing and planning to get up and running.
- Strengths Depend on Your Priorities: CW RMM excels in monitoring in a scaling environment, Ninja’s top features are a clean UI and simple patching, and VSA has more automation and scripting depth.
- Reporting is a Common Pain Point: All 3 platforms struggle with built-in reporting, so third-party tools or manual customization are necessary for more impactful insights.
With so many Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) tools on the market, MSPs are often left wondering: “Which one is the best fit for my business?”
ProVal’s global team has deep, real-world experience and insights with the industry’s top tools – we work with them day in and day out.
Rather than give you a generic feature-by-feature breakdown, we asked three of our internal experts to share their candid thoughts on 3 leading RMM platforms. This week we have Brandon Gentile discussing ConnectWise RMM, Nick Pathe for NinjaOne RMM, and Rishi Tripathi on Kaseya VSA.
Let’s dive in!
What does the implementation and onboarding process look like?
ConnectWise RMM:
Brandon: CW RMM offers a relatively simple onboarding experience. First, make sure you have your Companies and Sites updated. This can be done with a bulk upload CSV file to save time. Next, set up and assign “staging policies” – essentially “do nothing” policies, to avoid accidental patching or deployments, or prevent conflicts from the RMM tool you’re coming from. Then, you can deploy your agents, using GPO, Intune, or other deployment tools you’re comfortable with to silently deploy MSI files. From here, it sorta depends on your specific needs. You can create and apply custom monitors, import scripts from your previous tool stack, or simply use the alerting and scripts out of the box. Once ready, switch the “staging policies” to your custom-built ones and start having CW RMM handle your patching, remote connection, AV deployment, and more!
NinjaOne RMM:
Nick: NinjaOne is pretty easy to get up and running, and ProVal’s approach builds on that simplicity. We start with Ninja’s default policies and treat them like staging policies, configuring patching, conditions, and automations, but keeping them disabled. Once those baselines are established, we create child policies that inherit those settings and use those for live production environments. This keeps things clean as you scale, avoids rebuilding policies from scratch, and makes future growth much easier to manage.
Kaseya VSA:
Rishi: Implementation is straightforward: deploy agents, configure policies, then align patching, monitoring, and automation profiles. Onboarding usually takes a few days, with most work focused on the cleanup of old profiles and standardizing settings.
What does the learning curve look like for new users or techs?
ConnectWise RMM:
Brandon: Thankfully, CW RMM is relatively user-friendly. But, the platform is always growing, so adjustments are required here and there. Things like… the setting you were used before might have moved to a new spot. That’s why I suggest keeping up to date on the CW RMM release notes to be aware of new features as they come out!
NinjaOne RMM:
Nick: The learning curve is pretty light compared to most RMMs. The interface is pretty clean and intuitive, so new hires can get comfortable quickly (usually 1-2 weeks). Basic tasks like remote access, reviewing alerts, or checking device health are easy to grasp. The deeper stuff, like automation and policy planning, takes longer to fully understand, but the platform does a good job showing how everything connects. Overall, it’s very approachable for both junior and experienced techs.
Kaseya VSA:
Rishi: The learning curve is moderate. Basic tasks are easy, but mastering automation, scripting, and policy design requires some hands-on experience. After a few weeks, most techs are fully productive.
How well does this RMM integrate with other MSP tools?
ConnectWise RMM:
Brandon: I’d say RMM integrates fairly well. They have integrations for major backup solutions like Acronis and Axcient. They have integrations to deploy and manage SentinelOne and Bitdefender as well as connect to many of the major PSAs like Manage, Autotask, and HaloPSA.
NinjaOne RMM:
Nick: NinjaOne mixes well with most of the tools MSPs are already using like PSA, backup, and security products. They’re always adding in more integrations, and their API makes it simple to build custom workflows if you need them. Some integrations aren’t quite as deep as what you may have seen in older RMMs, but for day-to-day operations like ticketing, patching, remote access, and security, it usually just works.
Kaseya VSA:
Rishi: Integration is solid with common tools like ticketing, backup, and AV platforms. API support is strong, allowing custom integrations, but built-in connectors are limited compared to newer RMMs.
What would you say are the biggest strengths or “standout” features of this platform?
ConnectWise RMM:
Brandon: CW RMM’s biggest strength is its out-of-the-box monitoring. With over 1100 alerts, the CW RMM alert mindset is, “Look for everything, disable what you don’t need.” It’s also great at auto-detecting machine rolls (workstations, laptops vs desktops, VM hosts, etc), and is very scalable, able to handle tens of thousands of agents.
NinjaOne RMM:
Nick: Simplicity and reliability. The interface is clean, and you can easily jump in and start managing devices without getting lost in the nav. Patch management is solid, and the automation engine is powerful without feeling like you have to constantly tweak scripts. Remote access is fast and doesn’t feel clunky, and their alerting system makes it easy to stay on top of issues before they become big problems. Being cloud-based also means less infrastructure to worry about, and new features get rolled out quickly.
Kaseya VSA:
Rishi: Automation, policy management, and scripting are the standout features. Patch management is mature, remote control is reliable, and agent deployment at scale is very efficient.
Where do you think the platform falls short or could use improvement?
ConnectWise RMM:
Brandon: CW RMM’s biggest drawback is with native reporting. Using BrightGauge is almost a necessity with CW RMM if you want decent reports. Most of the ones stocked in CW RMM are not fantastic. You will also run into issues elevating credentials in CW RMM scripting. Right now, you can run as “System” and “Current Logged-In User,” but there is no native ability to run a script as “Admin.”
NinjaOne RMM:
Nick: Reporting is definitely lacking if you need more specific insights, and automation or script logs can be tough to read and make sense of. Customizing the platform can also take a lot of manual work, so it’s not always as quick to tweak as you would like. It’s solid for day-to-day operations, but these things can be a bit frustrating when you’re getting deeper into the tool.
Kaseya VSA:
Rishi: UI feels dated, reporting requires customization, and onboarding large environments can be complex without cleanup. More modern integrations and simplified dashboards would make the platform stronger.
Final Thoughts: There’s No One-Size-Fits-All RMM.. And That’s Okay
Each RMM platform brings certain strengths. But no tool is perfect, and the right choice really just depends on your MSP’s goals, the expertise of your team, and your niche client base’s needs.
Our software-agnostic team at ProVal thrives on helping MSPs maximize the tools they already have or transition confidently to something better. Reevaluating your tech stack or just want a second opinion? We’re here to support you.
👉 Schedule a Discovery Call to take the first step.
