Video: 10 Minute IT Jams - ManageEngine manager on how to make life easier for MSPs

The world of IT management is changing rapidly. As more organisations move towards remote work and increased digitalisation, the demands placed on managed service providers (MSPs) are greater than ever. On the latest episode of "10 Minute IT Jams," Vanayak Shreda, Country Manager for Sales and Business Development for Australia and New Zealand at ManageEngine, shed light on what MSPs need to navigate this evolving environment – and why comprehensive remote monitoring and management (RMM) solutions are now crucial.

ManageEngine, a company focused on the creation of integrated IT management software, has become a significant player in this space. Its tools are designed to address everything from network monitoring and endpoint management to identity and access management and security.

"In today's world, most companies need a very robust network monitoring and management solution," Shreda said. "With the advent of the work-from-home model, it opens up various avenues for malicious cyber attacks, ransomware and whatnot, so you need a very, very strong, robust solution."

He emphasised that robust monitoring goes hand-in-hand with data privacy, a balancing act that is top of mind for many end users. "Most end users are a bit weary of tools which would invade... their data," he explained. "You need a solution that goes hand in hand – a very robust network monitoring solution along with a product which can ensure that the end users' data sovereignty and integrity is maintained, and it adheres to all the compliances and the regulatory laws of the land."

So what, exactly, should MSPs look for before choosing a remote monitoring and management solution? According to Shreda, the answer can be summarised in five key points.

"Number one priority is data security," he said. "Number two is scalability – you need a tool that is going to scale as the end user's organisation grows. Then you need multi-platform support within the tool, because the end user's environment is going to be a rather heterogeneous environment, having various networking devices, various flavours of OS, and whatnot. Four would be automation – a very important aspect. And five would be security."

Elaborating on each point, Shreda noted that data privacy should be the foremost concern for any MSP, as trust-building with clients is dependent on the secure and compliant handling of data. "For customer retention and trust-building to be perfected, any monitoring and management solution should uphold the privacy of every customer's data. There should be no data overlap between client networks, especially when managing multiple clients."

Shreda explained that regulatory compliance is non-negotiable in today's market, with requirements spanning GDPR, ISO, CIS, HIPAA, and other standards. The right tool "enables MSPs to promote their data handling capabilities as safe and regulated."

Scalability, he continued, is no longer optional. As client businesses change and expand, the networks MSPs manage must also be scalable. "It must be efficient and agile and offer flexibility over managing the entire client network while maintaining network performance and managing endpoints," he added. "It allows MSPs to be prepared at all times to serve client needs and meet SLAs faster."

Multi-platform support also featured high in Shreda's framework for the ideal RMM solution. "Every client today has an independent infrastructure, function and structure. Instead of depending on multiple solutions to manage different operating systems, MSPs need to opt for a single solution catering to multi-platform support. The software needs a multi-tenant architecture which helps MSPs handle the operations of multiple clients concurrently and from a centralised dashboard."

Automation, Shreda said, is "the key thing." Standardising and automating everyday processes – such as network discovery, patch management, software updates and reporting – is crucial in maximising productivity. "You need a bulk of your day-to-day, mundane critical activities to be automated. This, in turn, gives you better productivity and a better return on investment on the solution. It's also important to automate OS updates, network maintenance and tasks across client infrastructure."

Finally, no IT management tool can be considered sufficient without a strong security posture. "We can't emphasise this enough," Shreda said. "Security is always going to be the underlying factor when it comes to managing an IT network. Monitoring IT involves proactively looking out for security threats in your networks and identifying and remediating vulnerabilities as soon as they're detected."

Multiple layers of security – including fault discovery, deployment of configuration patches, and real-time alerting – are necessary to protect clients from rising cyber threats. "MSPs need to create a multiple layer of security by discovering faults in client networks, deploying security configuration patches to applications, and monitoring and configuring real-time alerts and notifications in terms of abnormalities," he added.

ManageEngine's RMM solution, Shreda explained, is built to address all of these challenges. "This tool is going to enable MSPs to discover, manage, monitor, secure their clients' entire IT infrastructure with a single solution, a single dashboard. It also unifies network monitoring and endpoint management, and provides a holistic view of all the managed clients' networking."

When asked how viewers and MSPs can learn more about ManageEngine's offerings, Shreda said, "You can just go to the ManageEngine website, and under the products tab, click on MSPs. We've got all the information regarding RMM Central available; feel free to evaluate, come back to us, and our team would get in touch with you."

He encouraged MSPs to start evaluating the central solution and to reach out with their progress or queries. "We would really love if some of the MSPs were to start evaluating Central and keep us posted on their progress, or if they need any assistance... they can always feel free to get in touch with us," Shreda concluded.