Remote Monitoring in the Cloud

Service Desire
Remote monitoring and management (RMM) technologies deliver proven benefits in greater system up-time, reducing the cost of support and enabling organisations to evolve beyond the traditional break/fix model to a far more proactive managed service. For VARs and MSPs the technology is compelling, offering the chance to deliver far more effective service to customers whilst also reducing overheads and improving productivity.

According to recent research conducted by GFI, MSPs and VARs cite Server Monitoring, LAN & Windows Monitoring, Patch Management and Remote Support as the most valued features of RMM. The top reasons for adopting remote monitoring are to offer faster fix response times and deliver preventative maintenance.

With full, real time visibility of customer systems, VARs and MSPs can also undertake valuable cross and up selling, leveraging in-depth performance reports to demonstrate to customers the need for additional storage and server requirements.

Yet while the technology is theoretically compelling, the results have been, to date, somewhat underwhelming. This research revealed that almost half (45 percent) of IT Support companies and MSPs believe the initial investment in RMM software is too high and 42 percent say the Return on Investment (ROI) never meets their expectations.

Complex Model
The primary problem faced by organisations attempting to implement RMM technology is the complex nature of traditional on-premise solutions. For a VAR looking to offer added value services to customers, the implementation of on-premise RMM requires significant investment in server hardware and communications infrastructure, as well as staff training.

The survey revealed that almost half (47 percent) of respondents complain that it took one month or longer from initial purchase to be fully up and running. Indeed, for 20 percent of MSPs, it actually took six months or longer. These organisations are also struggling to manage the financial burden of staff training, with 41 percent stating that it takes longer than one month to fully train technicians on the RMM system; with 15 percent citing in excess of six months.

Of even greater concern is the fact that over half (56 percent) of respondents admit staff do not have time to learn the whole RMM system.  And, of those who do try to learn the full system, 40 percent of IT Support Managers think technical teams get too buried in the detail of RMM tool deployment and lose focus on customers.

Given these figures, it is perhaps no surprise that over half (51 percent) of MSPs state it is difficult to show customers value from Managed Services contracts.
Flexible Solution
In the current economy, VARs and MSPs keenly require an opportunity to both drive down operational costs and boost the competitive profile through the delivery of innovative, effective services to customers, which is why many have turned to RMM solutions. But, as these figures reveal, the investment in time, money and resources is simply too great to justify the traditional on-premise RMM model.