Ask an MSP Expert: How can an RMM tool grow my MSP business?

A remote monitoring and management (RMM) tool gives managed services providers (MSPs) the ability to monitor clients’ IT and troubleshoot and repair a range of issues without a trip to their offices or facilities. There’s no doubt an RMM tool provides value—but are you maximizing it?

SmarterMSP spoke with Mark Whiffen, Senior Product Manager at Barracuda MSP, to hear his insights on how MSPs can utilize the right RMM tool to grow their business. Mark emphasized three core capabilities of what the best RMMs can offer.

Reporting with an RMM tool

A good RMM tool pulls reports on the services delivered to SMB clients. A great RMM tool displays the value provided with its reporting.

The best reports illustrate how the work completed by the MSP is helping the client’s businesses. While many MSP-focused RMM tools offer reporting, MSPs should consider if the reports available are value-driven. Otherwise, the reports just show the work completed, rather than including the value of the work for clients.

Stay away from providing a reports on things like the amount of ransomware attacks in a certain time period. A report shows more value if it assesses known vulnerabilities across the customer’s network and showcases how much more secure it is this month, along with a report of the work done.

Strengthening security

An RMM tool provides visibility into a client’s IT environment—both what’s there and what’s missing. If the antivirus isn’t active, patches aren’t up to date, or other essential security elements need attention, the MSP can address these weak points.

Barracuda’s RMM tool has a built-in Site Security Assessment, taking a security-first approach without installing additional agents or using added solutions. It also includes three levels of reporting:

1. 1. A summary that MSPs can share with customers
   2. Details of individual tests and their results
   3. An in-depth report on tests, suggested remediation, and all devices at risk

By utilizing the Site Security Assessment’s features, MSPs can leveraging it as a sales tool for prospective and existing customers to generate additional revenues. It highlights vulnerability gaps and offers remediation for MSPs to close them, while boosting their clients’ security posture.

Supporting digital transformation

Having an RMM that gives MSPs real-time data on potential issues, the ability to remotely address the issues, such as remotely restart services and apply patches, and proactively deliver their services to their customers is critical. As organizations continue to digitally transform, they will need assistance with streamlining. RMM integrations will further advance the digital transformation of MSPs and their clients.

For instance, cloud adoption has increased significantly in the past two years, with many SMBs moving to Microsoft O365. An integration with O365 would help MSPs to manage inboxes using their RMM tool, instead of going to another interface to manage their customers’ O365 environment directly.

Similarly, integrating with security solutions and services, such as multifactor authentication (MFA), encryption, antivirus and ransomware protection, will set a higher level of security and business continuity for SMB customers—and generate opportunities to sell deeper into its customer base.

An RMM tool can reveal client needs

SMBs need solutions that deliver calculable value to their businesses. An RMM tool offers insight into client needs, so MSPs can advise them how to correct their security posture. Then, the RMM tool can generate reports that communicate the value provided—whether it’s fewer risks, greater efficiency, or cost savings.

Consider how much more your RMM tool can do, beyond just providing remote monitoring and service capabilities—then leverage those capabilities to build stronger client relationships, offer new services, and watch revenue numbers grow.

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