Autotask Study: MSPs Focus On RMM, Endpoint Management
Managed services providers (MSPs) are focusing on managing endpoints and remote monitoring and management (RMM) for managed cloud-based solutions. This is confirmed by Autotask’s Global Managed Services Market Study.
Ian van Reenen, GM of RMM product engineering for Autotask says his company embarked on the survey, which polled 1,800 MSPs, to help them understand their changing market — evolving through the shift to cloud technologies, a number of acquisitions and consolidations, and increasing expectations from customers.
“At Autotask we believe in fact-based decisions, and what better way to understand our customers’ requirements than to ask them directly? The more we know about what our customers want, the better we can align our products with our customers.”
The study found 62 percent of the MSPs surveyed are managing from 100 to 2,500 endpoints and they expect this number to increase — in fact, 54 percent plan to increase their focus on endpoints.
He explains, “The IT landscape has seen significant changes in a very short period of time: Cloud services are used by most businesses; many small businesses rely less and less on local servers, but rather put their systems in the cloud. While the widespread availability of cloud services has reduced the demand for on-premises application servers, it has also increased the need for companies to ensure complete visibility and control of end-user devices.”
“Ensuring these endpoints are secure, patched, and stable has never been more critical as IT departments struggle to not only guarantee access to services but also eliminate data leakage and enforce compliance,” van Reenen says. “It is not unusual for a user to have three or more devices connected to the corporate network, and supporting, managing, and securing these endpoints in a highly distributed environment is more difficult than ever. High quality endpoint management delivered via a secure cloud RMM platform makes MSPs a strategic importance to their customers.”
Another survey finding is that projects and networking account for almost 40 percent of revenue for three out of four MSP respondents. “Enforcement of standards and compliance with regulations such as Sarbanes Oxley remains a key challenge for businesses migrating to cloud services. Ensuring business continuity and maintaining productivity requires careful planning and diligent execution and are best handled by service providers with solid experience and a track record of successful delivery,” van Reenen explains
“For a managed services provider these projects present not only revenue opportunities but more importantly if successfully implemented, will lower maintenance and run time costs associated with the ongoing delivery of services. Getting it right the first time means increased customer satisfaction over the long term and a good MSP will ensure that their customers invest correctly in implementation and migration projects.”
The complete 2015 Managed Services Market Study is available as an eBook.